MTG Salvation

Collective Brutality and Duress in the mono black version does very good at stabilizing. That card is hands down the best early game answer to burn in order to help us stabilize in the next few turns to drop our 3 and 4 drops to turn the tide and clock them. Pharika's Cure is a possible tech. You just need to stem the bleeding and get a few blockers in before you go beating. If you can stay above 8 life by turn 3 you can start to turn the corner. Also, Filigree Familiar is decent as well. Green has many options if you do dual colored version too.

If you don't want to play Karn there is U-tron and Uw-tron for some examples. But those decks don't try to rush all the tron lands turn 3. The reason Karn sees play is because he is the best 7 mana card we can play on turn 3. Most 7 mana creatures die to removal one way or another but Karn depletes the opponent's resources so the large creatures can get through. If your game plan does not need tron turn 3 karn is useless because then it's just an overcosted liliana. But Gr tron needs the 7 mana early to execute it's gameplan, and Karn is as much of an answer as he is a threat against many decks.

Hey, I'm having issues deciding what to invest in and soon I'm going to dropping to some cash in. I got a Standard Gr tron list that ran classics in pyroclasm and used Karplusan Forest instead of Grove of the Burnwillows. I really enjoy the deck, but after a few rough aggro match ups, I've decided I want to finish the deck. The problem comes in though as Dredge and Infect are both decks at my store, is it worth picking up the paths and other white cards and their respective lands for it.

It's a choice between fetching out for white at 100$ or so, or finishing the red with a bolts playset, a few k-returns (I have firespouts, I just want options), and get Grove of the Burnwillows. I mainly play locally and swarm decks are rather common too, which means I'm more inclined to stay red for those, but I'm still having issues deciding. I just would like some input is all before I drop the cash and finish this deck out 100%.

Actually, now that I think about it, the one card I did completely forget about is Korlash, Heir to Blackblade that as a four of is a resistant threat, and it has the relevance of Lashwrithe, and if you draw extra it ramps and gets larger. I may need to proxy some up in the obliterator spot and test him out.

@Oopssorryy

You playing the GB version, I completely understand the use of it, but for you it's even more obvious. Many of times I draw Mutivault as one of my mana sources and it makes it impossible to cast turn 4, whereas a Kalitas, Erebos, and Lashwrithe are much easier to cast on that turn when that happens. If I cut, I would put an Erebos and Lashwrithe back in, as they are powerful for the mono black version. I'll have to test to see how it fairs. I think if I ran just straight black mana, it would be much better.

Not sure about Collective Brutality since discard isn't as high without a bloodghast recursion I'm used to, but I'll least give two copies a go. So far I'm thinking of cutting down two obliterators for a Lashwrithe and another Erebos, God of the Dead. My 4 drop do most of the heavy lifting for winning a game, but sometimes not being to cast them always on turn four is really painful sometimes. I'll have to test.

That's awesome to hear, Oddsprout! Mind posting your deck list? I could probably give you a few pointers on it. It's awesome that you're playing it too. I replaced so many of my cards from the original I have 2 versions, my casual and my competitive.

If a graveyard oriented matchup has never happened or never will, you don't need the spellbomb then. That's a good thing to cut. Jund is a rough matchup for mono black because of the Tarmogoyf clock they can present us with turn two. It's your best interest to make them discard that card and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet are the biggest threats those decks run. The other creatures are easy to deal with, and they don't kill you as fast. WIth Boggles, the answer is Liliana of the Veil, Devour Flesh, Gatekeeper of Malakir, and Mutilate. Lifegain Serra ascedant is just you trying to rip apart their hand and taking away token generators and their largest creatures. You take away those, and they only have 4 removal spells for your 12 bigger creatures in the deck. Mill decks I find you will need Bloodghast to help punish those. Eldrazi I have never faced, but you can discard there biggest creature they ramp into or make them discard their mana ramp you should buy a few turns before your bigger creatures take over the board.

If you a re facing a lot of green/white, Deathmark and Lifebane Zombie are the best cards you can run against those decks. They help a ton against any type of those decks.

Okay, aBrutalPanda, I ca help you!

So with this deck you will need to drop the Elixir of Immortality and Extirpate. I know those cards are cool, but they don't help any gameplan whatsoever (unless you play against a lot of mill or grishoalbrand decks, those don't help at all). Pretty much what you want are cards that can help across multiple matchups. I'll show you my deck and it's sideboard and maybe you can get a few ideas.

Keep in mind this isn't a control list but a midrange list from another thread. My sideboard changes, but maybe you can get some ideas on what you need.

Each card in the deck deals with what my opponents are playing in the modern metagame at my local store. There are usually 3 Green white creature decks, 2 combo, 1 graveyard player, 1 control, 1 funtype (usually a jank deck), and 2 aggro swarm decks.
Each card in the sideboard is directed at least at 2 of these type of players.

For your sideoboard, I suggest you figure out what type of decks you will be facing in your meta. Your and my deck play very similar in that we disrupt the opponents gameplan then play threats that beat face. First, dump the sword of feast and famine, the inquisitors flail, the maindeck ratchet bomb, and increase your wrench mind count. Off the bat, your deck will be very much suited to handle game one's a LOT better.

For a well rounded sideboard, the suggestions are cards I give you can change to personal taste and to fit your local meta better.

FOr starters, pack some board wipes be they are Languish, Damnation, or Mutilate. It's a real shame to get completely run over because your deck was too slow at dealing with their onslaut. I usually run 2, sometimes 4 if my meta gets packed. Also, drop the Extirpate. The only time that card is good for mono black is in legacy where counterspells are, but in modern Surgical Extraction hits the exact card you need gone for only 2 life. Also, drop the Elixir of Immortality. Unless your constantly playing against a mill deck, that card is absolutely trash. You will never get to the bottom of your deck anyway unless that was someone's game plan to hit you all this time with. You can fill that slot with removal like Victim of Night, Disfigure, Hero's Downfall and Dismember depending on the meta.

Those are some suggestions, but it's late and i can't really think of more and I don't know what decks your facing at the store on modern night. But if you want, take a look online to see what the popular decks are, and there usually always someone in the shop playing the best deck or the deck that is flavor of the month online at the shop. If you can get back to me with what decks you face at your shop, I can help you craft a better sideboard. Also, the Bx devotion thread is more active than this thread as of now, so if you want to check out black deck sideboards, you can ask there. I started out in mono black and invested in all the expensive black cards I wanted for my deck and it's a blaast. While not a control list like yours, the decks do share a similarity in how they sideboard, so go ahead and take a look there for sideboard help!

http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/597491-bx-devotion

Red does give us access to some of the best anti-tron and early aggro tools while giving us access to some great artifact hate. Enchantments could still be an issue, but other than that, Terminate would replace all Victim of Nights in my deck. If you can come up with a list let me know! I play skred red as well so I have the stuff for a red black devotion deck except for fetches and shocks. I can proxy those parts up and see how it plays out.

Well, well, well. I was looking online and found this little link on MTGGoldfish of a black devotion deck splashing red for only one reason: Blood Moon.

http://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/443581#online

Was this any one of you active posters on the forum? If it is, I really like the list!

Leyline of Sanctity is just the best card against us, sad to say. It's like a Leyline of the Void against dredge. Most decks have to gamble to get it, just hope for it.

Sadistic Sacrament is just really good against the decks with 6 or less threats and MAYBE tron. Sadly I don't think it's that good considering they have at least 10, which is bad. But against RUG Scapeshift I can steal 2 copies of Valakutif they aren't in hand. If not, I can go for the shifts themselves. The card wrecks Ad Naus as they run one wincon. And draw-go control decks (esper and usa show up here from time to time), I can take the planeswalkers out and they only have manlands that can't compete with my superior 4 drops. Plus there is a seismic swans player and stealing 3 cards out of a 40 land deck with Treasure Cruise helps immensely. It's a meta call I made, but I've had that card played against me in casual and taking threats like Erebos out and Merchant was actually devastating. And if you ever get lucky on ten lands, you CAN take away 1/8 of the deck XD.

Sadly I can't get a hold of fulminators so I'll have to settle with Rain of Tears for the time being. There is no tron player in my meta, but I think the moment I sat across from one I'd get 0-2ed pretty easy. It's not a matchup I know how to navigate, so if anyone can give advice that would be great.

Okay, I finalized a decklist with sideboard that I'm truly happy with! Long road to build the deck to completion but everything in this deck went from Budget standard to the funnest deck I've ever played!


I played this list against Bogles and Abzan midrange and hoping to get a few with scapeshift in the next while to come. I'm loving the sadisic sacrament for snatching Emrakul wincons or other shenaniguns I simply can't deal with against control/spell combo decks that draw a lot (ad naus). The 3 slots are super flexible for more land desctruction, hand attack, removal, etc. I'm just loving this list so far. The 2nd Kalitas was great, I just took out the discard spell and moved it to the board. THe threat densitiy is rather high at 19 creatures to pressure my control and midrange meta game one, while I still have enough room for the Seismic Swans, Ad Naus, and Grishoalbrand.

Edit: I forgot to add 3 cards...

Graf Harvest is one of those cards that could see play maybe against control in the sideboard, but it seems rather like a win more card. I get that ability on my two drop Relentless Dead, and there aren't a lot of creatures I can exile from my yard. When my creatures die, its usually due to exile removal, so I can never exile a creature from my graveyard anyway.

Whispers of Emrakul is only a card I see play in BR Devotion decks with Faithless Looting. Delirium turn two is actually very difficult to get without extra help. In the ideal scenario for a Bg deck, you have to fetchland and dicard spell, which puts Land and Sorcery in there. Then you need an instant and creature next, which I see as rather difficult to do. I think this could fit in the Black/Red shell looting bloodghasts and demigods, but otherwise, I don't see it being a hymn to tourach.

I really want to like Cryptbreaker, but its not as valuable as bob is for draw and tapping three zombies?? Just play Phyrexian Arena instead.

If there are any match-ups we are weakest against, it is simply decks that go wide and over the top. Most other decks we can beat in a 50/50 fight. If affinity is prevalent, Chalice of the Void on Zero is a big boon.