I currently don't play competitively or in any format (I play casually with friends), but I'd like to work on a mono-black devotion deck that is Modern legal so if I choose I can play in a tournament in the future. Even if I stick to casual play, I think building something around the modern format would be the way to go. What should I add next that will improve this deck without costing a ton? thanks!
1.) I am saving up money to get 2x Phyrexian Obliterator and have the Griselbrand in its place. Is this ok? I love Griselbrand, so I find a way to sneak him into any deck lol
I also own these cards for that spot. What do you think?
2.) I eventually want to get four copies of Bloodghast, but again these are too expensive for me right now. I should probably also get rid of Dauthi Slayer.
3.) Should I keep the Gifted Aetherborn in this deck? If not, replace it with what?
4.) I know it is banned in Modern, but I do own playset of Deathrite Shaman. Should I add it to this deck when I play casual?
5.) I think I want to replace Vampire Nighthawk with Gatekeeper of Malakir. Good idea? Either that or have them both. I love vampire Nighthawk. One of my favorites, plus it has flying
Need some more 1 drops. Inquisition of Kozilek and Thoughtseize would work out great. Get those first. You can probably function without Liliana, but you need to get the 1 mana cost discards.
As you expand this deck, you're going to need IoK, Thoughtseize, and Fatal Push. They're basically the best Modern cards in Black, ever. Probably over GftT, Distress, and Geth's Verdict. I'd also recommend Victim of Night over Doom Blade, since its "restriction" is functionally non-existent. You're probably better off with Phyrexian Arena than Whip, since you don't have a way to efficiently discard your own creatures, and then Whip them out as an alpha strike. Another option is Lashwrithe or Nightmare Lash, which would synergize well with your focus on swamps, but it wouldn't add to Devotion. It is quite potent with Lifelinkers though. If you go this route, you're going to want Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. The final thing I'd recommend is getting some Ghost Quarters. You're going to be running up against decks that rely on specialized lands, like Tron, and Ghost Quarter is the best colorless answer we've got in Modern.
Frankly, if I had to squeeze in Gatekeeper of Malakir, I'd drop Geth's Verdict for it.
You're running Nykthos, which gives you a little leeway in mana costs. Griselbrand is probably better than Obliterator in the current meta.
I agree that one mana discard spells are the first thing to get. If we want to keep the deck budget-ish, I recommend Korlash, Heir to Blackblade as a solid four drop that furthers the swamps matter theme. Otherwise, Phyrexian Obliterator I guess? That card has never ever impressed me though.
THIS 100X!!! If you don't agree with this then there is no amount of logic that will ever convince you that good, non-oppressive, combos should be allowed. If you don't agree with it then just don't play this game, and you certainly shouldn't feel entitled to make any comment on ban lists ever.
I built this deck myself, as I had a bunch of great black cards that had not made the cut for other decks. So, I pooled all those good black cards together, took it to FNM and expected to lose a bunch. The only problem was... I didn't lose very much... My $40 worth of cards was resilient, fast and reliable.
Since I was playing with cast off cards from other decks, I didn't put my Thoughtseizes, or my IoK's in the deck, or my Fatal Pushes, and then opted for the what seemed to be the less optimal "draw 2 cards, pay 2 life" cards. But I ultimately found that my Vampires did so much work for me that I had lots of life to spare, and that I actually liked those cards. But as others have pointed out, Thoughtseize and Inquisitions and Fatal Pushes are such solid cards that they should merit consideration.
I have changed my list from above, pulling the Messengers for Obliterators, as you have mentioned, and that raised the cost of the deck from like $42.00 to $130.00 or so, as I now have 3 Obliterators. I changed the Murders to Hero's Downfall, but most of the deck has stayed the same.
I love the Obliterators, personally. They gum up the battlefield, and basically prevent your opponents from attacking with anything ground-based. The difficult casting cost also proves wonderful with the Gray Merchant.
I've had the deck close to a year now, and it's one of my most reliable, most fun, and most successful decks... Highly recommended. Check out my Decks on this site if you want to see my exact current decklist, but it's not too far from above. For a "budget" deck, it packs a lot of punch.
I currently don't play competitively or in any format (I play casually with friends), but I'd like to work on a mono-black devotion deck that is Modern legal so if I choose I can play in a tournament in the future. Even if I stick to casual play, I think building something around the modern format would be the way to go. What should I add next that will improve this deck without costing a ton? thanks!
Today I went out and bought 2x Geralf's Messenger, but where to put them? Maybe take out two of the Vampire Nighthawk
Some questions/comments:
1.) I am saving up money to get 2x Phyrexian Obliterator and have the Griselbrand in its place. Is this ok? I love Griselbrand, so I find a way to sneak him into any deck lol
I also own these cards for that spot. What do you think?
Desecration Demon
Pestilence Demon
Bloodgift Demon
Doomgape
Indulgent Tormentor
Squelching Leeches
2.) I eventually want to get four copies of Bloodghast, but again these are too expensive for me right now. I should probably also get rid of Dauthi Slayer.
Contenders:
Order of the Ebon Hand
Nether Traitor
3.) Should I keep the Gifted Aetherborn in this deck? If not, replace it with what?
4.) I know it is banned in Modern, but I do own playset of Deathrite Shaman. Should I add it to this deck when I play casual?
5.) I think I want to replace Vampire Nighthawk with Gatekeeper of Malakir. Good idea? Either that or have them both. I love vampire Nighthawk. One of my favorites, plus it has flying
6.) Is there room in this deck for:
Mogis's Marauder
Thrull Parasite
Nantuko Shade
Crypt Ghast
Dark Ritual
Exsanguinate
Lastly, I know that eventually I should probably get 2x Liliana of the Veil, but that's WAY out of my budget for now.
I'm building this in pieces to keep it budget friendly, but here's what I have so far:
4x Black Knight
4x Gifted Aetherborn
4x Dauthi Slayer
4x Vampire Nighthawk
4x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
2x Griselbrand
4x Distress
4x Geth's Verdict
3x Go for the Throat
3x Doom Blade
2x Whip of Erebos
Land
16x Swamp
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Modern Tallowisp Spirits - A Modern Tallowisp Deck UW
Eldrazi Ninjas - Summoning Octopus Jutsu YYYYAAAHHHH!
STANDARD
Naban Wizards
Frankly, if I had to squeeze in Gatekeeper of Malakir, I'd drop Geth's Verdict for it.
You're running Nykthos, which gives you a little leeway in mana costs. Griselbrand is probably better than Obliterator in the current meta.
Here was a general outline of my deck:
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
2 Geralf's Messenger
2 Tombstalker
3 Murder
3 Geth's Verdict
4 Victim of Night
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Night's Whisper
3 Sign in Blood
19 Swamp
Since I was playing with cast off cards from other decks, I didn't put my Thoughtseizes, or my IoK's in the deck, or my Fatal Pushes, and then opted for the what seemed to be the less optimal "draw 2 cards, pay 2 life" cards. But I ultimately found that my Vampires did so much work for me that I had lots of life to spare, and that I actually liked those cards. But as others have pointed out, Thoughtseize and Inquisitions and Fatal Pushes are such solid cards that they should merit consideration.
I have changed my list from above, pulling the Messengers for Obliterators, as you have mentioned, and that raised the cost of the deck from like $42.00 to $130.00 or so, as I now have 3 Obliterators. I changed the Murders to Hero's Downfall, but most of the deck has stayed the same.
I love the Obliterators, personally. They gum up the battlefield, and basically prevent your opponents from attacking with anything ground-based. The difficult casting cost also proves wonderful with the Gray Merchant.
I've had the deck close to a year now, and it's one of my most reliable, most fun, and most successful decks... Highly recommended. Check out my Decks on this site if you want to see my exact current decklist, but it's not too far from above. For a "budget" deck, it packs a lot of punch.
And a Primer in "deck creation" - http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/597491-bx-devotion
Also, Order of the Ebon Hand and Dark Ritual aren't Modern legal cards.