Overview of the Deck
Let's say something about me before. I'm a collector, not an expert player and this is my first deck fully built by myself. Plus, i'm not english or american, if i've missed something, in deck building or language, please report it to me and sorry.
The strategy is simple: extort and drain enemy life points as much as possible, out-heal any damage until one of the two endless drain combo is complete. A really funny little deck, able to transform any spell in a rush of life drain, instant spells in particular can become a real danger in late game. Hardly you will use the creatures as attackers because in this deck their power will not be the main source of damage. Of course, the amount of weak spots are too many and this deck is not built to win important modern events, but, if you manage to find some answers to the problems that i wasn't able to solve, maybe it can become a better and funnier version of itself.
Guide
For the majority of the time the deck itself doesn't have a grand strategy: You simply have to expend every single mana left to use, when you have not any other moves to do, to extort right after casting your last spell. You only really have to do some mana management if you are going to use some instants. Stall the game, keep healing yourself with extort and similar effects, wall your life point with creatures that cannot extort or sacrifice them if needed to draw with Night's Whisper. In a real good scenario, you can even win by doing this, as happened sometimes in my early tests. But those good scenarios are rare. A combo, that rely on many cards that where already in this deck before, has been added after the first stage of tests, to give some real win conditions if extort fails to win the game:
Bontu's Monument + Heartless Summoning + Myr Retriever: The strongest of the two. A possible 3th turn win. Can be a really viable way to win the game if an extort strategy, supported by Bontu's Monument + Heartless Summoning, fails in late game. Simple. Bontu's is the source of damage; with Heartless, the myrs can be summoned for free; as free to summon and free to sacrifice, myrs can start an endless circle that will drain the opponent through Bontu's Monument damage. Also Cruel Celebrant can take the place of Bontu's Monument.
Mana Management: Bontu's Monument, Heartless Summoning and Crypt Ghast are a mandatory presence on the battlefield, because in many cases your mana will not be enough to pay the winning conditions AND extort.
Matchups
This deck can sustain a lot of direct damage. You can ignore decks that rely on swarms of creatures, they will not be able to outdamage your heal until late game, with a good set up of extort creatures. Decks that demand heavy amount of life sacrifices will basically end themselves in really comical ways with a little bit of luck. Now, bad matchups: this deck is nearly defenseless against pure control decks and mill decks. It lacks counterspells, it has only three cards capable to make you draw more cards and mana production is simply too slow without the right cards on the field.
Sideboarding and Alternate Card Choices
I will not talk about the sideboard yet. The deck needs heavy changes and the sideboard may change a lot. Is to early now.
I've created the first version of this deck 6 month ago. In the first website i've used to search for help no one ever replyed to me. Thanks if you are willing to help me with my little deck "for fun"
This deck looks sweet! I like your curve; it seems like the deck functions, if not yet performs which are the first two steps to building a good deck.
I'd like to see some maindeck disruption to destroy creatures or other problematic permanents. While Dash Hopes is a fun card, people will gladly pay the 5 life if it means they can get a huge threat on the board like Tarmogoyf. There are a lot of options you can play such as Fatal Push, Path to Exile, and Anguished Unmaking (which may be good since you are gaining life) and I think adding some of these could help you fight against some of the really strong decks of the format.
Secondly, I see you mentioned Bontu's Monument but it is not in the deck itself. I think it would work well in your strategy, as it would add that Myr Retriever combo you mentioned to the deck. As is, the Retriever plus one of your extort creatures and Heartless Summoning would let you tap all the white or black mana you have to drain your opponent for "X", which is good, but it would make me want to cut the Retriever if that was all it accomplished. I'd like to see you cut a Pontiff of Blight or Dead Revels for 2 copies of the Monument, Pontiff because it is kind of expensive for modern and Dead Revels because it isn't an amazing card.
If you are looking for better card advantage than Dead Revels, Night's Whisper works pretty well in your deck because of your life gain, and I think more copies of Altar's Reap could be good too, seeing as you have creatures like Gravecrawler that return from your graveyard. In fact, I'd advise playing Costly Plunder instead of Altar's Reap because it does the same thing with more options, allowing you to sacrifice a Bontu's Monument or Nihil Spellbomb out of the sideboard if needed.
Sorry for the monument. It is already in the deck, i just forgot to write it down. there are only 58 cards without it.
Your advices are really appreciated. i'm going to do some changes right now. for sure i'll get some Costly Plunder, with 1 copy more in exchange of the pontiff. Anguished Unmaking too will be added.
Many many thanks!
PS: Just one thing. I need a counterspell, that's why the dash hopes. i'm not very concerned about creatures as about burn decks. i cannot defend my deck from non creature spells
Black decks use discard spells rather than countermagic so that is what you should do in this deck.
Overall the idea is original but the power level is very low and the deck can probably work only in a very casual environment.
Another decent card draw engine can be Phyrexian Arena which is very good in decks with lifegain (which you have) that can also slow down the game and heavily interact with the opponent (which your deck doesn't really do).
what about Duress? is a nice discard spell, cheap. I've also found an interesting card: Mindcrank.
I wonder... my deck doesn't rely very much on creatures outside those with extort. Diregraf Ghoul and the Wayward servants are in this deck only to support my gravecrawlers. I'm sure that the amount of zombies in this deck is not enough to work good, what if i get rid of them? maybe some control cards can be more helpful. There are many cards that interact with me or the enemy when i get some life back or the enemy loses some to my extort like Well of Lost Dreams or Wall of Limbs. Or maybe something that react to opponent's actions like Authority of the Consuls (it seems even better then my Blind Obedience)
Okay folks. I'm here again to seek advice. With some new cards now on the market i have managed to make some little adjustments. I've erased from the deck the combo with the Epicure of Blood and Exquisite Blood. I've added the Cruel Celebrant in exchange with Wayward Servant for a greater variety of outcomes and a little speed up on the myr combo. Mortuary Mire is no more with 1 copy of the Scoured Barrens for more swamps and plains to try to speed up the mana. WIthout Wayward Servant the zombies are not required anymore and i've replaced the Diregraf Ghoul with the Vampire Cutthroat. Other adjustments on the numbers of other present creatures have been made. Now the deck look a little more quick and more effective in lifestealing but is yet to be a great threath. I feel this deck missing something, a backup plan if my finisher move, the myr combo, is not possible, or something that can get some advantages by al the extort/lifedrain thing. Also i find a little bit of a waste the immense discount on mana given by the Bontu's Monument + Heartless Summoning, do you know maybe a big boy of a creature that can get something from this deck? Thanks for watching and for your answers.
New update: i've managed to change some other cards, making it a little bit more agile (yet not enough i think). I have also some new ideas to improve some effects but i really really need some suggestions.
let's talk about some of my new ideas. I'm not satisfied with low damage/heal per turn i can do passively and the absolute lack of cards that can exploit this strategy. I've managed to find some combos i'd like to use but they will cost other cards in the deck of course, cards that maybe i cannot leave behind.
Drana's Emissary + Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension passive Damage/heal engine combo. This one is my favorite. Bloodchief is kind a slow card to activate, this combo is a nice milling combo that can cause some trouble. At bloodchief activation this combo is worth 3 points of damage, 3 health point and 1 discard per turn, plus 1 discard, 2 damage and 2 health points every damage in the turn, every single creature that can land a hit, every single creature summoned, every spell played and extorted. i LIKE this, but hardly i can defend this 3 cards for all that time. Maybe a Rebuff the Wicked can do the trick.
Drana's Emissary + Fountain of Renewal + Wall of Limbs or Ajani's Pridemate . Another thing i miss in this deck is an emergency heavy hitter, something that in need can provide a rush of damage. This combo provides costant heal, a little draw effect and a threatening creature. Again, it needs time and needs counterdefense.
Trespasser's Curse in, Blind Obedience out. An extort user out, but a more threatening enchant on the enemy. It doesn't need mana to deal damage costantly ok, but that card doesn't really control the enemy if high in health points and both cards are completelly useless against creatureless decks.
Again, i look forward to receive your advices. Thank you all.
I'm pretty sure if you have ascension active that plus mindcrank means when they lose any life or any card is put into their graveyard they just lose. Because they loop an infinate number of times. They lose life which puts cards in the graveyard when causes them to lose more life which puts more cards in the yard. Makes sense?
I'm pretty sure obediance is the better card. You can't guarentee the opponent will play creatures. So being able to drain them from casting spells is a plus.
I would take heartless out if anything. It makes your thrull die and also makes your guys 1 power at best. Just to maybe pull out an occasional combo isn't worth it imo.
I'd replace them with Tidehollow Sculler. That gives you a body and disrupts your opponents game plan at the same time.
Kambal is probably the better choice.
I'd also find a way to slot in some number of Collective Brutality. It does everything you need. Drains the opponent, kills a small problem dude, and duresses the opponent. Bitterblossom is also a powerhouse card that could get some slots. It can chump all day long and acts as a good win con should you face a durdle deck... or just one that can't answer an extra 1/1 flyer every turn.
Overview of the Deck
Let's say something about me before. I'm a collector, not an expert player and this is my first deck fully built by myself. Plus, i'm not english or american, if i've missed something, in deck building or language, please report it to me and sorry.
The strategy is simple: extort and drain enemy life points as much as possible, out-heal any damage until one of the two endless drain combo is complete. A really funny little deck, able to transform any spell in a rush of life drain, instant spells in particular can become a real danger in late game. Hardly you will use the creatures as attackers because in this deck their power will not be the main source of damage. Of course, the amount of weak spots are too many and this deck is not built to win important modern events, but, if you manage to find some answers to the problems that i wasn't able to solve, maybe it can become a better and funnier version of itself.
Decklist
4 Basilica Screecher
3 Crypt Ghast
4 Vampire Cutthroat
4 Gravecrawler
3 Myr Retriever
3 Cruel Celebrant
Enchantment- 6
3 Blind Obedience
3 Heartless Summoning
3 Night's Whisper
3 Path to Exile
Lands- 23
4 Godless Shrine
6 Plains
3 Scoured Barrens
10 Swamp
Artifacts- 4
4 Bontu's Monument
2 Death Denied
1 Debt to the Deathless
2 Mortify
3 Rancid Rats
3 Rebuff the Wicked
2 Stony Silence
2 Tragic Slip
Guide
For the majority of the time the deck itself doesn't have a grand strategy: You simply have to expend every single mana left to use, when you have not any other moves to do, to extort right after casting your last spell. You only really have to do some mana management if you are going to use some instants. Stall the game, keep healing yourself with extort and similar effects, wall your life point with creatures that cannot extort or sacrifice them if needed to draw with Night's Whisper. In a real good scenario, you can even win by doing this, as happened sometimes in my early tests. But those good scenarios are rare. A combo, that rely on many cards that where already in this deck before, has been added after the first stage of tests, to give some real win conditions if extort fails to win the game:
Bontu's Monument + Heartless Summoning + Myr Retriever: The strongest of the two. A possible 3th turn win. Can be a really viable way to win the game if an extort strategy, supported by Bontu's Monument + Heartless Summoning, fails in late game. Simple. Bontu's is the source of damage; with Heartless, the myrs can be summoned for free; as free to summon and free to sacrifice, myrs can start an endless circle that will drain the opponent through Bontu's Monument damage. Also Cruel Celebrant can take the place of Bontu's Monument.
Mana Management: Bontu's Monument, Heartless Summoning and Crypt Ghast are a mandatory presence on the battlefield, because in many cases your mana will not be enough to pay the winning conditions AND extort.
Matchups
This deck can sustain a lot of direct damage. You can ignore decks that rely on swarms of creatures, they will not be able to outdamage your heal until late game, with a good set up of extort creatures. Decks that demand heavy amount of life sacrifices will basically end themselves in really comical ways with a little bit of luck. Now, bad matchups: this deck is nearly defenseless against pure control decks and mill decks. It lacks counterspells, it has only three cards capable to make you draw more cards and mana production is simply too slow without the right cards on the field.
Sideboarding and Alternate Card Choices
I will not talk about the sideboard yet. The deck needs heavy changes and the sideboard may change a lot. Is to early now.
I've created the first version of this deck 6 month ago. In the first website i've used to search for help no one ever replyed to me. Thanks if you are willing to help me with my little deck "for fun"
I'd like to see some maindeck disruption to destroy creatures or other problematic permanents. While Dash Hopes is a fun card, people will gladly pay the 5 life if it means they can get a huge threat on the board like Tarmogoyf. There are a lot of options you can play such as Fatal Push, Path to Exile, and Anguished Unmaking (which may be good since you are gaining life) and I think adding some of these could help you fight against some of the really strong decks of the format.
Secondly, I see you mentioned Bontu's Monument but it is not in the deck itself. I think it would work well in your strategy, as it would add that Myr Retriever combo you mentioned to the deck. As is, the Retriever plus one of your extort creatures and Heartless Summoning would let you tap all the white or black mana you have to drain your opponent for "X", which is good, but it would make me want to cut the Retriever if that was all it accomplished. I'd like to see you cut a Pontiff of Blight or Dead Revels for 2 copies of the Monument, Pontiff because it is kind of expensive for modern and Dead Revels because it isn't an amazing card.
If you are looking for better card advantage than Dead Revels, Night's Whisper works pretty well in your deck because of your life gain, and I think more copies of Altar's Reap could be good too, seeing as you have creatures like Gravecrawler that return from your graveyard. In fact, I'd advise playing Costly Plunder instead of Altar's Reap because it does the same thing with more options, allowing you to sacrifice a Bontu's Monument or Nihil Spellbomb out of the sideboard if needed.
All in all, cool deck, and a great first build.
Your advices are really appreciated. i'm going to do some changes right now. for sure i'll get some Costly Plunder, with 1 copy more in exchange of the pontiff. Anguished Unmaking too will be added.
Many many thanks!
PS: Just one thing. I need a counterspell, that's why the dash hopes. i'm not very concerned about creatures as about burn decks. i cannot defend my deck from non creature spells
Overall the idea is original but the power level is very low and the deck can probably work only in a very casual environment.
Another decent card draw engine can be Phyrexian Arena which is very good in decks with lifegain (which you have) that can also slow down the game and heavily interact with the opponent (which your deck doesn't really do).
I wonder... my deck doesn't rely very much on creatures outside those with extort. Diregraf Ghoul and the Wayward servants are in this deck only to support my gravecrawlers. I'm sure that the amount of zombies in this deck is not enough to work good, what if i get rid of them? maybe some control cards can be more helpful. There are many cards that interact with me or the enemy when i get some life back or the enemy loses some to my extort like Well of Lost Dreams or Wall of Limbs. Or maybe something that react to opponent's actions like Authority of the Consuls (it seems even better then my Blind Obedience)
Decklist
4 Basilica Screecher
3 Drana's Emissary
4 Vampire Cutthroat
4 Thrull Parasite
3 Myr Retriever
3 Cruel Celebrant
3 Blind Obedience
3 Heartless Summoning
Instant- 3
3 Path to Exile
Sorcery- 3
3 Night's Whisper
Lands- 23
4 Godless Shrine
6 Plains
4 Caves of Koilos
9 Swamp
4 Bontu's Monument
Gravecrawler is no more due the lack of zombies. The Thrull Parasite took his place for more extortion. The updates made possible to erase the Crypt Ghast from the deck in favor of Drana's Emissary for more damage. Caves of Koilos for more variety in mana usage.
let's talk about some of my new ideas. I'm not satisfied with low damage/heal per turn i can do passively and the absolute lack of cards that can exploit this strategy. I've managed to find some combos i'd like to use but they will cost other cards in the deck of course, cards that maybe i cannot leave behind.
Drana's Emissary + Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension passive Damage/heal engine combo. This one is my favorite. Bloodchief is kind a slow card to activate, this combo is a nice milling combo that can cause some trouble. At bloodchief activation this combo is worth 3 points of damage, 3 health point and 1 discard per turn, plus 1 discard, 2 damage and 2 health points every damage in the turn, every single creature that can land a hit, every single creature summoned, every spell played and extorted. i LIKE this, but hardly i can defend this 3 cards for all that time. Maybe a Rebuff the Wicked can do the trick.
Drana's Emissary + Fountain of Renewal + Wall of Limbs or Ajani's Pridemate . Another thing i miss in this deck is an emergency heavy hitter, something that in need can provide a rush of damage. This combo provides costant heal, a little draw effect and a threatening creature. Again, it needs time and needs counterdefense.
Now some single replaces:
Kambal, Consul of Allocation in, Drana's Emissary out. I don't like this too much, but this deck needs more interactions with the opponent's moves. Maybe is the right choice.
Trespasser's Curse in, Blind Obedience out. An extort user out, but a more threatening enchant on the enemy. It doesn't need mana to deal damage costantly ok, but that card doesn't really control the enemy if high in health points and both cards are completelly useless against creatureless decks.
Again, i look forward to receive your advices. Thank you all.
I'm pretty sure obediance is the better card. You can't guarentee the opponent will play creatures. So being able to drain them from casting spells is a plus.
I would take heartless out if anything. It makes your thrull die and also makes your guys 1 power at best. Just to maybe pull out an occasional combo isn't worth it imo.
I'd replace them with Tidehollow Sculler. That gives you a body and disrupts your opponents game plan at the same time.
Kambal is probably the better choice.
I'd also find a way to slot in some number of Collective Brutality. It does everything you need. Drains the opponent, kills a small problem dude, and duresses the opponent.
Bitterblossom is also a powerhouse card that could get some slots. It can chump all day long and acts as a good win con should you face a durdle deck... or just one that can't answer an extra 1/1 flyer every turn.