Black has a hard time dealing with non-creature permanents...

Maybe your group is different but most Black players need a plan for dealing with Dovescape Sphere of Safety Enchanted Evening Spirit of Resistance Darksteel Forge Mycosynth Lattice Stasis and other common non-creature 'pillow-fort' elements.

I'd suggest a Nevinyrral's Disk , Oblivion Stone and All Is Dust. Tutoring for All is dust is sometimes the only way out of a nasty pillowfort for mono black. Karn Liberated may be overkill since you are an aggro deck.

If you are trying to respond to lots of different strategies, I would also suggest the follow NB lands: Boseiju, Who Shelters All Cavern of Souls Hall of the Bandit Lord

Steel Hellkite is the only answer I have right now. I am usually playing against at least 3 other players, so most of the time my opponents take care of any lockdown.

All Is Dust does not take care of artifacts.

Nevinyrral's Disk comes into play tapped.

Boseiju, Who Shelters All Cavern of Souls Hall of the Bandit Lord will be added.

Oblivion Stone & Unstable Obelisk are going in as soon as I find a card to cut. Any ideas?

When I was contemplating this issue these cards came to mind: Choice of Damnations Coercive Portal & Curse of the Cabal. Care to discuss them, Cybersix?

If I were to build around this commander, I would definitely include some cheap artifacts that have the ability to target creatures for the synergy with Horobi, Death's Wail. Things like Rod of Ruin, Staff of Domination, Staff of Nin, Barl's Cage, Cauldron of Souls to wipe out any number of creatures, Oblivion Stone, Predator, Flagship, Dauthi Embrace, Desert, Maze of Ith, Tower of the Magistrate, and Touch of Darkness could be a one sided board wipe. This will allow you to keep your opponents' creatures off the table and allow you to swing in big. Also, including equipments like Loxodon Warhammer will just kill your creatures if you have your commander out so I would steer clear of those.

Overall, I love the idea of this deck. +1 from me! Thanks for commenting on my Sherei EDH! If you liked it, make sure to leave an upvote! :)

Ah, I forgot Curse of the Cabal! I recommend it...in monoblack even 'hardcasting' it is not too steep.

What to cut? Well of course it is your call but I'd suggest Fated Return as awesome as it is...why? High cost+ it's just another one creature recursion spell in a world where lots of people can exile...

I just can't let go of Fated Return. Every time that it has resolved, I either stopped myself from being Immediately eliminated or won the game entirely. I don't cast it until late game, when someone is attacking me. By the time I cast it, exile spells have already been used. Imp's Mischief has not been the last three times i drew it, so it is getting the cut.Thanks for the discussion.

Maga, Traitor to Mortals (really only good late game), Pestilence Demon (I feel he only really shines when you give him deathtouch, and is op when holding Scythe of the Wretched), Urborg Justice (you already have 3 versions of Grave Pact, a 1-time use version is a little limited), Abhorrent Overlord (High maintenance, but I can see it having its uses), Read the Bones, and Night's Whisper seem a little lack-luster.

To make up for the one-time use draw that Read the Bones and Night's Whisper provide, you can use things like Staff of Nin (which synergizes nicely with Horobi, Death's Wail) and Erebos, God of the Dead (which also allows you to keep life-gain decks at bay for a while).

Other ways to deal with normally hard to get rid of things would include Duplicant (for things like Iona, Shield of Emeria, Gild for any spot removal that Horobi, Death's Wail fails at, Phyrexian Tribute is a costly way to remove a single artifact (but it's still an option), You could also use Gate to Phyrexia if yuo don't mind waiting until your upkeep, Or use Karn, Silver Golem to deal with artifacts like creatures,

Because you are going a more aggressive route, I would strongly suggest Sacred Armory. With Horobi, Death's Wail it becomes a 2 mana spot removal, and without him it's a nice shade buff.

THanks for your time, Virlym.

Maga, Traitor to Mortals wins games.

Pestilence Demon is staying now that you have enlightened me on its syn with Scythe.

Abhorrent Overlord is a 6/6 flyer that brings at least 2 1/1 flyers(I have had 15).

Read the Bones does exactly what it should.

Gild 4 mana for removal of 1 creature on my turn. That is the definition of 'lack-luster'.

Phyrexian Tribute too costly.

Karn, Silver Golem does not have a use beside that, so not worth it.

Sacred Armory was in my beta version of this. It just never performed the way i wanted it to.

Gate to Phyrexia Staff of Nin & Duplicant will make it in for trials, soon.

A few other cards you may want to consider if you want more threat potential:

Because you already have Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, consider running Triskelion. It's an instant win combo (you could also just use it for board clear / control if you don't want an instant win). Pair it with Scythe of the Wretched to gain the board. You could use Horobi, Death's Wail (or just give it deathtouch) without Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and still have it be able to kill a few creatures. I probably wouldn't run this in my deck, but that's just because I don't like running infinite combos (although, I do know a number of mono black ones if you want to know/use them).

You also may want to consider some planeswalkers (you have the superfriends tag). Sorin Markov wins games, Liliana of the Dark Realms boosts mana nicely, Liliana Vess is just wonderful all around, and the new Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath has a reusable Disciple of Bolas for an ult.

Superfriends means planeswalkers? I thought it meant legendary. I tagged that because I have 13 Legends. I'll fix that. Liliana of the Dark Realms and Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath will be in when I have the funds. I only use Liliana Vess when graveyard is my main strategy. I vowed to never play Sorin Markov and I will stand by it. Too much power in EDH for the cost. 30 life for six mana that is easily doable on round 3.

Triskelion+Scythe of the Wretched with Horobi out does not give you the board. Horobi's replacement effect kills the creature because it was targeted before trisk's damage gets in. Plus, I just dont like Triskelion. It has little to no combat applications, so it just doesn't have a place in this Battlecruiser. Pestilence Demon is a better fit, for it's 7/6 flying, it's ability gets around hexproof and shroud, it+Scythe still works with Horobi in Play and this is a demon deck. Flavor is important to me.

Thanks again, always happy to discuss cards and Strategies.

Understandable. Also, just to clarify the interactions a bit :

Triskelion + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed = infinite damage (you use the last counter to ping Triskelion).

Triskelion + deathtouch / Horobi, Death's Wail = at least 3 creatures dead for 6 mana and a 1/1 sac fodder body.

Triskelion + deathtouch + Scythe of the Wretched = limited creature control.

Triskelion + deathtouch + Scythe of the Wretched + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + a lot of mana = all the creatures on the field are now yours.

As you can see, the board control requires too much. You would really only want it for the first interaction, but the second one can still make it not useless (that was the only reason I mentioned it). I mentioned the Scythe of the Wretched to give it another application after you showed interest in it with Pestilence Demon.

Also, Pestilence Demon has no interaction with Horobi, Death's Wail as it never targets. You would either need to give Pestilence Demon deathtouch for a quick board wipe, or use more mana (and try to not have it kill itself before everything else, as it will die before the 7th activation resolves).

I am aware of Triskelion's tricks. I just don't like it, especially in this deck.

I am also aware that Pestilence Demon does not interact with Horobi, Death's Wail. That is one of the reasons why it is a better fit. As said in my last post: Pestilence Demon is a better fit, for it's 7/6 flying, it's ability gets around hexproof and shroud, Pestilence Demon+Scythe of the Wretched still works with Horobi in Play and this is a demon deck. Flavor is important to me.

Please no Triskelion..everyone does it...

It just isn't that fun.

Thanks for your suggestions earlier. I've tried to incorporate some into the build, the issue is, my deck irl is missing a few of the better cards. That build has more draw.

About suggestions for you, after skimming the deck here's what I've come up with.

Burnished Hart is almost an auto include in any non-green deck.

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth and Eye of Ugin makes for an insane amount a draw. Especially if you have an altar out.

Noticed you were missing both Phyrexian Arena and Necropotence. The best of the best for black card draw.

Mind's Eye has served me very well in my time and it pretty powerful, especially against blue.

I run 35-36 lands, which seems low, but I'm constantly flooded with mana thanks to Gilded Lotus and Thran Dynamo. Also, black is weak against enchantments and Iona is some times a pain, so Unstable Obelisk fits both mana ramp and removal.

Hope that helped!

I do want to run Kozilek and gilded lotus. I am purposely missing phyrexian arena and necropotence. I will play test Mind's eye. Burnished hart and thran dynamo are too inefecient. Unstable obelisk should already be in here. I keep getting it suggested. Thanks for the suggestions.

Any cards you are not sure why I am running? -x-Juuzou-x-x-

A few:

Altar of Shadows is really high cost

Temple of the False God isn't garenteed to work, and with little mana ramp....

Ink eyes, while cool, doesn't really do a whole lot. I guess her regenerate protects from Horobi's trigger...

Ophiomancer IMO is bad, you can only ever have 1 snake on the field...please, enlighten me.

Sins of the Past seems high cost

And all the equipment. Their great when horobi's not around, but if he's out and you draw one, their dead cards...

Altar of Shadows was just cut.

Temple of the False God has been more helpful than hurtful.

Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni is multi-functional. She can bounce Horobi or an ETB creature back to my hand. The regenerate lets play aggressive or defensive. While I don't usually get a creature from her triggered ability, it does happen enough to be a factor. The main reason though, is flavor. Ninjas are awesome. Legendary creatures are cool. She is both.

Ophiomancer seems lackluster at first, but it is a solid 3 drop. It has the ability to make a token with Deathtouch every turn, so I can sacrifice the snake on my turn and still have a blocker. Grave Pact Dictate of Erebos Abhorrent Overlord and Contamination all have synergy with it.

Sins of the Past seems expensive until you look at it's available targets. Decree of Pain Ghastly Conscription Worst Fears Fated Return are more expensive than Sins. Also, I would easily pay 6 for 15 of the other 18 Instant/Sorceries I run. Increasing Ambition Read the Bones & Moonlight Bargain would be the only ones I wouldn't target.

Equipment are rarely ever dead cards in any deck. Lashwrithe comes into play attached to a 0/0 creature(I have had it enter as a 10/10), so it is always a good draw. Scythe of the Wretched is a game changer, especially when equipped to Pestilence Demon. Nightmare Lash will soon be traded for Loxodon Warhammer, because trample helps a lot of my creatures. I play Horobi very situational. He is rarely in play for more than a round at a time when I do cast him.

Updated again, If you'd like to take a look. The Wail of Ruin Incarnate. All the card are what I have irl so it'll be easier to use suggestions.

I really dislike storage lands, and Subterranean Hangar is one of them. I would cut it for a basic Swamp, you should probably be running about 35 lands anyways.

Fated Return is way too expensive for what it does. Try out Necromancy, Animate Dead, Dread Return, and others instead.

Makeshift Mannequin isn't the best of cards. I'd use another of the reanimation spells mentioned above.

I personally dislike Moonlight Bargain, too expensive for what it does.

Black Market is also just too good to pass up.

Finally, consider Bloodchief Ascension. It can really do a lot of damage, especially with all these ways to kill their board.

Some more thoughts...love Steel Hellkite in this deck. Not really sure what I'm supposed to do with Skittles the Blight Dragon when I test it though...? It's nasty an all, but it just seems kinda..there....

lemmingllama

The Hangar has made it to where I had 10 available mana on round 6, after playing a caged sun. Plus, no one uses it. I enjoy people asking me 'what is that?'

In mono black, 7 mana is a drop in the bucket, 85% of games that I play. Fated return makes the creature Indestructible for as long as it remains in play. I would say that it's cost is fair.

In my meta, Makeshift Mannequin is better than the reanimate enchantments, because noncreature permanent removal is so heavily used.

Bargain is coming out for Promise of Power.

Market and Ascension will make it in for playtesting.

Cybersix... Skithiryx is there... because he can be a wincon all by himself(even more so with a Lashwrithe equiped). He is also Legendary, so it is Theme fitting.

To each their own. I would normally only run the storage lands if I had some way to increase the number of counters. Maybe consider Contagion Engine as a way to kill creatures and also get extra mana. It doesn't target, so you can buff your creatures and kill theirs even if they have shroud/hexproof

First thing's first... +1 from me. I had fun play testing it, and it keeps things interesting by doing a little bit of everything that black is good at while synergizing with your general. This deck speaks to my inner Timmy, Johnny, Spike, Melvin, and Vorthos. And yes, it actually is possible to proudly be all 5 of these and wear different hats depending on both format and playgroup. This deck is quite literally all over the place... but in a way that works and is fun. So please keep in mind that my suggestions aren't based necessarily on things you need to drop, but just some creative ideas to either build synergy or get more out of what you already have. I also realize that in the grand scheme of things my opinions mean jack, so I'm not offended if you take everything I say with a grain of salt :).

Land: Mono is fairly simple, and you have the auto-includes covered. I find that ramp and storage lands are a matter of personal preference, so if that works for you, I say leave it exactly how it is. And the situational lands (like Arcane Lighthouse) are usually chosen based on meta and so I'll trust your judgment on whether it belongs in MB or SB. I do see two areas where you lose a little efficiency.

Reliquary Tower -- awesome card. But I noticed that you only have three draw spells (Promise of Power, Read the Bones, and Disciple of Bolas). You have a couple of tutors, and a couple of land fetch artifacts that pull to your hand. And then there are the usual suspects that (assuming you can keep them on the field) will give you an extra draw per turn. If you find yourself using this card's text, then by all means leave it. But if in most games it just provides colorless for you, then it might be worth subbing for something else (possibly make a spot for that Boseju or Cavern that I see in your Maybe Board).

Homeward Path -- I realize I'm looking at your SB right now, but... you have eight cards that can net you creatures from your opponent, and all of them are extremely effective. Some of them can target any graveyard and so can be re-purposed to only reanimate from your own pile, but others (e.g. Geth, Lord of the Vault) are handicapped by the threat of having this land tapped. I run this card often and know how valuable it can be, and you might hang on to it for that one match-up where you have to take the hit. Just keep in mind that if you are looking to make space, this card has the opposite of synergy with your deck (unless I'm missing an interaction somewhere).

Creatures: I have no input for adds/removes on your creature base. You have it covered. And you have enough ramp built in that unless someone has plenty of hate in hand, you can get them out despite the high curve. With that said, if you find you need to speed things up a little, don't forget colorless cheats. Over half of your creature base comes in at >=5cmc, and Quicksilver Amulet can turn your 2-4 drops per turn into 3-5. Or it can help you drop cards like Kuro, Pitlord on T5 without having to burn through both discard and reanimate to get there. Belbe's Portal is a cheaper option - you have enough demons and zombies to call it based on how your hand is playing. This might be a more mana efficient replacement for a card like Journeyer's Kite over the long haul.

Support/Equipment: I'm like you... I am rarely unhappy to draw equipment. I'm also a fan of re usability, especially in EDH. I have noticed that you have a number of 'support' creatures that don't serve much purpose beyond their ETB effect (e.g. Disciple of Bolas) or their status as an effect keeps you from turning them sideways (e.g. Crypt Ghast)... which can even turn sideways without impacting it's effects/abilities. I saw someone mention Staff of Nin above. Instead of going that route, have you considered equipment with similar effect so that you can actually make use of those creatures once they are on the board? The cool thing is that you can increase the threat range of Disciple of Bolas to a certain point... nobody wants to tank him so that you can bounce him right back for more ETB. And Crypt Ghast already has a huge target on his head... adding to it won't change things. There are a few options for this that don't require combat first (I noticed you have Umezawa's Jitte in your SB already so you get the concept).

Tap for damage: Viridian Longbow | Wolfhunter's Quiver | Thornbite Staff

or

Combat damage synergy: Sword of Fire and Ice would also be decent for SB. Drop it on something with Fear.

Special Mention: Livewire Lash has synergy here as well.

Speaking of Thornbite Staff, this is my favorite for your deck. With your general on the table, your Crypt Ghast can take down as many creatures as you have mana for. Oh, and Scythe of the Wretched + Thornbite Staff on any creature can own in this deck without the need for Pestilence Demon.

If this is appealing to you, you might find spots by replacing some of your targeted removal. I'm not knocking them.. I use them all the time. And sometimes an instant has more chance of landing than getting to turn an artifact. Just thinking in terms of trading function for function.

If you like the dedicated artifact angle Staff of Nin is solid due to the added draw. An alternate fun synergy can be found with Erratic Portal. It targets on the cheap when your general is in play, and it is like having a permanent Unsummon on the table if your general isn't out. Bounce their creatures, save yours. Good utility there.

Anyways, great deck. I don't run Horobi in any of my builds, but this has my wheels turning anyways. I hope this helped, and if not, great build anyways.

-d

What does battlecruiser mean