With regards to specter: do you think its ok to remove specters for lifebane zombies? A few decks are making this trend... and I need more opinions on it.
I made the switch and its been great. I rarely play against mono b anymore so they're usually unblockable. They don't die to last breath (unless your opponent +1'd a Jace), you'll get a look at their hand and hopefully snipe a creature. The 3 power is great for softening people up for Gray Merchant (and in most matchups the cards from Nightveil don't matter). Nightveil is ok against white weenie/mono red aggro but if they get a spear/have removal, it's pretty miserable. At that point I'd just run more removal. Replacing the Specters freed up 4 sideboard slots, which means I can run more removal (I'm currently mainboarding 4 Downfall, 3 Devour Flesh, 2 Bile Blight, 1 Doom Blade, and running 3 Doom Blade, 3 Drown in Sorrow, 1 Dark Betrayal in the sideboard).
TL,DR: Lifebane Zombie is a more relevant threat in the current standard, Nightveil Specter is too slow and not aggressive enough.
With regards to specter: do you think its ok to remove specters for lifebane zombies? A few decks are making this trend... and I need more opinions on it.
I made the switch and its been great. I rarely play against mono b anymore so they're usually unblockable. They don't die to last breath (unless your opponent +1'd a Jace), you'll get a look at their hand and hopefully snipe a creature. The 3 power is great for softening people up for Gray Merchant (and in most matchups the cards from Nightveil don't matter). Nightveil is ok against white weenie/mono red aggro but if they get a spear/have removal, it's pretty miserable. At that point I'd just run more removal. Replacing the Specters freed up 4 sideboard slots, which means I can run more removal (I'm currently mainboarding 4 Downfall, 3 Devour Flesh, 2 Bile Blight, 1 Doom Blade, and running 3 Doom Blade, 3 Drown in Sorrow, 1 Dark Betrayal in the sideboard).
TL,DR: Lifebane Zombie is a more relevant threat in the current standard, Nightveil Specter is too slow and not aggressive enough.
As a longtime control player I can say that Nightveil Specter is very, very good against control. Specter can 2-for-1 control players all day, especially as a followup to the Pack Rat that they just Last Breathed or D-Sphered, and I'd say that it's the best card in the control matchup other than Pack Rat. It also seems good in the mirror, based on the Mono-B mirrors I've watched. Besides, isn't GR already a good matchup? Lifebane just feels win-more there.
Well now you guys are sending me mixed signals! I guess I am just going to have to test both. Is it feasible to board the 4 specters to possibly switch gears ? Or is that pushing. It seems like a waste of 4 spots in the board. The last 2 tournaments had mono black devotion as the winner. The GP winner had 4x specter and the starcity winner had 4x lifebane zombies. I don't know which is better.
Well now you guys are sending me mixed signals! I guess I am just going to have to test both. Is it feasible to board the 4 specters to possibly switch gears ? Or is that pushing. It seems like a waste of 4 spots in the board. The last 2 tournaments had mono black devotion as the winner. The GP winner had 4x specter and the starcity winner had 4x lifebane zombies. I don't know which is better.
I would say that depends on your meta the most. I mean Lifebane Zombie is the better creature after all and replacing the Specters with him can free up sideboard space for something like Drown in Sorrow for aggro. But Nightveil Specter is clearly better in the mirror. Really depends on what is heavily played in the place where you are playing.
That's the thing. I'm from buffalo,ny and the GP is in Cincinnati. I don't know what the meta will be like. So the question is going into an unknown meta which creature is better?
That's the thing. I'm from buffalo,ny and the GP is in Cincinnati. I don't know what the meta will be like. So the question is going into an unknown meta which creature is better?
Unless you expect a very heavy mono black presence, I would take the Lifebanes. I think they're much better in every matchup except black. Even then it at least lets you know what you're up against. I cut the Specters and don't miss them.
That's the thing. I'm from buffalo,ny and the GP is in Cincinnati. I don't know what the meta will be like. So the question is going into an unknown meta which creature is better?
Unless you expect a very heavy mono black presence, I would take the Lifebanes. I think they're much better in every matchup except black. Even then it at least lets you know what you're up against. I cut the Specters and don't miss them.
Specters are also better against control, from my experience on the other side of the matchup, and they're fairly good against Mono-U. So I like Specter better, but some people don't.
Also, do you have byes? The more you have, the better Specter is because you'll dodge a lot of the aggro decks.
Hello there. I'm playing UW control right now but lately, I've been thinking of switching over to MBD. What do you guys think? What deck is the most consistent in a mostly tier 1 deck meta? How about aggro heavy meta?
That's the thing. I'm from buffalo,ny and the GP is in Cincinnati. I don't know what the meta will be like. So the question is going into an unknown meta which creature is better?
Unless you expect a very heavy mono black presence, I would take the Lifebanes. I think they're much better in every matchup except black. Even then it at least lets you know what you're up against. I cut the Specters and don't miss them.
Specters are also better against control, from my experience on the other side of the matchup, and they're fairly good against Mono-U. So I like Specter better, but some people don't.
Also, do you have byes? The more you have, the better Specter is because you'll dodge a lot of the aggro decks.
Lifebane Zombie is definitely worth main-deck consideration, but Specters are too good to cut entirely. We should have 3-4 of each in our 75. Both are very strong in most matchups due to evasion & card advantage, and both have their weak MU's as well. Against R/x aggro, the Lightning Strike argument vs Nightveil is ridiculous: Lifebane's 1 toughness means ANY burn spell and ANY creature kill it, while very few aggro/burn cards answer Nightveil on their own.
I often find myself playing all 8 after sideboard (a la Owen Turtenwald's idea two months ago, still very relevant). Several matchups (aggro, Gruul, etc) can deliver threats and damage too quickly for Underworld Connections, so 3-4 each of Zombie and Specter make a lot of sense. Vs control, it's not unusual to side out all 10 removal spells and bring in 3 Duress, 4 Lifebane, and 3 Erebos (again citing Turtenwald). The resulting 7 discard spells and 12 evasive creatures can all answer Elspeth and Jace, increase our devotion count, and provide much greater pressure early, rather than holding Downfall only to have it countered.
More importantly, control is on the rise, and will continue to gain ground over the next several months. Nightveil is too good against these decks; Duress, Thoughtseize, and Connections are the only non-creature spells we should have against them.
I also don't understand how opening up more SB slots is a valid argument. With 4 Specter, 3 Bile Blight, and 3 Doom Blade in the main, my extra 15 look like this:
Is there anything I'm lacking in this list? I cut Dark Betrayal and Drown in Sorrow recently, as they haven't felt necessary. Bile Blight is better than Betrayal in the mirror (UP & Downfall answer Demon), and we've never had much trouble against any deck where you'd bring in Drown. Mono-Blue was the best reason, but it's falling out of the meta.
Hello there. I'm playing UW control right now but lately, I've been thinking of switching over to MBD. What do you guys think? What deck is the most consistent in a mostly tier 1 deck meta? How about aggro heavy meta?
Mono Black has consistently performed MUCH better than UW in major tournaments for several months. The meta has shifted from aggro to midrange and control, other decks have waxed and waned, and MBD keeps coming back. In your local meta, people might start to hate with decks full of Fiendslayer Paladin and Blood Baron, but they're not consistent enough to worry about at a bigger event. In an aggro-heavy meta, your SB plan might cut Erebos and/or Duress to make room for a few Drown in Sorrow.
It's actually a matchup I look forward to, as well, because I feel MBD provides more problems than UW can answer.
Hello there. I'm playing UW control right now but lately, I've been thinking of switching over to MBD. What do you guys think? What deck is the most consistent in a mostly tier 1 deck meta? How about aggro heavy meta?
I recently made that switch (though I'm splashing two colors) and I'm loving it. Mono-B just has better matchups than UW.
Great post Charlie! So you prefer doom blade over devor flesh. My current remv suite is 4 heros downfall, 2 ultimate price, 2 bile blight, and 2 devour flesh. I have recently just changed it. It used to be 3 devour flesh, 3 bile blight, and 4 downfall. I will most likely go back to that because I do t like the ultimate price main. Why do you prefer doom blade over devour flesh main. Is that a meta call??
Yep. Imo it depends on what mix of black/selsnya/RG monsters you expect to see. Ultimate Price misses half of G/W, Doom Blade against black only hits Mutavault, Bile Blight doesn't kill anything important in G/R. So you can balance those numbers against what you expect to see. The mono-black craze seems to have died down some, so I think Doom Blade is the best spot removal in standard right now. Post board against any non-black creature decks I have 4 Downfall, 4 Doom Blade, 3 Devour Flesh + Bile Blight/Drown for the smaller creature decks and it feels somewhat unfair. But then again in some metas, running Doom Blade in the main is a huge liability and you want 4 Dark Betrayals in the side. Against an unknown field though, I'd load up on Doom Blades.
edit: I run 4 Downfall, 3 Devour Flesh, 2 Bile Blight, 1 Doom Blade main, with 3 Doom Blade, 3 Drown in Sorrow, 1 Dark Betrayal in the side
Thanks for the advice! What do you think about 4 downfall, 3 bile blight, 3 doom blade? And move the decor flesh to the board?
The only problem with that is that it's really weak in the mirror, especially against Orzhov Control because of Blood Baron. That thing is probably the only reason we're running Devour Flesh mainboard.
I might actually suggest playing some number of Ultimate Price. GW isn't really a thing right now, so Ultimate Price is better than it normally would be.
Thread creator here. Anyone have a quick write-up they'd like for me to use to update the main post? I've stopped playing the deck but I'd like to keep the first post of the primer relevant. If someone wouldn't mind helping me with this I would appreciate it.
Brief writeup I did on the deck. I'm not an expert, but I've been playing the deck a few months and I've been having quite a bit of success with it. I'll probably add another paragraph or something summarizing the deck.
Card choices:
Creatures:
Pack Rat: Not quite the powerhouse it used to be, this rat still does work. These days it feels more like a finisher once you’re both basically out of resources. Play 2-4
Lifebane Zombie/Nightveil Specter: Some black decks have begun running 4 Lifebane Zombies instead of the usual 4 Specters. Some players swear by the Zombie, others say Specter’s still good. It mostly comes down to preference (though I’m personally a strong believer in Lifebanes mainboard). Play 3-4 Zombies in your 75, play 0-4 Nightveil Specters in the main deck.
Desecration Demon: This guy’s huge. He beats for 6, he eats their creatures. He’s pretty bad against token generators (for example he does nothing against a Brimaz/Precinct Captain that’s already pooped out a guy) but some creature decks just can’t deal with him. Play 4.
Erebos, God of the Dead: Some decks play 1 Erebos in the main. It’s a meta/preference call. It acts as Underworld Connections #5 and can also beat down/block for days. Play 2-3 in your 75, 0-1 in the main.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel: Play 4.
Other spells:
Thoughtseize: Thoughtseize is a very strong hand disruption spell. It lets you know what you’re up against and lets you take any spell. Play 4.
Hero’s Downfall: A catchall removal spell. The only creatures it doesn’t kill have Hexproof/Protection from black. Outside of that, it gets anything off the board. Play 4.
Devour Flesh: It’s not the most elegant removal spell, but it always hits a creature, it can kill a resolved Blood Baron/turn 2 Caryatid. I think it’s risky to go without any Devours in your deck, but I don’t think it’s strong enough to be a 4-of. Play 1-3.
Bile Blight: An upgraded version of Pharika’s cure. It kills Pack Rats, Reckoner, Specter, Mutavault, Master of Waves, etc… It’s not great against green creatures though. This card absolutely hoses White Weenie and RDW. Play 2-4, depending on how much aggro you expect.
Doom Blade: The best of the 2 mana removal spells unless you expect to face a lot of black. Running too many in the main can be a liability, but when it’s good, it’s GREAT. Play 3-4 in your 75, 0-2 in the main.
Underworld Connections: The draw engine of the deck. Most other decks can’t keep up with the card advantage generated by Connections, so landing a Connections while you aren’t under much pressure can simply win the game against a lot of decks. It’s one of the few cards that lets you keep up with Sphinx’s Revelation decks. A lot of the time they get cut to bring in more removal, but I still think it’s correct to run them in the main. Play 4.
Lands:
Mutavault: Mutavault does a little of everything. It attacks for 2, it chumps(or double blocks a Blood Baron), it pumps Pack Rat, you can sacrifice it to Devour Flesh/Away, it’s immune to Verdict/Dsphere... Play 4.
Scry lands: These are the real deal in standard right now. Play at least 4, I’m currently trying out 6. Them coming in tapped is a pretty small cost for free scrying (and you can throw them off with the turn 1 land. Turn 1 temple of silence could be mono b, u/w, esper, or b/w). I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself playing 8 soon.
Play 25-26 lands.
Splashing:
There are benefits from splashing for any color, (though a worse manabase is a real cost to consider) these are cards I would consider splashing for:
White: Blood Baron of Vizkopa, Revoke Existence.
Blue: Negate (Notion Thief is too cute and doesn’t do anything against non-Revelation spells. I don’t think it’s close to playable)
Green: Abrupt Decay, Reaper of the Wilds, Golgari Charm
Red: Mizzium Mortars (mainly for Blood Baron, its nice that it also kills anything small), Rakdos’ Return, Slaughter Games (I don’t think it’s worth splashing for Dreadbore when black already has great tools for dealing with creatures and planeswalkers)
Right now green is the hardest splash because there’s no B/G scryland yet. Other than that it depends what matchups you want to improve.
Building a sideboard:
You can’t know what your sideboard will need until you start playing the deck, popular cards are Duress, Erebos, Lifebane Zombie (if you’re not running it in the main), Dark Betrayal, Drown in Sorrow, Doom Blade, Pithing Needle, and Bile Blight.
negate is good but notion thief really puts a screw to them, so I sugest if splashing blue go with 1-2 depending on meta
I got 8 cards off one it was fun. But negate or gainsay work also its preference.
-MH
Hello there. I'm playing UW control right now but lately, I've been thinking of switching over to MBD. What do you guys think? What deck is the most consistent in a mostly tier 1 deck meta? How about aggro heavy meta?
I recently made that switch (though I'm splashing two colors) and I'm loving it. Mono-B just has better matchups than UW.
I've finally decided to switch over to MBD. Had couple extra event tickets on mtgo after selling my Jace's and Revelations.
Noticed a couple of things. First one is mono black seems to be weaker than U/w control against hyper aggressive decks (RW burn, RDW etc). RDW and other creature based aggro decks has never been a problem for me with UW, just RW burn.
Second is Pack Rat. I don't know about you guys but it seems pretty weak for me. I almost always take 4 out against pretty much anything on game 2. I've been looking for a 2 cmc replacement for him but I can't find any. It seems this card is only being played because there are no other options?
You need to play with pack rat more. The card is a blow out when it gets online. It also forces your opponent to deal with it immediately. Because if they don't they are way to far behind to ever get back in the game. It's real really good. Play with it some more and you will see.
Also, all I have been reading online is that lifebane zombie is the way to go for the main. I can't say I'm totally convinced but it's looking like that is the way that all the pros are recommending. Do you guys think it's possible to just swap out the ; lifebanes I have in my board for 4 specters? Is packing 4 specters in the board doing to much??
You need to play with pack rat more. The card is a blow out when it gets online. It also forces your opponent to deal with it immediately. Because if they don't they are way to far behind to ever get back in the game. It's real really good. Play with it some more and you will see.
Also, all I have been reading online is that lifebane zombie is the way to go for the main. I can't say I'm totally convinced but it's looking like that is the way that all the pros are recommending. Do you guys think it's possible to just swap out the ; lifebanes I have in my board for 4 specters? Is packing 4 specters in the board doing to much??
Agree on Pack Rat. Lifebane vs. Specter is really personal preference and metagame. Some people prefer Specter, other people prefer Lifebane. I think it really comes down to your meta. If you expect lots of GR, play Lifebane. If you think you'll see a lot of control, play Specter. And yes, Specter is bad in the board because it effectively means devoting at least half your sideboard to control.
TL,DR: Lifebane Zombie is a more relevant threat in the current standard, Nightveil Specter is too slow and not aggressive enough.
BBB Mono Black (standard)
As a longtime control player I can say that Nightveil Specter is very, very good against control. Specter can 2-for-1 control players all day, especially as a followup to the Pack Rat that they just Last Breathed or D-Sphered, and I'd say that it's the best card in the control matchup other than Pack Rat. It also seems good in the mirror, based on the Mono-B mirrors I've watched. Besides, isn't GR already a good matchup? Lifebane just feels win-more there.
Thanks to xeno for the sig and avvy!!!
I would say that depends on your meta the most. I mean Lifebane Zombie is the better creature after all and replacing the Specters with him can free up sideboard space for something like Drown in Sorrow for aggro. But Nightveil Specter is clearly better in the mirror. Really depends on what is heavily played in the place where you are playing.
Thanks to xeno for the sig and avvy!!!
BBB Mono Black (standard)
Specters are also better against control, from my experience on the other side of the matchup, and they're fairly good against Mono-U. So I like Specter better, but some people don't.
Also, do you have byes? The more you have, the better Specter is because you'll dodge a lot of the aggro decks.
Lifebane Zombie is definitely worth main-deck consideration, but Specters are too good to cut entirely. We should have 3-4 of each in our 75. Both are very strong in most matchups due to evasion & card advantage, and both have their weak MU's as well. Against R/x aggro, the Lightning Strike argument vs Nightveil is ridiculous: Lifebane's 1 toughness means ANY burn spell and ANY creature kill it, while very few aggro/burn cards answer Nightveil on their own.
I often find myself playing all 8 after sideboard (a la Owen Turtenwald's idea two months ago, still very relevant). Several matchups (aggro, Gruul, etc) can deliver threats and damage too quickly for Underworld Connections, so 3-4 each of Zombie and Specter make a lot of sense. Vs control, it's not unusual to side out all 10 removal spells and bring in 3 Duress, 4 Lifebane, and 3 Erebos (again citing Turtenwald). The resulting 7 discard spells and 12 evasive creatures can all answer Elspeth and Jace, increase our devotion count, and provide much greater pressure early, rather than holding Downfall only to have it countered.
More importantly, control is on the rise, and will continue to gain ground over the next several months. Nightveil is too good against these decks; Duress, Thoughtseize, and Connections are the only non-creature spells we should have against them.
I also don't understand how opening up more SB slots is a valid argument. With 4 Specter, 3 Bile Blight, and 3 Doom Blade in the main, my extra 15 look like this:
2 Ultimate Price
3 Devour Flesh
4 Lifebane Zombie
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
Is there anything I'm lacking in this list? I cut Dark Betrayal and Drown in Sorrow recently, as they haven't felt necessary. Bile Blight is better than Betrayal in the mirror (UP & Downfall answer Demon), and we've never had much trouble against any deck where you'd bring in Drown. Mono-Blue was the best reason, but it's falling out of the meta.
Mono Black has consistently performed MUCH better than UW in major tournaments for several months. The meta has shifted from aggro to midrange and control, other decks have waxed and waned, and MBD keeps coming back. In your local meta, people might start to hate with decks full of Fiendslayer Paladin and Blood Baron, but they're not consistent enough to worry about at a bigger event. In an aggro-heavy meta, your SB plan might cut Erebos and/or Duress to make room for a few Drown in Sorrow.
It's actually a matchup I look forward to, as well, because I feel MBD provides more problems than UW can answer.
I recently made that switch (though I'm splashing two colors) and I'm loving it. Mono-B just has better matchups than UW.
Thanks to xeno for the sig and avvy!!!
edit: I run 4 Downfall, 3 Devour Flesh, 2 Bile Blight, 1 Doom Blade main, with 3 Doom Blade, 3 Drown in Sorrow, 1 Dark Betrayal in the side
BBB Mono Black (standard)
Thanks to xeno for the sig and avvy!!!
The only problem with that is that it's really weak in the mirror, especially against Orzhov Control because of Blood Baron. That thing is probably the only reason we're running Devour Flesh mainboard.
I might actually suggest playing some number of Ultimate Price. GW isn't really a thing right now, so Ultimate Price is better than it normally would be.
Modern
BUGLantern ControlBUG
Card choices:
Creatures:
Pack Rat: Not quite the powerhouse it used to be, this rat still does work. These days it feels more like a finisher once you’re both basically out of resources. Play 2-4
Lifebane Zombie/Nightveil Specter: Some black decks have begun running 4 Lifebane Zombies instead of the usual 4 Specters. Some players swear by the Zombie, others say Specter’s still good. It mostly comes down to preference (though I’m personally a strong believer in Lifebanes mainboard). Play 3-4 Zombies in your 75, play 0-4 Nightveil Specters in the main deck.
Desecration Demon: This guy’s huge. He beats for 6, he eats their creatures. He’s pretty bad against token generators (for example he does nothing against a Brimaz/Precinct Captain that’s already pooped out a guy) but some creature decks just can’t deal with him. Play 4.
Erebos, God of the Dead: Some decks play 1 Erebos in the main. It’s a meta/preference call. It acts as Underworld Connections #5 and can also beat down/block for days. Play 2-3 in your 75, 0-1 in the main.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel: Play 4.
Other spells:
Thoughtseize: Thoughtseize is a very strong hand disruption spell. It lets you know what you’re up against and lets you take any spell. Play 4.
Hero’s Downfall: A catchall removal spell. The only creatures it doesn’t kill have Hexproof/Protection from black. Outside of that, it gets anything off the board. Play 4.
Devour Flesh: It’s not the most elegant removal spell, but it always hits a creature, it can kill a resolved Blood Baron/turn 2 Caryatid. I think it’s risky to go without any Devours in your deck, but I don’t think it’s strong enough to be a 4-of. Play 1-3.
Bile Blight: An upgraded version of Pharika’s cure. It kills Pack Rats, Reckoner, Specter, Mutavault, Master of Waves, etc… It’s not great against green creatures though. This card absolutely hoses White Weenie and RDW. Play 2-4, depending on how much aggro you expect.
Doom Blade: The best of the 2 mana removal spells unless you expect to face a lot of black. Running too many in the main can be a liability, but when it’s good, it’s GREAT. Play 3-4 in your 75, 0-2 in the main.
Underworld Connections: The draw engine of the deck. Most other decks can’t keep up with the card advantage generated by Connections, so landing a Connections while you aren’t under much pressure can simply win the game against a lot of decks. It’s one of the few cards that lets you keep up with Sphinx’s Revelation decks. A lot of the time they get cut to bring in more removal, but I still think it’s correct to run them in the main. Play 4.
Lands:
Mutavault: Mutavault does a little of everything. It attacks for 2, it chumps(or double blocks a Blood Baron), it pumps Pack Rat, you can sacrifice it to Devour Flesh/Away, it’s immune to Verdict/Dsphere... Play 4.
Scry lands: These are the real deal in standard right now. Play at least 4, I’m currently trying out 6. Them coming in tapped is a pretty small cost for free scrying (and you can throw them off with the turn 1 land. Turn 1 temple of silence could be mono b, u/w, esper, or b/w). I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself playing 8 soon.
Play 25-26 lands.
Splashing:
There are benefits from splashing for any color, (though a worse manabase is a real cost to consider) these are cards I would consider splashing for:
White: Blood Baron of Vizkopa, Revoke Existence.
Blue: Negate (Notion Thief is too cute and doesn’t do anything against non-Revelation spells. I don’t think it’s close to playable)
Green: Abrupt Decay, Reaper of the Wilds, Golgari Charm
Red: Mizzium Mortars (mainly for Blood Baron, its nice that it also kills anything small), Rakdos’ Return, Slaughter Games (I don’t think it’s worth splashing for Dreadbore when black already has great tools for dealing with creatures and planeswalkers)
Right now green is the hardest splash because there’s no B/G scryland yet. Other than that it depends what matchups you want to improve.
Building a sideboard:
You can’t know what your sideboard will need until you start playing the deck, popular cards are Duress, Erebos, Lifebane Zombie (if you’re not running it in the main), Dark Betrayal, Drown in Sorrow, Doom Blade, Pithing Needle, and Bile Blight.
BBB Mono Black (standard)
Good analysis. I like Gainsay over Negate in a blue splash, as Negate is too narrow. Other than that, everything seems sound.
Good analysis. I like Gainsay over Negate in a blue splash, as Negate is too narrow. Other than that, everything seems sound.
I got 8 cards off one it was fun. But negate or gainsay work also its preference.
-MH
Modern
BUGLantern ControlBUG
I've finally decided to switch over to MBD. Had couple extra event tickets on mtgo after selling my Jace's and Revelations.
Noticed a couple of things. First one is mono black seems to be weaker than U/w control against hyper aggressive decks (RW burn, RDW etc). RDW and other creature based aggro decks has never been a problem for me with UW, just RW burn.
Second is Pack Rat. I don't know about you guys but it seems pretty weak for me. I almost always take 4 out against pretty much anything on game 2. I've been looking for a 2 cmc replacement for him but I can't find any. It seems this card is only being played because there are no other options?
This is what I'm running btw
4 Lifebane Zombie
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Thoughtseize
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Underworld Connections
2 Bile Blight
2 Ultimate Price
2 Devour Flesh
4 Temple of Deceit
18 Swamp
2 Doom Blade
1 Devour Flesh
2 Erebos, God of the Dead
4 Duress
1 Pithing Needle
2 Drown in Sorrow
Also, all I have been reading online is that lifebane zombie is the way to go for the main. I can't say I'm totally convinced but it's looking like that is the way that all the pros are recommending. Do you guys think it's possible to just swap out the ; lifebanes I have in my board for 4 specters? Is packing 4 specters in the board doing to much??
Thanks to xeno for the sig and avvy!!!
Agree on Pack Rat. Lifebane vs. Specter is really personal preference and metagame. Some people prefer Specter, other people prefer Lifebane. I think it really comes down to your meta. If you expect lots of GR, play Lifebane. If you think you'll see a lot of control, play Specter. And yes, Specter is bad in the board because it effectively means devoting at least half your sideboard to control.
BBB Mono Black (standard)