I want to if possible try to keep the deck orzhov colors mostly for thief of hope, but I'll look into UW combination. I agree with the 5 enchantments, though I don't know whether to give up strands of undeath or curse of chains.
Do you have any results vs. the meta you mentioned?
I have very little experience with black decks in general, so take my recommendations with a pinch of salt.
The weirdest inclusion is Shadow Slice. I like to call the card a Lava Axe - it does nothing at all on the board for 5 mana. If you have no creatures, it is dead (unless you opponent is on 3 or less life). If the opponent can remove the ciphered creature, it is dead. If the opponent can block the ciphered creature, it is dead. If the opponent is able to race you, it is dead... For example, look at Geralf's Messenger: It does almost the same thing and is an actual resilient creature - you can play it on empty board, you can profitably block with it etc. (and after it dies once, you can recycle it with a nija, while doing still more damage to the opponent!)
Dismember is a strange omission. I imagine Gatekeeper of Malakir would also be very good in this deck (given the potential to reuse it with ninjas).
Considering you are mono-B deck, you could afford to play some nonbasics - manlands like Blinkmoth Nexus or Mutavault (if budget allows; you may want to wait until after roation, but considering you have 0 tribal element in your deck, Blinkmoth would be better anyways). Land destruction lands like Ghost Quarter or Tectonic Edge would help you fight the trons and scapeshift (maybe, not sure about that).
I fully agree that shadow slice is a strange inclusion, but actually has been quite helpful, used it more than once to outright the game when I would have lost the next turn if I hadn't. Generally I only put it on tormented soul with the idea that if my opponent didn't get rid of it already, because it should be a large target seeing my deck, then they won't now.
I agree dismember is a strange omission mostly due to the fact that before this moment I forgot that the card existed I'll probably pick up a few now, and see how they work instead of disfigure.
No manlands mostly due to budget issues yeah. Umm yeah I could see GQ and Tec edge as good cards vs scapeshift.
Now onto the matchups I've played. Vs. death and taxes wich I forgot to mention I generally try to outrace it and it's a 50:50 matchup I find but shadowslice is what has saved me in the past. Living end isn't really a problem due to 4 skullsnatchers. I have a hard time against tron, and scapeshift. Pod is also generally a bad matchup I find. Merfolk are fine as long as I draw removal and mutilate I find helps me a lot against tokens.
So yeah the creature base is basically the same. Finally got some thoughtsiezes, so yeah awesome stuff there. Now for card explanations
Undying Evil- It's either amazing or not, generally I've found it amazing as I use it on Ink-eyes or Okiba after a field wipe, and it's just good.
Shadow Slice- Still finding it good as it turns tormented Soul into a monster.
But yeah I would enjoy some help on a SB and any MB suggestions are appreciated. SB wise from what I've seen my meta has around two trons(mono-blue), a BW tokens, A living End, A scapeshift, a merfolk deck, quite a few pods, and I think a UWR deck.
I think I shall post one of my most humiliating scoops for lol. So it was the gatecrash prerelease, I had some orzhov deck going on and I was a against a grull player. I was at 6 and I had lethal on board to kill my opponent, because he was at 2 ad I had a 2/2 flyer and all he had was a 14/15 snake with Deathtouch, I misread DT as trample and scooped because he swung and I thought that was gg forgetting it was DT...... oops lol.
Let's say I had a torchling out and 20 mana in my mana pool can I use it's 5th ability to pay 10 mana and make it a 0/13 then pay 10 mana to turn it back to a 13/3? Thanks for the help
I too am happy with that unbanning I only wish I had picked some up earlier. Oh well, though I'll be happy to play against faeries again hopefully.
Wild Nacatl is also a nice unban it will allow for zoo to be a thing again, which should diversify the aggro decks in the format.
I completely support the DRS ban. My problem with him was just how good he was. He was the ideal 1 drop that did everything and made graveyard decks very hard to play successfully. Hopefully his ban will diversify the format as well.
Spells
4 Tallowisp
4 Thief of Hope
2 Ghost Council of Orzhova
4 Shining Shoal
4 Sickening Shoal
2 Blessed Breath
3 Pillory of the Sleepless
1 Indomitable will
1 Strands of Undeath
3 Plagued Rusalka
3 Blinking Spirit
1 Curse of Chains
4 Dark Confidant
Lands
1 Tomb or Urami
1 Eiganjo Castle
4 Caves or Koilos
4 Godless Shrine
5 Swamp
5 Plain
Any help appreciated. I'm trying to keep this as budget as possible so budget suggestions are awesome!
-coolkid
Please use card tags in future posts.
Kahedron
I fully agree that shadow slice is a strange inclusion, but actually has been quite helpful, used it more than once to outright the game when I would have lost the next turn if I hadn't. Generally I only put it on tormented soul with the idea that if my opponent didn't get rid of it already, because it should be a large target seeing my deck, then they won't now.
I agree dismember is a strange omission mostly due to the fact that before this moment I forgot that the card existed I'll probably pick up a few now, and see how they work instead of disfigure.
No manlands mostly due to budget issues yeah. Umm yeah I could see GQ and Tec edge as good cards vs scapeshift.
Now onto the matchups I've played. Vs. death and taxes wich I forgot to mention I generally try to outrace it and it's a 50:50 matchup I find but shadowslice is what has saved me in the past. Living end isn't really a problem due to 4 skullsnatchers. I have a hard time against tron, and scapeshift. Pod is also generally a bad matchup I find. Merfolk are fine as long as I draw removal and mutilate I find helps me a lot against tokens.
Mono-black ninjas
Creatures
x4 Tormented Soul
x4 Typhoid Rat
x4 Ravenous Rats
x4 Skullsnatcher
x2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
x2 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
x2 Patron of the Nezumi
Spells
x3 Disfigure
x2 Thoughtsieze
x1 Undying Evil
x2 Sign in Blood
x2 Doomblade
x2 Mutilate
x1 Sickening Shoal
x1 Shadow Slice
Lands
x1 Rogue's Passage
x23 Swamp
So yeah the creature base is basically the same. Finally got some thoughtsiezes, so yeah awesome stuff there. Now for card explanations
Undying Evil- It's either amazing or not, generally I've found it amazing as I use it on Ink-eyes or Okiba after a field wipe, and it's just good.
Shadow Slice- Still finding it good as it turns tormented Soul into a monster.
But yeah I would enjoy some help on a SB and any MB suggestions are appreciated. SB wise from what I've seen my meta has around two trons(mono-blue), a BW tokens, A living End, A scapeshift, a merfolk deck, quite a few pods, and I think a UWR deck.
Wild Nacatl is also a nice unban it will allow for zoo to be a thing again, which should diversify the aggro decks in the format.
I completely support the DRS ban. My problem with him was just how good he was. He was the ideal 1 drop that did everything and made graveyard decks very hard to play successfully. Hopefully his ban will diversify the format as well.