The purpose of this deck is to be the opposite of my other deck, which is slow, does not really attack, drags out the game, does not do anything flashy, and has answers to nearly any type of problem. That deck takes a lot of concentration because you must be aware of where all cards are while guessing what your opponents are yet to draw and also managing your own resources and interactions.
Therefore the rules of the deck is as follows:
1. Play Pestilence and actually make it work
2. Kill fast or die trying
3. No complicated decisions or considerations
Enchantments: Last Laugh // Probably too difficult to control Necromancy Phyrexian Reclamation // Doubt I will need this much creature reuse Black Market // Big mana, slow mana Necropotence // The exile to discard is a bit disheartening but this might be good Exquisite Blood // Not sure if this is a good card even though this is the most relevant deck for it
Other: Volrath's Stronghold // Will likely put this in when I find one Sorin Markov // Probably not relevant because life totals should be low already Natural Affinity // Tempting but so cruel
Damage Spreaders:
The heart of this deck is damage spreaders, which hit all opponents and kill them equally. This allows the deck to do frightening amounts of damage. Pestilence // The core card of this deck Withering Wisps // Slightly worse than Pestilence Crypt Rats // Pestilence creature #1, Crypt Rats is the real inspiration for this deck Thrashing Wumpus // Pestilence creature #2, having 3 defence makes Thrashing Wumpus much hardier than Crypt Rats Pestilence Demon // Pestilence creature #3, Pestilence Demon is amazingly powerful, but the 5BBB cost is prohibitive Necrotic Ooze // Pestilence creature #4, can do Pestilence abilities if any of the previous three are dead, and has extra functions from other sources Kokusho, the Evening Star // The original multiplayer drainer Gray Merchant of Asphodel // Often drains more than Kokusho, this guy is pretty unfair Pontiff of Blight // This guy's extorts add up very quickly since the deck has so many creatures Exsanguinate // The go-to multiplayer drainer for most players, still relevant in pure black Wound Reflection // Technically not a damage spreader, but it doubles the efforts of every other card, so it acts like one Massacre Wurm // Not really a damage spreader, but it punishes anyone who lets their creatures die
Mana Advancement:
Having loads of mana is the key to this deck. More mana = more pestilence. Crypt Ghast // Pump #1 Gauntlet of Power // Pump #2 Caged Sun // Pump #3 Nirkana Revenant // Pump #4 Wayfarer's Bauble // Increasing land count is more important than mana rocks because of the pumps Sol Ring // Sol ring is too good to pass up even though it is colorless mana Burnished Hart // Paying out the 3 and 3 is awkward, but black desperately needs lands Solemn Simulacrum // Gets a land and blocks too Sword of Feast and Famine // This acts like a mana pump and also protects against pestilence. Extremely dangerous on Crypt Rats
Pestilence Assistants:
Pestilence kills everyone, so it needs help to make it work. Basilisk Collar // Deathtouch usually turns out to be a hinderance, but the low equip cost is worth it Loxodon Warhammer // Turn any Pestilence creature into a lifegain superhero Whip of Erebos // You do not even have to equip this one... Batterskull // 5 and 5 is very restrictive, but at least it comes with its own rider Lashwrithe // Typically makes a creature big enough to survive the Pestilence outright, also a good rusher Sword of Light and Shadow // Protection from Pestilence, minor life gain, and get back creatures Sword of Feast and Famine // Protection from Pestilence and an absurd mana pump Akroma's Memorial // Protection from Pestilence, haste, and some other stuff. The irony of playing this in a plague deck is also fantastic, great work Akroma Sapling of Colfenor // Keeps Pestilence and Withering Wisps alive. That is really the entire purpose of this being the general. Stuffy Doll // Keeps Pestilence alive and you can double up damage on one player Fated Return // Get back a Pestilence creature and make it invincible too.
More Lifegain:
There is never enough lifegain in a deck that kills itself. Vampire Nighthawk // Weak but cheap Wurmcoil Engine // Lifelink now and lifelink later
(See Pestilence Assistants for the core lifegain)
Sapling Helpers:
Although Sapling was only chosen because of indestructibility, some cards are just too good to pass up. Haunted Crossroads // Always draw the dead creature you need Gift of the Deity // 4/7 indestructible deathtouch lure. It gets plenty of work done Magus of the Abyss // I like to say that Sapling loves being destroyed Sanguine Bond // When you flip over a Grave Titan, someone loses 6 life. Also this deck has loads of lifegain to support it
Draw Cards:
This deck squanders resources so they need to be constantly replenished just to keep up with itself. Phyrexian Arena // The Arena is a classic that always works well Graveborn Muse // Another arena that sometimes gets more than one card Bloodgift Demon // An arena that attacks Liliana of the Dark Realms // This is basically card draw even though it only ever gets swamps Disciple of Bolas // Super card draw and you get to dig yourself out of life-debt Harvester of Souls // Cash in on the general slaughter, especially good with Fleshbag Marauder and Slum Reaper
Other:
Miscellaneous stuff. Demonic Tutor // The deck is not about tutoring, but this is always an easy decision. Fleshbag Marauder // Kill off the survivors Slum Reaper // Yet another marauder Grave Pact // Basically the same thing
The purpose of this deck is to be the opposite of my other deck, which is slow, does not really attack, drags out the game, does not do anything flashy, and has answers to nearly any type of problem. That deck takes a lot of concentration because you must be aware of where all cards are while guessing what your opponents are yet to draw and also managing your own resources and interactions.
Therefore the rules of the deck is as follows:
1. Play Pestilence and actually make it work
2. Kill fast or die trying
3. No complicated decisions or considerations
1 Sapling of Colfenor
Creatures:
1 Vampiric Nighthawk
1 Burnished Hart
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Crypt Rats
1 Abyssal Persecutor
1 Phyrexian Obliterator
1 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
1 Necrotic Ooze
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Magus of the Abyss
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Slum Reaper
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Thrashing Wumpus
1 Chainer, Dementia Master
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Nirkana Revenant
1 Grave Titan
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Pontiff of Blight
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Abhorrent Overlord
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Pestilence Demon
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Haunted Crossroads
1 Withering Wisps
1 Grave Pact
1 Pestilence
1 Sanguine Bond
1 Gift of the Deity
1 Wound Reflection
Artifacts:
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Lashwrithe
1 Batterskull
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Caged Sun
1 Akroma's Memorial
Misc:
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
1 Fated Return
1 Rise of the Dark Realms
1 Profane Command
1 Exsanguinate
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
38 Snow-Covered Swamp
Other Considerations:
Creatures:
Indulgent Tormenter // A lot of potential here
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Bloodline Keeper // Is this too slow?
Desecration Demon // Gets worse as number of players increases
Phyrexian Delver
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed // Seems easier to play another powerful card rather than try to get one back
Lord of the Void // Kind of high mana but could be good
Duplicant // Only if opponents play huge creatures
Psychosis Crawler // This could be good
Necropolis Regent // Possibly
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Artisan of Kozilek // Huge, but 9 mana is still a lot
Hunted Horror // I would love to play this but giving away protection from black creatures is too dangerous
Enchantments:
Last Laugh // Probably too difficult to control
Necromancy
Phyrexian Reclamation // Doubt I will need this much creature reuse
Black Market // Big mana, slow mana
Necropotence // The exile to discard is a bit disheartening but this might be good
Exquisite Blood // Not sure if this is a good card even though this is the most relevant deck for it
Artifacts:
Extraplanar Lens // Very good but losing a land is questionable
Darksteel Plate // This is very likely to go in
Scythe of the Wretched // Unfortunately not enough support for the Scythe combo to be worth it
Trading Post // Not sure if this is worth it
Expedition Map // Another tutor might be worth it
Skullclamp // Probably worth it
Scroll Rack // Great with the Sapling but too complicated for the deck
Sensei's Divining Top // Probably not worth it
Library of Leng // Definitely not worth it
Other:
Volrath's Stronghold // Will likely put this in when I find one
Sorin Markov // Probably not relevant because life totals should be low already
Natural Affinity // Tempting but so cruel
Other Generals:
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed // Tried it, but the deck turned into a combo deck and ended up having nothing to do with Pestilence
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade // Viable as a faster rusher
Chainer, Dementia Master // Typically slower but very powerful
Kokusho the Evening Star // Not worth it since it has to die for the effect
Other Colors:
G Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
U Vela the Night-Clad
R Purphoros, God of the Forge, Warstorm Surge
W Debt to the Deathless, True Conviction
Other colors do not really seem viable because splashing out of black typically requires artifact mana. Also, many other colors do not have very appropriate generals.
Changelog:
2014-10-26 List posted
The heart of this deck is damage spreaders, which hit all opponents and kill them equally. This allows the deck to do frightening amounts of damage.
Pestilence // The core card of this deck
Withering Wisps // Slightly worse than Pestilence
Crypt Rats // Pestilence creature #1, Crypt Rats is the real inspiration for this deck
Thrashing Wumpus // Pestilence creature #2, having 3 defence makes Thrashing Wumpus much hardier than Crypt Rats
Pestilence Demon // Pestilence creature #3, Pestilence Demon is amazingly powerful, but the 5BBB cost is prohibitive
Necrotic Ooze // Pestilence creature #4, can do Pestilence abilities if any of the previous three are dead, and has extra functions from other sources
Kokusho, the Evening Star // The original multiplayer drainer
Gray Merchant of Asphodel // Often drains more than Kokusho, this guy is pretty unfair
Pontiff of Blight // This guy's extorts add up very quickly since the deck has so many creatures
Exsanguinate // The go-to multiplayer drainer for most players, still relevant in pure black
Wound Reflection // Technically not a damage spreader, but it doubles the efforts of every other card, so it acts like one
Massacre Wurm // Not really a damage spreader, but it punishes anyone who lets their creatures die
Mana Advancement:
Having loads of mana is the key to this deck. More mana = more pestilence.
Crypt Ghast // Pump #1
Gauntlet of Power // Pump #2
Caged Sun // Pump #3
Nirkana Revenant // Pump #4
Wayfarer's Bauble // Increasing land count is more important than mana rocks because of the pumps
Sol Ring // Sol ring is too good to pass up even though it is colorless mana
Burnished Hart // Paying out the 3 and 3 is awkward, but black desperately needs lands
Solemn Simulacrum // Gets a land and blocks too
Sword of Feast and Famine // This acts like a mana pump and also protects against pestilence. Extremely dangerous on Crypt Rats
Pestilence Assistants:
Pestilence kills everyone, so it needs help to make it work.
Basilisk Collar // Deathtouch usually turns out to be a hinderance, but the low equip cost is worth it
Loxodon Warhammer // Turn any Pestilence creature into a lifegain superhero
Whip of Erebos // You do not even have to equip this one...
Batterskull // 5 and 5 is very restrictive, but at least it comes with its own rider
Lashwrithe // Typically makes a creature big enough to survive the Pestilence outright, also a good rusher
Sword of Light and Shadow // Protection from Pestilence, minor life gain, and get back creatures
Sword of Feast and Famine // Protection from Pestilence and an absurd mana pump
Akroma's Memorial // Protection from Pestilence, haste, and some other stuff. The irony of playing this in a plague deck is also fantastic, great work Akroma
Sapling of Colfenor // Keeps Pestilence and Withering Wisps alive. That is really the entire purpose of this being the general.
Stuffy Doll // Keeps Pestilence alive and you can double up damage on one player
Fated Return // Get back a Pestilence creature and make it invincible too.
More Lifegain:
There is never enough lifegain in a deck that kills itself.
Vampire Nighthawk // Weak but cheap
Wurmcoil Engine // Lifelink now and lifelink later
(See Pestilence Assistants for the core lifegain)
Sapling Helpers:
Although Sapling was only chosen because of indestructibility, some cards are just too good to pass up.
Haunted Crossroads // Always draw the dead creature you need
Gift of the Deity // 4/7 indestructible deathtouch lure. It gets plenty of work done
Magus of the Abyss // I like to say that Sapling loves being destroyed
Sanguine Bond // When you flip over a Grave Titan, someone loses 6 life. Also this deck has loads of lifegain to support it
Draw Cards:
This deck squanders resources so they need to be constantly replenished just to keep up with itself.
Phyrexian Arena // The Arena is a classic that always works well
Graveborn Muse // Another arena that sometimes gets more than one card
Bloodgift Demon // An arena that attacks
Liliana of the Dark Realms // This is basically card draw even though it only ever gets swamps
Disciple of Bolas // Super card draw and you get to dig yourself out of life-debt
Harvester of Souls // Cash in on the general slaughter, especially good with Fleshbag Marauder and Slum Reaper
Rushers and Bodies:
The deck is all about killing people, so you need reliable attackers to supplement the spread.
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade // Nightmare power for only 2BB
Phyrexian Obliterator // Does he ever get blocked? I didn't think so. (if you want to Pestilence, he sacrifices himself)
Abyssal Persecutor // Who cares if your opponents can't lose, undead players are bound to your survival.
Grave Titan // 10 power for 4BB is a great deal.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed // Pump everyone and use them twice
Abhorrent Overlord // Plenty of harpies
Sepulchral Primordial // This guy always brings a party with him
Rune-Scarred Demon // An auto-include for most decks. Gets Disciple of Bolas or whatever you happen to want
Chainer, Dementia Master // Get dudes all the time
Puppeteer Clique // The stolen creature has haste and attacks immediately
Profane Command // Get a creature and kill a player
Rise of the Dark Realms // Take everyone you have slain
Other:
Miscellaneous stuff.
Demonic Tutor // The deck is not about tutoring, but this is always an easy decision.
Fleshbag Marauder // Kill off the survivors
Slum Reaper // Yet another marauder
Grave Pact // Basically the same thing