Brutal Black Shutdown, needs help.
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on April 27, 2016, 9:41 p.m. by Sicohippy
So Im currently running a Xaihou Dun, The One Eyed Deck, and I am having a hard time finding definite win cons in it. Creature denial combos are what I have been using and are a pretty brutal shutdown, but I am lacking in definite win cons.
Obviously, I'd like everyone who sees this to check out my deck, and if you like it positively up-vote it, blah blah.
but what I'm looking for more than up-votes and recognition, is how to make this deck as combination fluid as possible, and I want to be a master of playing this deck. Really get to know it inside and out... So if you do happen to experiment with it, or stumble upon a combo that I haven't found yet and listed in the description, then I would appreciate it greatly if you commented on the deck's page, this thread, or even PMed me to let me see the combo.
Thankyou greatly to anyone that helps, and if there's anyone who needs help with a deck, let me know. I'm very good at constructing Mono-Black decks, so especially ask me if you have questions about that.
Thanks again, guys.
Raging_Squiggle says... #3
Idk how you got to that conclusion, but Lethal Vapors' activated ability is Not a mana ability.
A mana ability must add mana to you mana pool. i.e. Elvish Mystic.
Pithing Needle works perfectly fine with Vapors.
April 27, 2016 10 p.m.
I just had a long discussion with a few people about this and I realized how foolish this was. Oopsie! Thread closed I guess haha.
April 27, 2016 10:13 p.m.
Well there is still the other part of your post, how to make your deck more brutal.
- Guardian Beast is great for protecting your artifacts, but not so great at staying in play with stax effects.
- Tainted AEther could be useful if you need more stax effects
- Expedition Map to search for Cabal Coffers or LD
- Dark Depths could be added as a potential synergy with Vampire Hexmage and your Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth combo. Adding in a Thespian's Stage would be a third way to cheat out Marit Lage, but puts more strain on drawing Swamps
- I think Mutilate would be better than Barter in Blood most of the time
- Scroll Rack is pretty good, especially combined with some of your effects that put cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
- All of the black fetches would be excellent editions. They can be used with Crucible of Worlds and copied with Rings of Brighthearth. They would also shuffle your deck after you put unneeded cards on top with Scroll Rack
That's all off the top of my head right now, haven't given a lot of thought as to what you would remove for these.
April 27, 2016 10:58 p.m.
- Guardian Beast is an excellent creature, and I'm glad you recommended him because I think he's super neat, and its been so long since I used him. That being said, I know my commander Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed is capping around $90 lately, and that his price is high, but I feel like for one thing, putting in Guardian beast would raise the price of this deck by like 1/7th of what it costs, and I'm really trying to do my best to keep in under $1000 if I can. Maybe I would add him If I knew I could keep this deck within its budget, if it weren't for my other reasoning.
Now, for a more reasonable offering as to why I deny Guardian Beast is because he is a creature that is very easily gotten rid of. this deck relies heavily on several specific enchantments, and artifacts that keep the board wiped in order for me to tutor for certain combos, such as:
Lethal Vapors, Contamination, Spreading Plague, Damnation, All Is Dust, Barter in Blood, Black Sun's Zenith, Death Cloud, Decree of Pain, Innocent Blood, Life's Finale, Ensnaring Bridge, and Nevinyrral's Disk
With all of this board wipe, I think I make the point clear that the reason I have so few creatures is because I want them all off the board completely. I want complete freedom and control on the board to allow myself to combo off and win.
Tainted AEther is like, absolutely fantastic. I'm not sure what I'd remove for it, so I'll definitely put it on my maybe board. The same can be said for Expedition Map as well.
I have decided not to put Dark Depths into this deck for a number of reasons...
First off, let me start by saying I have no idea if I really do, or do not want to add this card in. Its a fantastic combo with Vampire Hexmage, and definitely could amount to being a win con and create a number of tricky situations for my opponents. A lot of fun could be had with this addition to my deck. It works out well too because the avatar is indestructible. Thespian's Stage is a great combination with this effect, and could be used for multiple different circumstances, such as copying Cabal Coffers, which would do me infinite good.
All of this being said, my preference with this deck is not to win using creatures, but rather to combo off with my enchantments and artifacts to create a circumstance where I inevitably win.
Now that I have given it some thought after writing this, though, it makes sense to put these cards into the deck. What do you suggest I remove to add Dark Depths, though?
Mutilate, in my opinion, is not as efficient as Barter in Blood. Barter in Blood allows me to handle indestructible and hexproof creatures, because it targets the player, not the creature. Mutilate doesn't seem necessary to me because Barter in Blood isn't going to effect me. All of the creatures I use in this deck are meant to be sacrificed in order to serve their purpose nearly immediately, or after a brief amount of time from casting them. Now, if Mutilate were instant speed, then we are talking a new ball park.
Scroll Rack seems unnecessary with the ludicrous amount of tutoring I have in this deck, but I'll add it to the maybe board because it is such a unique and cool card, and its very functional.
I will add the thinner lands later, when I have more money. I don't have the means of paying for them right now, considering they are pretty expensive and I feel like I just want to finish the deck build for now. I have bigger fish to fry, you know?
Ruffigan says... #2
Mana abilities are abilities that add mana to your mana pool, such as on a land, mana rock, mana weenie, etc.. It works perfectly fine with Lethal Vapors.
April 27, 2016 9:59 p.m.