How The Devil Plays MTG: The Mono-Black Primer

Modern Sargeras

SCORE: 122 | 87 COMMENTS | 28950 VIEWS | IN 76 FOLDERS


Comment Cleanup & Updated —Nov. 9, 2018

hamiam says... #1

NICE +1

September 12, 2016 10:04 p.m.

Pyromancer999 says... #5

FATAL PUSH but otherwise +1, good work my man!

February 15, 2017 10:10 p.m.

Sargeras says... #6

Pyromancer999

Thanks for the +1!

Fatal Push is already in the 1-drop section.

February 16, 2017 1:40 a.m. Edited.

Pyromancer999 says... #7

My bad man sorry

February 16, 2017 6:17 a.m.

lagotripha says... #8

I've had this list kicking around a while Mono black deckbuilder's toolbox- glad to see someone is putting together a primer.

If you're going to mention the black knights in the 2 drops, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge/Nameless Inversion deserve a mention as they are near essential to that deck's lategame.

Heartless Summoning enables higher CMC play- especially with a full set of kalitas.

Devour Flesh is a decent sideboard card against burn when running creature aggro, and a good non-lifelink lifegain source.

Zombie Infestation/Call the Bloodline make for powerful discard outlets alongside Collective Brutality for discard builds.

Yixlid Jailer falls flat in testing- I'd reccomend taking Ravenous Trap or Crypt Incursion in any situation.

Beseech the Queen enables toolbox play, alongside cards like Dimir House Guard, Dimir Machinations and Shred Memory. Shred Memory is important for Waste Not or Heartless Summoning combo.

Diregraf Colossus is a notable zombie card and decent beastick,

Everlasting Torment helps fight through lifegain and thrun.

Mimic Vat plays merry hell with regular tron, and has the added bonus of interacting with an opponents graveyard using a replacement effect- handy for those Kitchen Finks. Nantuko Husk sees fringe play in zombie builds.

Fulminator Mage is a three drop.

Memory Plunder is an insane answer to snapcaster/cryptic, and solid against anything that casts big spells (reversing a living end combo).

Panharmonicon deserves a mention for more midrange black, enabling some insane play on decks that survive casting it.

You should probably seperate out the x cost cards- Killing Wave/Damnable Pact/Profane Command aren't really meant to be cast for low values of x, and people looking for that slot are likely to miss them.

White splash is strong in vampire/control builds for access to Blood Baron of Vizkopa, Tithe Drinker, Sorin, Lord of Innistrad,Sorin, Solemn Visitor and the ubiquitus removal suite. Green also gives important access to Collected Company(where Temporal Extortion isn't good enough) and Lotleth Troll, a mainstay for gravecrawler shenanigans and etb stuff.

Anything else I can think of would be specific cards for specific decks. One thing that always shocks my opponents is the sheer versatility you can pack into a black fifteen card sideboard- something transformative to handle bad matchups (graveyard and tron) really does change the shape of your evening, although decklist knowledge will allow players to play around this when the decklists are available, at any other time you can absolutely change the shape of your game. 'side 15' is a real thing.

February 26, 2017 3:24 p.m.

Sargeras says... #9

lagotripha

Thanks for commenting! I always like people who leave constructive comments on decks!

I do like that you have a complete toolbox list, but I do have a few issues with some of these suggestions.

Rite of Consumption is strictly better then Devour Flesh imo, as the only way a burn player would stop you is by killing the creature, which Rite cancels. It also deals damage to the opponent.

I think that Mimic Vat is too slow for modern, as Fulminator Mage is far better at beating it (it was also already in the list)

While Memory Plunder could be sweet against living end and control, discard and graveyard hate are far more versatile imo.

However this is simply my critique, I'd like to thank you for maaking so many suggestions

Cheers!

February 26, 2017 4:49 p.m.

lagotripha says... #10

Devour flesh is an instant, and that really matters when you need to maintain card advantage (rakdos burn at the moment), and functions as last ditch defence against infect, boggles and titan. Sometimes you jsut need to ditch that Lashwrithe or Bloodthrone Vampire in the face of a supreme verdict. Its not something that should be in every list, but as a sideboard tool it will really help with some metagames where you need to be good at hitting more than one thing. Most of my suggestions are like that. More neiche choices for settings which aren't major tournaments.

I've run mimic vat a lot because it removes a lot counterplay from the midrange/longrange matchups in a more consistant fashion than whip. Usually a seige rhino is a good thing, but resolve a mimic vat an your opponent will just hold it in hand. Its not a tool intended to be viewed in isolation against a single setup, but as another option- If you know you are going to see meleria combo, it messes with that feircely (by replacing persist triggers on their turn). It really shone in my playtesting, even though I originally included it as a gag.

February 26, 2017 6:08 p.m.

Sgt.Pickles says... #11

Since this is a primer, ya gotta add Demigod of Revenge, Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, and Lashwrithe man! Also that 2 mana black counterspell whose name eludes me atm along with other common black removal.

February 28, 2017 9:36 p.m.

Sargeras says... #12

Sgt.Pickles All of those cards are already in the primer

March 1, 2017 2:09 a.m.

Sgt.Pickles says... #13

I am a dunce! Sorry and thank you!

March 2, 2017 7:23 p.m.

tumorman73 says... #14

You can always add the combo of Master of the Feast and Fate Unraveler, get good devotion off of it too.

March 21, 2017 10:11 p.m.

You really should be playing Fatal Push other than that looks solid

March 28, 2017 1:53 p.m.

Sargeras says... #16

Snapdisastermage

If you are referring to my list, I don't play it because I don't have enough enablers to support it, if anything I'd put Dismember in, but Go for the Throat has been just fine for me so far. Fatal Push is in the primer.

March 28, 2017 2:34 p.m.

Squeakman123 says... #17

how did you get negative upvote wtf XD

May 18, 2017 5:58 p.m.

Sargeras says... #18

Squeakman123

It's due to an admin claiming that a deck has been convicted of voter fraud.

May 18, 2017 7:19 p.m.

Fatal Push is a bit like a new Path to Exile, and you play fetches so you can trigger revolt.

Geralf's Messenger provides devotion and is a very resilient creature cause of the undying (great against common removal like bolt).

May 20, 2017 4:01 a.m.

Sargeras says... #20

Memphismaymagic5

Thanks for the comment!

The reason I personally do not play push in this deck is because I'm usually tapping out to cast my spells and cracking fetches. This usually means that push doesn't hit everything I need it to. This conclusion was reached through playing in my list.

Since I have a more aggressive meta, I do not play Geralf's Messenger since 3 cmc puts it at odds with the other 3 drops I play. I am considering adding Liliana, the Last Hope, as it would help me in that.

May 20, 2017 3:22 p.m.

Zeviander says... #21

Love this. Thank you for the effort of putting this together. I love black and I love Modern, so this is going to be a very useful resource for me.

May 20, 2017 3:58 p.m.

Sargeras says... #22

Zeviander

I'm glad my primer is useful. Good luck in building!

May 28, 2017 4:41 p.m.

neosapien says... #23

no room for a pair of Crypt Ghast? idk if I could resist trying to fit him into a mono black

May 28, 2017 7:34 p.m.

Sargeras says... #24

neosapien

While Crypt Ghast is alright in slower and more casual formats like Commander, the modern format is simply too fast to play them.

May 28, 2017 8 p.m.

APPLE01DOJ says... #25

Good start but some of this is bad information. Phyrexian Arena should pretty much never be a 3 of. Fatal Push is basically the best removal in the format and should be ran in every black deck. Even without fetches or ghasts, things like Ghost Quarter are great enablers and the majority of the format is 2cmc or less any way. Bitterblossom is typically only a 1 of in Jund most other decks that run it want more copies. I'm not going to pick apart everything.

Besides that there are some things you should probably include like Death's Shadow, Oona's Prowler, Sangrophage, Trecherous Pit-Dweller, Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Vendetta, and Miren, the Moaning Well.

I disagree with your opinion above about Crypt Ghast.

Where is the love for Sheoldred, Whispering One?

June 12, 2017 12:55 p.m. Edited.