What have they done? I'm sure in their strange world of testing where Caw-Blade wasn't a deck and where they missed the Splinter Twin combo, that the miracle mechanic wasn't a nightmare for judges and completely fair. However, in the REAL world of MTG, it is going to get nasty.
I've recently gotten on to MTGO and love to play legacy in paper. I have heard there are legacy staples that aren't on MTGO. Is this true? Also, would like to know if people actually play the format. Have heard plenty of stories about queues not firing.
Why do so few people run Bitterblossom? I have found it to be my most consistent finisher. Of course another two drop with all those spell snares out there right now...
Liliana is definitely out. Her abilities are useless by turn 5 and in mono black you have access to mind sludge. Anyone not running sludge in mono black is clearly not doing it right.
When building your MBC I believe your first choice is going to have to be picking your finisher. In most opinions there are only three options:
Phyrexian Obliterator
Pros-
4 Mana
Powerful Ability
Trample
Cons-
Answered by Oust, Condemn, Go for the Throat, Jace
4 Black making for awkward turns if running Tec Edge
Abyssal Persecutor
Pros-
4 Mana
Flying, Trample 6/6
Good against unequiped hawks, I guess
Cons-
Answered by Oust, Condemn, Go for the Throat, Jace
Must split your removal between him and you opponent
Never want multiples in play
Grave Titan
Pros-
Immediate impact on board
Card Advantage in a color lacking such
Most answers are ineffective. DoJ being the only real answer.
Cons-
6 Mana
No Evasion
I guess my personal preference is clear based on my current list I have for post NPH.
3/2/2/2 Split on Discard - This way you have 5 answers to Stoneforge, 5 answers to Planeswalkers, 5 to Hawks, 4 to Countermagic, 4 to swords and 3 to Titans and are still playing the most powerful Discard spell in Standard.
Tumble Magnet - Effective removal and helps answered sworded up creatures. Multiples are very rarely bad so 4.
Sign in Blood - It is the most mana efficient Draw spell in black. Considered Tezz's Gambit because of synergies may be correct. Needs testing.
Contagion Clasp - Decent removal spell + keeps magnets working
Everflowing Chalice - Decent ramp for Titan and has synergies with Clasp/Magnet
Vampire Nighthawk - Mana efficient creature with lifelink and evasion. Carries Lashwrite very well.
Lashwrithe - For the nostalgic, a 4 mana nightmare. For the practical, This equipment gets incrementally better and sometimes that topdeck swamp can actually be what you need.
Why has everyone gone away from Grave Titan? It is still better than Obliterater because it is harder to remove and you get instant value and is a much better clock.
Knights deck will suck.
Shape Anew U/W Control Variant will probably be serious.
If infect happens outside of Shape Anew it will be Mono-Black.
Goblins was not viable before but may be now.
MBC is close but not really there. Still needs a real draw engine outside of crappy Sign in Blood.
The problem with saying that it is viable even though U/B control exists is U/B is just better. The point to viability is building the best option. MBC is not quite as good as U/B because CA is an important factor in Magic. Black by itself is one of the worst colors for card advantage in Standard. That being said, it does have some of the best mana efficient removal/disruption out there. When paired with blue, which is like always made of CA, it has some serious power. MBC is only a tier 2 strategy.
This thread has me intrigued. Turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine, I know Christmas and such, is sexy. I just smashed out a list. I love consistency and this list should have it, for better or worse. May proxy it up to run against our gauntlet.
This is what I am currently looking at on my rebuild. The Curve is pretty nice and has an average CMC of 2.3. Everyone always dogs black because of the lack of CA but it will win the attrition war and do it way more efficiently than blue. The addition of Memoricide has given an answer to about anything to the color and no one hates walkers and yards like black. Question, Comments please.
Grasp looks awesome but it seems standard is dominated by Titans right now. Most creatures that can be Grasped can be Disfigured. Hideous End is so close. Every fiber of my being says 3CMC for it is bad but maybe it just needs to be given a shot. Some cards are better in practice than in theory.
I love my black cards and I think we finally have an answer to anything. I have been working on this deck the past few days and think I finally have a build settled. I personally have fallen in love with memoricide. Maybe it is because I loved cranial extraction way back. I am also a big fan of Mimic Vat. Every game I won at states, except one, was on the back of mimic vat. I am not, however, putting cards in just because of good interaction with the vat. I am of the personal belief that every card has to stand on its own. I also have decided to run a bunch of low numbers to make opponents memoricides very weak since it looks like the beans have been spilled on that card. Any critiques will be appreciated.
Full Deck Breakdown:
Main
Land: 26 - Running this many to be certain of hitting 6 drop mana
Tectonic Edge - Best land in the format hands down
Vampire Hexmage - The great sexmage, killer of planeswalkers. Now with Mimic Vat shenanigans
Gatekeeper of Malakir - Nice Ulamog, bro. Doubles duty for Persecutor answer
Abyssal Persecutor - A nice. must answer threat and trades with Titans pretty nicely if needed
Grave Titan - This creature probably puts more pressure on the board than any other creature
Doom Blade - The absolute hotness
Sign in Blood - I have to have a 2 for 1 somewhere.
Duress - Nice ramp deck. Nice control deck. Nice Planeswalkers. Nice monuments.
Inquisition of Kozilek - Nice ramp deck. Nice aggro deck. Nice Fauna Shaman.
Mimic Vat - This card is pretty much too good to not run in a black deck.
Haunting Echoes - Just one copy. Drawing 2 is bad. Drawing one is a blowout.
Consuming Vapors - Deals with Titans very well as well as Persecutor
Memorcide - Answers entire decks a good deal of the time
Side
Disfigure - Handles Aggro/Weenie decks
Malakir Bloodwitch - Good Against white and red deck
Consume the Meek - Good against weenie decks and Avenger of Zendikar and hits more targets than ratchet bomb
Wurmcoil Engine - Good out of SB threat against any deck with removal or doesnt want you to gain life
Mind Sludge - The king of Standard discard
Sadistic Sacrament - Good sideboard answer to multiple threats that is hard for black to deal with
I've been working on a BUG list and I think you need to run a lot of protection which pushes the deck into Midrange. I also believe in the power of the Doppleganger + Putrefax = game for a serious out of nowhere blowout.
Phyrexian Obliterator
Pros-
4 Mana
Powerful Ability
Trample
Cons-
Answered by Oust, Condemn, Go for the Throat, Jace
4 Black making for awkward turns if running Tec Edge
Abyssal Persecutor
Pros-
4 Mana
Flying, Trample 6/6
Good against unequiped hawks, I guess
Cons-
Answered by Oust, Condemn, Go for the Throat, Jace
Must split your removal between him and you opponent
Never want multiples in play
Grave Titan
Pros-
Immediate impact on board
Card Advantage in a color lacking such
Most answers are ineffective. DoJ being the only real answer.
Cons-
6 Mana
No Evasion
I guess my personal preference is clear based on my current list I have for post NPH.
21 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
Creatures: 6
4 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Grave Titan
4 Tumble Magnet
4 Sign in Blood
4 Go for the Throat
3 Despise
3 Contagion Clasp
3 Everflowing Chalice
2 Lashwrithe
2 Mind Sludge
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Duress
3/2/2/2 Split on Discard - This way you have 5 answers to Stoneforge, 5 answers to Planeswalkers, 5 to Hawks, 4 to Countermagic, 4 to swords and 3 to Titans and are still playing the most powerful Discard spell in Standard.
Tumble Magnet - Effective removal and helps answered sworded up creatures. Multiples are very rarely bad so 4.
Sign in Blood - It is the most mana efficient Draw spell in black. Considered Tezz's Gambit because of synergies may be correct. Needs testing.
Contagion Clasp - Decent removal spell + keeps magnets working
Everflowing Chalice - Decent ramp for Titan and has synergies with Clasp/Magnet
Vampire Nighthawk - Mana efficient creature with lifelink and evasion. Carries Lashwrite very well.
Lashwrithe - For the nostalgic, a 4 mana nightmare. For the practical, This equipment gets incrementally better and sometimes that topdeck swamp can actually be what you need.
P.S. No SB yet because haven't tested enough.
Shape Anew U/W Control Variant will probably be serious.
If infect happens outside of Shape Anew it will be Mono-Black.
Goblins was not viable before but may be now.
MBC is close but not really there. Still needs a real draw engine outside of crappy Sign in Blood.
20 Island
4 Tectonic Edge
Creatures: 20
4 Merfolk Sovereign
4 Grand Architect
4 Coralhelm Commander
4 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Cosi's Trickster
4 Mana Leak
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Into the Roil
4 Preordain
4 Flashfreeze
3 Spell Pierce
4 Permafrost Trap
4 Spreading Seas
21 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
Creatures: 11
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
3 Abyssal Persecutor
Spells: 24
4 Doom Blade
4 Sign in Blood
4 Duress
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Mimic Vat
2 Consuming Vapors
2 Memoricide
2 Brittle Effigy
4 Disfigure
3 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Ratchet Bomb
3 Sadistic Sacrament
2 Mind Sludge
Edit: I decided to post a pet deck list to maybe get some alternate thinking up here.
21 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
Creatures: 4
4 Wurmcoil Engine
Spells: 31
4 Contagion Clasp
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Doom Blade
4 Duress
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Mind Rot
2 Mimic Vat
2 Lux Cannon
2 All is Dust
2 Liliana Vess
3 Sadistic Sacrement
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Disfigure
4 Consuming Vapors
22 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
Creatures: 11
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
2 Abyssal Persecutor
1 Grave Titan
Spells: 23
4 Doom Blade
4 Sign in Blood
4 Duress
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Mimic Vat
1 Haunting Echoes
2 Consuming Vapors
2 Memoricide
4 Disfigure
3 Malakir Bloodwitch
2 Consume the Meek
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Mind Sludge
3 Sadistic Sacrament
Full Deck Breakdown:
Main
Land: 26 - Running this many to be certain of hitting 6 drop mana
Tectonic Edge - Best land in the format hands down
Vampire Hexmage - The great sexmage, killer of planeswalkers. Now with Mimic Vat shenanigans
Gatekeeper of Malakir - Nice Ulamog, bro. Doubles duty for Persecutor answer
Abyssal Persecutor - A nice. must answer threat and trades with Titans pretty nicely if needed
Grave Titan - This creature probably puts more pressure on the board than any other creature
Doom Blade - The absolute hotness
Sign in Blood - I have to have a 2 for 1 somewhere.
Duress - Nice ramp deck. Nice control deck. Nice Planeswalkers. Nice monuments.
Inquisition of Kozilek - Nice ramp deck. Nice aggro deck. Nice Fauna Shaman.
Mimic Vat - This card is pretty much too good to not run in a black deck.
Haunting Echoes - Just one copy. Drawing 2 is bad. Drawing one is a blowout.
Consuming Vapors - Deals with Titans very well as well as Persecutor
Memorcide - Answers entire decks a good deal of the time
Side
Disfigure - Handles Aggro/Weenie decks
Malakir Bloodwitch - Good Against white and red deck
Consume the Meek - Good against weenie decks and Avenger of Zendikar and hits more targets than ratchet bomb
Wurmcoil Engine - Good out of SB threat against any deck with removal or doesnt want you to gain life
Mind Sludge - The king of Standard discard
Sadistic Sacrament - Good sideboard answer to multiple threats that is hard for black to deal with
Sideboard Strategies (Rough)
WW Quest
-2 Memoricide
-2 Mimic Vat
-2 Abyssal Persecutor
-4 Duress
+4 Disfigure
+2 Malakir Bloodwitch
+2 Consume the Meek
+2 Sadistic Sacrament
RDW
-4 Sign in Blood
-2 Mimic Vat
-2 Abyssal Persecutor
+4 Disfigure
+1 Wurmcoil Engine
+3 Malakir Bloodwitch
U/W
-2 Abyssal Persecutor
-2 Consuming Vapors
-2 Inquisition of Kozilek
+3 Malakir Bloodwitch
+2 Mind Sludge
+1 Wurmcoil Engine
Valakut Ramp
-1 Haunting Echoes
-4 Sign in Blood
+1 Wurmcoil Engine
+2 Mind Sludge
+2 Consume the Meek
Eldrazi Ramp
-1 Haunting Echoes
-4 Vampire Hexmage
+2 Mind Sludge
+3 Sadistic Sacrament
Elves
-4 Duress
-2 Mimic Vat
+4 Disfigure
+2 Consume the Meek
U/B
-2 Consuming Vapors
-1 Abyssal Persecutor
+2 Mind Sludge
+1 Wurmcoil Engine
If you see Grave Titan
-2 Doom Blade
+2 Sadistic Sacrament
U/R
-4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
-2 Sign in Blood
+3 Sadistic Sacrament
+1 Wurmcoil Engine
+2 Mind Sludge
Shaman Decks
-4 Duress
-2 Consuming Vapors
-2 Abyssal Persecutor
+3 Sadistic Sacrament
+1 Wurmcoil Engine
+4 Disfigure
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Renegade Doppleganger
4 Ichor Rats
4 Putrefax
4 Hand of the Praetors
Other Spells: 15
4 Giant Growth
4 Vines of the Vastwood
4 Mana Leak
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Darkslick Shores
3 Creeping Tar Pit
5 Forest
4 Swamp
2 Island
3 Nihil Spellbomb
4 Doom Blade
4 Spell Pierce
4 Duress