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Legality
| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Archenemy | Legal |
| Arena | Legal |
| Block Constructed | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
| Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Rules Q&A
Staff of the Death Magus
Artifact
Whenever you cast a black spell or a Swamp enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
MrKillStar on
Vito Combo
3 years ago
In my potato opinion, you can cut few swamps without a problem with your ramp cards.
If you'll ever feel like playing against graveyard decks is annoying, Crypt Incursion/Suffer the Past would help. Both instant speed graveyard hate stamples that also gives you life -> triggering your Vito, Defiant Bloodlord, S.B and Blight-Priest.
Tribute to Hunger - cheap creature removal that also gives you life, but depends on opponent's board.
Instead of Rise of the Dark Realms you might consider running Agadeem's Awakening
 Flip to reanimate your combo pieces for less mana cost. It can also be used as a land if needed. Another option could be Command the Dreadhorde, since life shouldnt be such a problem. Finale of Eternity is also an option, both as reanimate spell and removal. I personally feel like there isnt enough creatures in your deck to such massive and mana-expensive reanimator spells.
Call the Bloodline - if you ever feel like having not enough Vampires for Kicker cost of Blood Tribute. Its also decent to discard big creatures (to reanimate them later) and making a 1/1 to sacrifice.
Bastion of Remembrance - fits into aristocrat decks really well, since it gives you 1/1, has aristocrat ability and is an enchantment, so its a bit harder to remove than creature is.
Trading Post - This is more or less a personal card choice, but it gives you life, makes tokens, retrieves artifacts and even draws you a card. Not bad at all.
Malakir Rebirth  Flip - Absolutely great and cheap card to protect any of your creaters, re-triggering its ETB ability (Gray Merchant of Asphodel) and can also be used as a land if needed.
Thespian's Stage and Mirage Mirror can both copy your Cabal Coffers to ramp you like crazy.
Cabal Stronghold - cheaper version of Cabal Coffers that can tap for on its own.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - a bit more expensive but can also ramp a lot in mono-color decks.
Lake of the Dead - almost as expensive as Cabal Coffers, but can also ramp you a lot. But is just a luxury.
Homeward Path - would be consider running if you would play against some mana-control decks.
Myriad Landscape - not the greatest, but works well in any mono-color deck outside of green (if not landfall decks). Easy way to get two swamps out of your deck, so less chances of top decking lands and also triggers your Dread Presence twice.
And as the grand finale, my favorite combo of my For the Void: Tortured Existence+Desecrated Tomb to instantly generate a 1/1 black Bat token with flying (as flying blockers, for example) just for . It requires only having a creature in your graveyard and another in your hand. Add Phyrexian Altar and you can activate it infinitely times, making any of your aristocrat cards lethal. Just watchout for Necropotence because it exiles whatever you discard, shutting the combo down.
I would most likely remove:
Platinum Angel - protects you from losing the game and opponents from winning the game, but doesnt really fit the deck that much. Cool card for sure.
Rise of the Dark Realms - is just really expensive reanimation card.
Night's Whisper - Its cheap, but sorcery speed, so thats up to you.
Prism Ring - doesnt seems that worth it to me. Its cheaper than Staff of the Death Magus, but if you cant cast a lot of black spells each turn, I wouldnt bother with Prism Ring at all.
Cut/switch few basic Swamps for sure.
MrKillStar on
3 years ago
I would personally replace:
Prism Ring for Trading Post - Could be very handy artifact in decks like this.
The Immortal Sun for Exquisite Blood - creates infinite loop with Vito and Sanguine Bond, but isnt cheap. I wouldnt bother with The Immortal Sun, unless your playgroup runs a lot of planeswalkers or you struggle with card draw (which shouldnt be a problem in mono-black.
The Haunt of Hightower - I would say you need either more discard or mill effects to get Hightower big.. Doom Whisperer seems to be much more useful.
Tavern Swindler - Its just gamble that doesnt seem to be worthy in a deck, where you can already get a lot of life by other cards. Bastion of Remembrance works as another aristocrat effect (Tortured Existence+Desecrated Tomb+Phyrexian Altar as infinite engine).
Dreadhorde Invasion - You dont use any other Amass effect cards and it takes 6 turns to make a 6/6 zombie with lifelink (which will last only until end of your turn), which is pretty meh. It would be good if you had some sacrifice cards, like Smothering Abomination, Village Rites, Diabolic Intent, etc. I would go for either Twilight Prophet or Bloodline Keeper
 Flip. Captivating Vampire could be useful aswell.
With Carnival of Souls you could get a bit of ramp, but can backfire really hard, so its kinda risky.
Gifted Aetherborn - is pretty nice drop I guess, but feels kinda weak overall. Kalastria Highborn supports your mostly vampire creatures and can also drain your opponents.
Swiftfoot Boots - unless you want the haste, Whispersilk Cloak seems like a decent option. It cost more to cast and to equip, but makes your creature unblockable.
Drag to the Underworld - should do a good job, Oblivion Strike might be something to consider aswell. Or just Corrupt?
Some more cards that might be useful:
Call the Bloodline - discards useless cards and makes a 1/1 vampire token (once per turn).
Revenge of Ravens - decent defensive enchantment that could fit your lifesteal deck nicely.
Burnished Hart - slow ramp creature. BH also triggers your Dread Presence and Staff of the Death Magus.
Crypt Incursion, Suffer the Past - more graveyard hate and another life gain.
Quicksilver on
Shadowborn Apostle work in progress
4 years ago
Remove Staff of the Death Magus for Gray Merchant of Asphodel for a powerful devotion play or a Blood Artist for additional pain.
Kjartan on
Liliana's incursion
4 years ago
The first obvious fix to this would be to fill out your playset of Ghoulcaller's Chant before you start adding Disentomb s. But ultimately, I don't think you should play too many of those effects, as they are not super consistent in a deck that doesn't self-mill, and they are just dead cards until you even have a creature in the yard.
Now, some changes that could be made to improve the deck overall would be to remove the cards that don't do anything but gain life. Gaining life is one of the weakest mechanics in magic and you need to be given absurdly hight amounts of it before it's worth it on its own. Cards that do other things than gain life, like Gifted Aetherborn can be amazing, but Crypt Incursion and Staff of the Death Magus are pretty awful.
I would also cut some of the clunkier 4-drops to ensure you don't get out-tempoed by faster decks.
Some relatively cheap suggestions to replace them with:
Dark Salvation , Diregraf Colossus , Disfigure , Cemetery Reaper , Inquisition of Kozilek .
mmartak on
Kaptain K'rrik
4 years ago
Notes from game on 09/08/2019:
Rock Stars:
- Bloodchief Ascension
- Exsanguinate - took out 3 players simultaneously
- Hex Parasite - OMG belongs in almost any black deck
- Lake of the Dead
- Overwhelming Forces
- Painful Quandary
- Phyrexian Obliterator
- Staff of the Death Magus
- Sword of Light and Shadow
Worth Considering for Removal:
- Arcane Lighthouse - unlikely to need / redundant with Detection Tower
- Lich's Mirror - I made a dumb mistake not paying enough attention to the win condition
- Maralen of the Mornsong (sigh) this was originally her deck
- Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - keep for at least one more round
- Platinum Emperion - belongs in another deck, redundant with Platinum Angel
- Soldevi Digger - very unlikely to need
- The Haunt of Hightower - I want to make this a better card than it really is, but I have to face it.
Replacements:
DerektheRed on
The Black Death
4 years ago
Thanks seshiro_of_the_orochi -- I admit, I forgot about the Well entirely... that should def be in here. Now I'm up to 111! [shakes fist] ;) I don't currently have cards like Throne or Staff of the Death Magus , but will consider once I get down to 100.
DrukenReaps - thanks for the suggestions. I think you're right about the card draw, I'm just concerned about having too few creatures...
I think you're both right about Ring of Xathrid . I've been reluctant to cut because it does double duty protecting & pumping K'rrik. I figure it's better in this case than, say, Swiftfoot Boots .
Anyway, thanks for the help!