Sideboard


Sorry, this description is a little out of date.

The idea here is pretty simple: control your opponent's hand from turn 1, making sure they only get out what you want them to, then beat them down with Vampire Nighthawk, after which you either save up for Empty the Pits and win, or blast them to death with Lightning Helix attached to Isochron Scepter.

Despise is something I want in my hand every first turn, so I can get rid of their 1- or 2-mana creature right there. Later on, I like it for dealing either with bigger creatures or planeswalkers they might have.

Duress is for the things Despise doesn't hit, and is generally just a powerhouse of discard. Also, it keeps me well-informed of what's going on in their hand.

Distress is just like the previous two, only with a greater range. It hasn't got the best reputation, but I think it's a little better than Wrench Mind just because it gives me information. Wrench Mind is also useful for the card advantage, or using up a Spell Snare and clearing the way for the Scepter.

Geth's Verdict is nothing short of totally brilliant. With the hand control at my disposal, I should be able to control fairly well what they get on to the field, and no matter what creature comes out, even Progenitus, the verdict deals with it with no trouble. It's just like Diabolic Edict, only in this deck, it also attacks their life total.

Go for the Throat is probably the best removal available to black, so that shouldn't need too much explanation. Smother is also brilliant, especially in Modern (Dark Confidant, Tarmogoyf, Deathrite Shaman, etc.)

Sign in Blood is the best black draw card, and it's largely here to get me closer to the Scepter. It also serves the purpose of replacing the cards I use up to get rid of my opponents' stuff - because making them discard one card by using up one card isn't perfect.

Isochron Scepter is definitely the best card I have, and the deck revolves around it. It can pick up all of my instants, then make them available for me to use for as long as it survives, which should be a while since I can take threats out of their hand. Like I said, Lightning Helix goes here because it's the best two-mana non-black instant in the game for these purposes, and I can put most of my ordinary black instants on here too.

The Sideboard (sorry this is such a long description):

Appetite for Brains is for control and reanimator decks. It doesn't cause them to discard anything, though, which is slightly inconvenient, but it does get rid of stuff once and for all, which is often useful, especially against something like Snapcaster Mage.

Dash Hopes is for control decks, and for decks that don't run a lot of creatures. I don't really know what the meta is like in Modern in my area, but I'm hoping it's creature-heavy. I can bring in Dash Hopes when my opponent runs anything with a high mana curve or has a hand that's difficult to get to. I think it's a good card, though I know opinion's divided on that.

Destructive Revelry is the other Scepter-only card, and it's useful in the sideboard because black can never kill artifacts or enchantments on its own. So if I'm playing against white and they're likely to have a Leyline of Sanctity, I'll appreciate it.

The only complaint I have about Sudden Death - which in a mono-black deck is about as good as Dismember - is that it can't go on Isochron Scepter. It'll have to replace Smother or something similar, and the Split Second is really good.

I know I'm missing the control staples like Thoughtseize and Liliana of the Veil, but the budget for this deck is limited, so it'll have to stay that way. There are lots of cards I considered, like Bile Blight, Funeral Charm, Tragic Slip, Devour in Shadow , and Grave Titan as another win-condition, but there was just no space in the end. If you have any suggestions as to how I could include those, or other cards I should include, please say so.

TL;DR: Isochron Scepter is really cool.

Suggestions

Updates Add

Comments

Attention! Complete Comment Tutorial! This annoying message will go away once you do!

Hi! Please consider becoming a supporter of TappedOut for $3/mo. Thanks!


Important! Formatting tipsComment Tutorialmarkdown syntax

Please login to comment

Date added 9 years
Last updated 8 years
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.

Rarity (main - side)

2 - 0 Mythic Rares

9 - 2 Rares

17 - 8 Uncommons

13 - 5 Commons

Cards 61
Avg. CMC 2.28
Tokens Zombie 2/2 B
Folders Mono Black Decks, Decks, Budget
Votes
Ignored suggestions
Shared with
Views