This is really more of a Gate list, but with tweaks so I wasnt sure what to title it. Here's my reasonings for the changes and I'd still love to get suggestions for further tweaks.
- I cant play jitte or bob because I cant afford them
- I disagree about needing 4 therapy's. Ive played this deck alot (in a lot of different forms) and I've almost never had a problem killing percy. I used to play 3, but since I cut the amount of percys by one I decided to cut a therapy.
- Im running 4 nighthawks just like the original list, but instead of jitte im running 1 basilisk collar and 2 lashwrithe. Percy or lash + collar gains significant life. Vampire and lash gains significant life. Collar and blossom gains meager life but trades very well with nearly every creature. Its my half-assed way to make up for the equipment I'll never be able to get. Theyve worked pretty well for me. This offsets the 3 arenas, which is also 1 less card that does me dmg than the original list. So overall I think the amount of lifegain in the deck is about the same. The original list runs 3 blossoms btw.
-I agree about running Obliterator but I cant afford it
-I run damnation because of the nature of this build, and honestly cuz the card is just amazing. With lash and blossom I can reliably wipe the board and turn a token into a house immediately. Its not traditional Gate midrange style, but I have to adapt here.
Overall Id like to have a good list, doesnt matter if its mono black control or the gate. I cant really play a proper gate list, so it'll be closer to a MBC list if I change anything.
What would you suggest changing if I go towards MBC?
What should I run instead of lash? I thought it fit in pretty well.
Hi all, I'm posting here to get some opinions on this Mono Black list. I really enjoy playing mono black and I'm really hoping this list works out. Any and all suggestions welcome.
I cant afford Bobs or Jittes. I managed to get the more expensive cards when they were much cheaper.
I havent playtested this list with the lashwrithes but I have high hopes. They turn everything in the deck into a huge beater and can potentially gain me lots of life with an equipped vampire.
A couple specific questions. Again, any and all suggestions welcome.
- Would Korlash, Heir to Blackblade be a better finisher then Abyssal Persecutor? He doesnt have any evasion but he does make lashwrithes slightly bigger when I cycle the extras.
- Is playing 3 Phyrexian Arena and 3 Bitterblossom feasible? There is nothing worse than drawing multiples of either enchantment. Also having one of each on the field is life loss that really adds up. However the real lists do run 4 Bobs in conjunction with Blossoms. I feel I might be worrying about nothing.
- Do I need a 22nd swamp?
- What cards should I include in my sideboard?
Hi I want to sculpt an affordable, control deck with jaces erasure. Crazy right?! I will be playing this casually against my friends, but I dont want to tune it to our meta.
The Plan -
Use the draw cards and counters to stall into a jaces erasure. Once out, jaces erasure turns my draw cards into mill.
Card Types -
1. Draw cards
2. Mill cards (do I even want dedicated mill here?)
3. Counters
4. Stall cards (walls/propoganda)
Hm. Yea I think I will run nyxathid instead of doom blade. I will also put in a Liliana of the Veil if I get one in the next box I'm splitting with my friends.
That leaves me 10 slots, which are the ones I keep adjusting.
In those 10 slots I still need: board wipe, discard, creatures, card draw (brainstorm/sign in blood/ec.), etc.
My question is: What do you put in those 10 slots that best fits the other 30 and WHY? You can cut here and there from the original 30, but I would like to know which you cut and for what and why. Obviously you can also add more of the original 30 if you think I'm not using enough (ex. 4 specters instead of 3).
Suggestions:
Nezumi Shortfang
Doom Blade
Brainstorm
Consume the Meek
Into the Roil
Dark Ritual
Propoganda
Nyxathid
Duress
andrewgk: its very possible red is the better color to splash, but im too financially invested to switch. we are in the budget section after all lol
weltkrieg: Im not getting damnation because I dont want to drop 20 on one card. I do have Consume the Meek, which I might put in. I plan on keeping my 2 urzas guilt in, it is really good.
StealthApples: I'm not sure if the propoganda is working, haven't played with it enough. Good idea though.
I have a discard deck formed around Liliana's Caress. It's pretty decent, but I lose to creature decks a lot (goblins, red deck wins, white weenie, etc.). Because of this I want to add Propoganda.
I will provide reasons for why I use certain cards, though remember the deck is based off of Liliana's Caress and I'd like to keep it that way. I am willing to compromise on the number of cards I include in the final list (including Liliana's Caress).
I would appreciate any opinions or comments as to which version you prefer, which cards to swap, etc. Thank you.
GREAT CARDS (MUST USE) - Liliana's Caress - Centerpiece. Yes I know all the arguments but I have fun with this play style and I want to make it work. Inquisition of Kozilek - Amazing 1 black sorcery. Invaluable really. Wistful Thinking - Basically my win card. It's never a dead card, and the at best does at least 8 damage and discards their hand. Mind Twist - Amazingly flexible. Would run more if it wasn't restricted, but alas... Brainstorm - Not much to say here. Card draw and filtering. Liliana Vess - Late game player that needs to be answered. Sangromancer - Saved my ass so many times. She stays. Recoil - I like having an answer to any troubling permanent. Fits in perfectly with the theme. Hymn to Tourach - Arguably the best discard card.
GOOD CARDS (SHOULD USE) - Smallpox - Versatile, especially since I run 0 creatures. Thinking about taking this out if Propoganda works well enough alone. Dark Ritual - On the fence about this one. Obviously a good card though. Let's me play a Caress or Arena turn 1, though it eats up a slot for extra mana. Doom Blade - Solid spot removal. Think I'm going to keep at least 1 or 2 in in any build. Phyrexian Arena - Lol I remember thinking this card was bad when I first started playing. "Lose a life! Nope." I know understand the power of card advantage. Urza's Guilt - Really good discard card. The Rack - Solid 1 drop. Bolt a turn if I'm lucky.
--Side note. If Propoganda helps, I'm thinking about taking out Smallpox for other cards. That leaves three slots for more copies of cards or unused cards such as...
Hypnotic Specter
Painful Quandary
Quest for the Nihil Stone
Nyxathid
Into the Roil
Duress
Baby Jace
Liliana of the Veil
Demonic Tutor
- I cant play jitte or bob because I cant afford them
- I disagree about needing 4 therapy's. Ive played this deck alot (in a lot of different forms) and I've almost never had a problem killing percy. I used to play 3, but since I cut the amount of percys by one I decided to cut a therapy.
- Im running 4 nighthawks just like the original list, but instead of jitte im running 1 basilisk collar and 2 lashwrithe. Percy or lash + collar gains significant life. Vampire and lash gains significant life. Collar and blossom gains meager life but trades very well with nearly every creature. Its my half-assed way to make up for the equipment I'll never be able to get. Theyve worked pretty well for me. This offsets the 3 arenas, which is also 1 less card that does me dmg than the original list. So overall I think the amount of lifegain in the deck is about the same. The original list runs 3 blossoms btw.
-I agree about running Obliterator but I cant afford it
-I run damnation because of the nature of this build, and honestly cuz the card is just amazing. With lash and blossom I can reliably wipe the board and turn a token into a house immediately. Its not traditional Gate midrange style, but I have to adapt here.
Overall Id like to have a good list, doesnt matter if its mono black control or the gate. I cant really play a proper gate list, so it'll be closer to a MBC list if I change anything.
What would you suggest changing if I go towards MBC?
What should I run instead of lash? I thought it fit in pretty well.
Thanks for the insight so far!
I cant afford Bobs or Jittes. I managed to get the more expensive cards when they were much cheaper.
I havent playtested this list with the lashwrithes but I have high hopes. They turn everything in the deck into a huge beater and can potentially gain me lots of life with an equipped vampire.
A couple specific questions. Again, any and all suggestions welcome.
- Would Korlash, Heir to Blackblade be a better finisher then Abyssal Persecutor? He doesnt have any evasion but he does make lashwrithes slightly bigger when I cycle the extras.
- Is playing 3 Phyrexian Arena and 3 Bitterblossom feasible? There is nothing worse than drawing multiples of either enchantment. Also having one of each on the field is life loss that really adds up. However the real lists do run 4 Bobs in conjunction with Blossoms. I feel I might be worrying about nothing.
- Do I need a 22nd swamp?
- What cards should I include in my sideboard?
Thanks!!!!
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Lashwrithe
3 Bitterblossom
3 Hymn to Tourach
4 Duress
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Damnation
3 Innocent Blood
1 Basilisk Collar
2 Cabal Therapy
3 Phyrexian Arena
2 Go for the Throat
21 Swamp
The Plan -
Use the draw cards and counters to stall into a jaces erasure. Once out, jaces erasure turns my draw cards into mill.
Card Types -
1. Draw cards
2. Mill cards (do I even want dedicated mill here?)
3. Counters
4. Stall cards (walls/propoganda)
4x Brainstorm
4x Thought Scour
4x Hedron Crab
1x Visions of Beyond
1x Consume the Meek
4x Fog Bank
2x Increasing Confusion
2x Howling Mine
4x Remand
4x Spell Pierce
4x Propoganda
2x Nephalia Drownyard
2x Terramorphic Expanse
18x Land
Other cards I am thinking about -
Mind Funeral
Daze
Counterspell
Breaking // Entering
Merfolk Looter
Circu, Dimir Lobotomost
Consecrated Sphinx
Jace's Archivist
Preordain
Here is the decklist I settled on.
4 Liliana's Caress
4 The Rack
2 Phyrexian Arena
Creatures
2 Sangromancer
4 Hypnotic Specter
Sorceries
4 Brainstorm
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Hymn to Tourach
2 Urza's Guilt
2 Damnation
1 Mind Twist
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Doom Blade
3 Recoil
Planeswalker
1 Liliana Vess
Land
8 Swamp
3 Island
1 Polluted Delta
4 Underground River
3 Drowned Catacomb
1 Darkslick Shores
I find myself retooling the deck in my head alot, but this is the base:
4 Liliana's Caress
4 The Rack
4 Hymn To Tourach
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Hypnotic Specter
3 Recoil
2 Sangromancer
2 Urza's Guilt
2 Phyrexian Arena
1 Mind Twist
1 Liliana Vess
TOTAL: 30 Cards
LAND:20 cards
That leaves me 10 slots, which are the ones I keep adjusting.
In those 10 slots I still need: board wipe, discard, creatures, card draw (brainstorm/sign in blood/ec.), etc.
My question is: What do you put in those 10 slots that best fits the other 30 and WHY? You can cut here and there from the original 30, but I would like to know which you cut and for what and why. Obviously you can also add more of the original 30 if you think I'm not using enough (ex. 4 specters instead of 3).
Suggestions:
Nezumi Shortfang
Doom Blade
Brainstorm
Consume the Meek
Into the Roil
Dark Ritual
Propoganda
Nyxathid
Duress
I would greatly appreciate your answers! Thanks.
weltkrieg: Im not getting damnation because I dont want to drop 20 on one card. I do have Consume the Meek, which I might put in. I plan on keeping my 2 urzas guilt in, it is really good.
StealthApples: I'm not sure if the propoganda is working, haven't played with it enough. Good idea though.
I have a discard deck formed around Liliana's Caress. It's pretty decent, but I lose to creature decks a lot (goblins, red deck wins, white weenie, etc.). Because of this I want to add Propoganda.
I will provide reasons for why I use certain cards, though remember the deck is based off of Liliana's Caress and I'd like to keep it that way. I am willing to compromise on the number of cards I include in the final list (including Liliana's Caress).
I would appreciate any opinions or comments as to which version you prefer, which cards to swap, etc. Thank you.
4 Liliana's Caress
2 The Rack
2 Phyrexian Arena
Creatures
2 Sangromancer
Sorceries
4 Ponder - I want to swap for Brainstorm
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Smallpox
3 Wistful Thinking
3 Hymn to Tourach
2 Urza's Guilt
1 Mind Twist
3 Dark Ritual
3 Doom Blade
3 Recoil
Planeswalker
1 Liliana Vess
Land
8 Swamp
3 Island
1 Polluted Delta
4 Underground River
3 Drowned Catacomb
1 Darkslick Shores
I want to do -1 Doom Blade and -1 Urza's Guilt for +2 Propoganda. I'm not sure if 2 are enough, but we'll see. Thoughts?
GREAT CARDS (MUST USE) -
Liliana's Caress - Centerpiece. Yes I know all the arguments but I have fun with this play style and I want to make it work.
Inquisition of Kozilek - Amazing 1 black sorcery. Invaluable really.
Wistful Thinking - Basically my win card. It's never a dead card, and the at best does at least 8 damage and discards their hand.
Mind Twist - Amazingly flexible. Would run more if it wasn't restricted, but alas...
Brainstorm - Not much to say here. Card draw and filtering.
Liliana Vess - Late game player that needs to be answered.
Sangromancer - Saved my ass so many times. She stays.
Recoil - I like having an answer to any troubling permanent. Fits in perfectly with the theme.
Hymn to Tourach - Arguably the best discard card.
GOOD CARDS (SHOULD USE) -
Smallpox - Versatile, especially since I run 0 creatures. Thinking about taking this out if Propoganda works well enough alone.
Dark Ritual - On the fence about this one. Obviously a good card though. Let's me play a Caress or Arena turn 1, though it eats up a slot for extra mana.
Doom Blade - Solid spot removal. Think I'm going to keep at least 1 or 2 in in any build.
Phyrexian Arena - Lol I remember thinking this card was bad when I first started playing. "Lose a life! Nope." I know understand the power of card advantage.
Urza's Guilt - Really good discard card.
The Rack - Solid 1 drop. Bolt a turn if I'm lucky.
Propoganda - Not sure yet..
--Side note. If Propoganda helps, I'm thinking about taking out Smallpox for other cards. That leaves three slots for more copies of cards or unused cards such as...
Hypnotic Specter
Painful Quandary
Quest for the Nihil Stone
Nyxathid
Into the Roil
Duress
Baby Jace
Liliana of the Veil
Demonic Tutor
Thoughts?