Description:
This is my take on an old deck I used to play back in the day that I tried to make Modern legal. Essentially this is a Mono-Black Control deck that tends to go off a bit faster than most other control decks.
While most control decks go off late game, this deck is able to start making giant hits by turn 5 and keep the board clean with a huge amount of creature removal or even sideboard out for hand control.
Game Plan:
The general game plan is to control the game state by denying your opponent creatures and lands up until about turn 4 or 5.
By turn 4 you will want to play a Crypt Ghast and hopefully have a Nantuko Shade out by turn 3. This lets you swing in with your shade for BIG damage with all the ramp. At this point you are on the beatdown path. Sadly, Nantuko Shade doesn't have anything really like it that I know of, So it's a bit vulnerable to Fatal Push and the like. However, we live in a world of Path, so they either have an answer or they don't! Don't Worry!
Another line you can take, and dare I say it, is Torment of Hailfire. I never thought I would actually use this card, but casting it for x10 on turn 6 just feels... deviant.
The last (Finisher) is Haunting Echoes. Play this card against Ad Nauseum, Tron, Storm or just about any deck after you have removed most of their threats and it's scoop time. WARNING Casting Haunting Echoes has been known to cause cause Cancer, Fits of Rage, Nausia, Nose Bleeds, Table Flips, and spontaneous games of 75 Card Pick-Up. (Honestly, I hate this freaking card)
Creature Control:
This is is mainly creature control at the outset and for that it has many tools such as Dismember, Victim of Night and Fatal Push. But wait, it gets better! We even have a nice two for one playset of Gatekeeper of Malakir. If things really get dicy we also have a one-off Blighted Fen (which has actually won me games)
Aside from that we have a bit of deterrent in Vampire Nighthawk as well as giving is recovery from our card draw spells.
Sideboarding
The sideboard has the Modern standards of Relic and Pithing Needle. We also have much more "Hand Control" cards in the side which lets us deal with less creature heavy decks. My favorite is Praetor's Grasp as nothing is sweeter than stealing a Karn from your Tron opponent and wrecking them with turn 5.
Another great card to deal with combo is Card:Sadistic sacrament It's fairly easy to kick in this deck, but honestly if they are not dead by turn 6-7 you got unlucky on the draw. :(
For decks that run a bunch of walkers, we have Hero's Downfall.
The main targets for decks that are less creature-centric are the Gatekeepers and depending on what creatures they do have either Push or Dismember (or any combo that works for you at the moment)
Other Stuff
Rounding out the deck we have a bit of card draw in the form of Phyrexian Arena and Sign in Blood
Hope you enjoy this deck and if you have any suggestions to make it better please let me know.
