Run all 4! Getting multiples of Hall does suck.. but in my experience, that only happens about 20% of the time.

The issue then is what to take out. Maybe the 3rd viscera dragger?

Yeah.. or one Mind Rot. I love Mind Rot.. it's just a bad late game topdeck. However.. I'm always happy to see one in my opening hand. With 4 Spectres, I don't think you'll miss it too much.

I have 3 specters.

I'm a little wary (I'm slightly paranoid about less draw in general), but I guess I'll try 2 of each and 2 viscera dragger.

Ahh.. missed that. But yeah.. those would be my first two options. I hate seeing a Mind Rot go but.. I'd much rather hit a Hall every match in this build.

I took this deck for a test drive tonight. So far 6-0. None of my victories have been in doubt. Agree this deck feels strong.

I don't know if it is strong deck (at now I'm 5W/2L, too few matches to judge) but this deck is very funny:



Use the graveyard as a bankroll; fill it with Necromancer's Assistant or Mind Rot (if needed), then choose to:
a) destroy opponent's creature with Dead Reckoning, if is possibile choosing a creature from your graveyard that fits the mana curve in the next turn, so you can play it immediately
b) gain life with Rotfeaster Naggot, exiling one of your biggest creature (or one of the opponent, if needed/convenient)
c) cast a free expensive creature like Skeletal Wurm or Griselbrand in turn 6 thanks to Rescue from the Underworld, if possibile coupled with a creature with ETB effect (like Phyrexian ranger Or Lilian's Specter

Therefore, I put many creatures with ETB effect, so in case a) or c), we can trigger this effect again. IN this mode, Shadowborn demon can make 5 damage with Dead Reckoning, then gone to the top of the library to destroy an other target in the next round.

Mind Rot and the ETB effect of Liliana's Specter allows a bit of control, retarding the opponent until the concretization of case a) or b) or c).

Maybe there are a lot of creatures better than Blister Beetle (in my fist build there were Skeleton due to the synergies with Death Baron), but its -1/-1 ETB effect is great against a lot of creatues (the omnipresent Visionary Elvish, the dangerous Chasm Skulker, Wandering Wolf, Triton Storeshalker, Satyr Hoplite, Rockslide Elemental, 2-headed cerberus and so on).

Skeletal Wurm is not a great card, but is useful for its toughness with Rotfeaster Maggot, for its power with Dead Reckoning, its synergy with Dead baron and its useful Regenerate.

Graveborn Muse is very important, to minimize the annoyance produced by Dead Reckoning that -unfortunately- fix your next draw, so obtain 1 or 2 cards more can be vital, especially if the player is waiting for a land.

A nice combo possibile from turn 6: mind rot on myself to put 2 cards in graveyard (big creatures), than Dead Reckoning on one of this big creatures discarded to destroy a big opponent creature, then draw again the creature discarded in the next turn (if the creature discarded is a Shadowborn Demon is very funny, I've killed baneslayer Angel two times in this mode and I enjoed it because I hate baneslayer Angel and -theorically- it is immune against Demon but not against Dead Reckoning).

As usual, any comment is welcome.

EDIT: after a terrible session, now I'm 8/6, something goes wrong, I have to adjust a little the deck

If you're going to run death baron, you could also run gravedigger for more recursion and zombie power.

No Graveborn Muse?

Besides the fact that graveborn is missing, seems like bloodghast would be a great fit here too!

With the new influx of cards I thought I'd try to put together an aggro mono black deck that doesn't suck; this is what I've messed around with so far.

No Deviant Glee? Can help your smaller guys power through some bigger creatures.
The problem with mono-black aggro, in my experience, is that it isn't fast enough to win before ''the inevitable'' Baneslayer or Inferno Titan comes out and simply takes a giant dump on your plans.

How do you like Quest for the Gravelord in this kind of deck? Does it go online fast enough, often enough to be worth it?

I messed around with monoblack aggro for a few games with a very similar list but it lacked a little punch so I went into white with it. I think you should look at Devouring Swarm over Liliana's Specter, though, because you can trigger Kalastria Highborn on demand for some extra reach and just force through more damage in the air overall. I'm also not really sold on Undying Evil, I think you'd be better off with more removal to ensure your team can connect. Vicious Hunger isn't great, but I think it's playable if you're set on monoblack aggro.

Left: I pretty much hate auras because of their inherent conditionallity and 2 for 1 potential. I usually only run them if they are really powerful or somehow combo with the creatures your enchanting, so that's why I left out Glee.

Quest is one of the cards that I'm playtesting and it's been ok so far. The idea was that you're being aggressive and trading creatures with your opponent, so the triggers aren't usually an issue. It's really good early, but loses value as the game goes on. I probably should run all 3 or none though to maximize dropping it first or second turn when it's best.

Hakeem: I've been looking at Swarm for those exact reasons; initially I was going to replace 2 Ragers and the Hall for 3 of them. I really like the evasion of them and the Specters, so I kinda want to fit both of them in. There will end up being some mix of Specters, Ragers and Swarms, I'm just not sure what that will look like just yet.

As for Undying Evil, I like being able to be aggressive and trading creatures with it, especially with Agent's heroic, Highborn triggers and ETBs like Specter and Rager. It's not essential, but I think it has more utility than Hunger. Plus, Hunger is a sorcery and that really limits it for me. I'd kill for a set of Murders.

I am trying to keep it mono black and may have to dial it back to more of a midrange deck to add some top end muscle. I just used to like the fast black archetype that paid life to get cheap, fast creatures and efficient spell effects. The black pool of cards feels more limited than other colors and that's really kind of a shame.

Opinions?

I messed around with 3 mono black builds tonight.. a discard one that would've been better in Dimir, an aggro build and a straight up MBC. Yours seems to be a compilation of all 3.

I ditched the Spectres and Mind Rots bc of Brain Maggot. Bring able to cherry pick their their best stuff is soooooo disruptive.. much moreso than any amount of discard.

If you're running Rune-Scarred, you MUST run Sheoldred.. she takes over games. I feel she is more powerful than Griselbrand.

I'm thinking:

-4 Spectres
-2 Mind Rot
-1 Griselbrand
-1 Land

+1 Quest for the Gravelord
+1 Ulcerate
+1 Brain Maggot
+1 Dead Weight
+1 Sheoldred
+3 Tribute to Hunger.. which also has more value bc of Brain Maggot.

Maggot really changes things. If you peer into their hand, and they only have a creature or two.. they're at your mercy.

I feel like you would be better with a 3rd Brain Maggot over the second Mind Rot. Honestly I am not a huge fan of Mind Rot to begin with just because it has the potential to be completely dead so often. Maybe you would be better cutting Mind Rot completely to work in a copy of Vicious Hunger/Tribute to Hunger for some more removal and a little supplemental life gain to counteract the effects of Ulcerate

I feel like Nightmare would probably be better as either Sheoldred or Indulgent Tormentor. You have the Swamps to make Nightmare some big evasive fat which is nice, but I feel like Sheloldred/Tormenter do the same thing and provide you more value in the process.

The only other thing is Walking Corpse. Works with Death Baron and Graveborn Muse, but is that worth having a vanilla bear when you don't have those cards?

Some things to maybe consider.

Drudge Skeletons are a thing if you are going the more controlling route. They don't count up zombies for Graveborn Muse, but they do get buffed up by Death Baron, and Regen+Deathtouch is a pretty powerful combo, especially in a deck with enough removal to kill anything that doesn't HAVE to attack into it to do damage. Worst case scenario you end up with a 1/1 that can regen, which can still stall pretty well against a lot of decks.

Cruel Sadist could be a thing too if you had the life to support it. Removal on a stick is usually pretty solid, even if it is somewhat slow, and it could serve as another potential win-con if you decide to just keep pumping counters onto it.

Just some thoughts.

I swear by the walking corpses. I forgot sheoldred was a thing, but I'll probably remove a 1 drop for it.

I know you love them.. which is why I didn't even bother mentioning them in my post.. but I'd drop them in a second for a full playset of Ragers. I'd cut the Barons for Tormentors too.