dude this is actually really neat. +1

I don't like Creakwood Liege . Apart from 3 devotion it seems kinda bad in a deck that isn't running green. I also don't feel too good about the Ashenmoor Liege or the Gouger. If you want devotion there are plenty of nice devotion creatures. Geralf's Messenger , Bloodghast , and Gatekeeper of Malakir to name a few. Another thing to add is the nice little interaction between Arena and Phyrexian Obliterator :)

I am surprised that you didn't add Geralf's Messenger . I would swap the Royal Assassin s for it (you already have enough removal).

Feel like you should lose the Gouger in favor of something like Sygg, River Cutthroat just for a drop that isn't coming on turn three that still fits the theme of black mana symbols.

This is a really epic deck, though I feel like it needs a 1 drop creature for turn 1. Maybe Gravecrawler , Diregraf Ghoul , or Rakdos Cackler ? Either way +1

Thanks canterlotguardian!

BawwPixels, I actually think Creakwood Liege is a better card to run than Ashenmoor Liege because it makes 3/3 tokens during my upkeep. Ashenmoor Liege just kinda... sits there because I don't want to trade it unless it really needs to block. And the two of them pump each other. :) Arena is good, but I would almost definitely want a Swamp over them most of the time, especially since it generates no mana at all. This happens with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx more often than I would like as well, so I think I'm going to drop them down to 3.

Droxium, I was going to put them in, but ran out of room, figuring Royal Assassin would be more useful since he's removal. Although I do see your point.

Akamatsu, I see your point, especially since I probably need less 3 drops, but Ashenmoor Gouger is aggressive. Sygg, River Cutthroat is less so. He's a good drawer, but actually appears to work better with Ashenmoor Gouger .

Thanks ZombieswithJetpacks! I'll definitely look into black 1 drops.

Oh and forgot to say, maybe Ascendant Evincar ?

He costs 6 with only 2 devotion. The boost abilities are nice, but I'd rather have the Lieges because they give more devotion for less mana. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Maybe Demigod of Revenge so if you have to field wipe you can drop another one for a big swing and get a bunch of devotion back, would work with Avatar of Discord if you decide to put that one in also. Discard 1 demigod with another in hand, then drop the one in hand to get the second one back to the field, 13 devotion (if not more) for 8 mana.

I agree with adding Rakdos Cackler , it's a 1 drop that adds a devotion to black, and it's also black and red so it will get +2/+2 from Ashenmoor Liege . I also like Creakwood Liege in here because he not only makes all your black creatures bigger, it also gives you a 3/3 each turn, but I could see the deck working fine without him, and if you do keep him in, i'd add in a couple Stalker Hag s. And then I would either stick with the R/B hybrids, and take out the G/B hybrids, or take out the R/B hybrids, and keep the G/B hybrids.

Haha, that's actually a nice interaction Caveman. I might have to build something around that. However, in here, neither of them work especially well. Demigod of Revenge takes up the 5-drop slot of Gary, and Gary Oak is a one-man show. Plus I wouldn't really have room for more than 2 in the deck without taking away some other good piece like Phyrexian Obliterator . And Avatar of Discord really needs to be built around for maximum efficiency. Thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestions too Wolfninja. I'll definitely put in a 1-drop, although now that I think about it, what are some opinions on Deathrite Shaman ? This isn't the build he's usually stellar in, but just wanted to throw that option into the open.

Something To consider here is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed for several reasons. one of the best being that he can help you board wipe AND keep your guys which is just boss. but also he pumps ERATHANG :D i used to run him in a standard build and its was pretty amazing. also i would ditch the field wipes your using for Mutilate its cheaper on the wallet and imo a lot more efficient for mono-B.

oh! I forgot to mention if you feel like you want to add Stalker Hag make sure to run maybe 2 of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth not just to enable the walk no matter what but also to help you have your mana no matter what even if you got that shrine out

I love the Lieges, so +1 for that. ;)

you need 2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth ; i test your deck and everytime lands are a blasphemy situation

cut the lieges and add Geralf's Messenger and Gatekeeper of Malakir , for more devotion.

Check my At the Gates of Devotion for some ideas; :)

I completely agree with the idea of Mikaeus, the Unhallowed . Field wipes have gotten me out of plenty nasty situations in the past and its always a fantastic bonus to keep your creatures sitting on the board. But my suggestion is that if you ever do decide to throw in cards to protect your creatures (like Mikaeus, the Unhallowed ), I would also suggest Cauldron of Souls . It not only adds to your arsenal of cards allowing you to return from the grave, but works fantastically with Mikaeus. Also all of this return to the battlefield will help you keep your devotion up and keep activating the ability of Gray Merchant of Asphodel . In fact I bet at some point it might become more efficient to kill your own creatures!

Cool deck. Congrats on being original. I haven't seen a deck like this before.

I'd try Bloodghast for pure devotion and some recurrence and Gatekeeper of Malakir instead of Lieges, also Liliana of the Veil would work well...

right now this deck seem to slow to me...

Though Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is great, I don't know if 4 of them is truly necessary for the deck you have now. Yes they are good for pumping Killing Wave , but you don't have any other cards with X in their mana costs. So even though you get to throw the stuff from your hand straight down to the battlefield, there are better things you can do with that mana if you had more X mana costs. In this deck you are always gaining life right? So why not throw in Bond of Agony . Its a good cheap card that with the mana and life you have it can easily be a game ender. Also Consume Spirit is another good damage/ life gain card to throw in. Lastly, a card that I think would be a good creature addition is Reiver Demon . I know he is a costly creature, but he board wipes without hurting you what so ever and he also is a 4 towards devotion.

Last comment for things to consider, I promise Ryan. So I will also suggest Exsanguinate and Maga, Traitor to Mortals , they are good cards and will work well w/ the shrine.

No whip to win after a wipe?

I love the deck black is my favorite color to play the only part i don't like are the killing wave because you get no benefit from it I feel that if you should add a two or one drop in its place such as deathrite shaman

Interesting deck for sure, but won't be competitive at all unfortunately. Just much too slow. Add Deathrite as well. Can't believe he isn't here.

yah it's seemed like a casual deck but a fun one at that