The title of this deck translated is Russian for "Beautiful Death". The name for this deck was taken from a quote made by a survivor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, and perfectly describes what this deck is doing:
Kill yourself through the use of Spoils of the Vault or Plunge into Darkness to pump your Death's Shadow up to about 10, then swing for an infect kill with Tainted Strike or use Rite of Consumption for the remaining 10 damage after an unblocked attack. Here's a piece-by-piece of the deck for ya. :)
Creatures: Death's Shadow is the cornerpiece and sole win condition of the deck. Either he hits the board and I win, or he doesn't and I don't. Dropping this bad boy turn 2 as even a 5/5 is super relevant and hard to deal with. And if not, there is a plethora of ways to buff him up.
Instants: Spoils of the Vault and Plunge into Darkness are the primary life loss engines of the deck, while also being pseudo-tutors for missing pieces of the kill. Also, did I mention that some games, you can turn 1 Spoils and randomly kill yourself?? Yeah, it happens. Playing Death's Shadow can be a gamble, especially in a format characterized by the card Lightning Bolt. Interestingly enough, this deck has a few tricks up it's sleeve to deal with that, like Angel's Grace and
Faith's Shield
. The Shield, along with Apostle's Blessing, also give us ways to get the Shadow in for damage when there is a giant Tarmogoyf in our way. Oh, and typically, the Shadow can kill in one attack through the use of Tainted Strike for the kill, so that protection is super relevant. :)
Sorceries: Thoughtseize is rather self-explanatory here, but in case you don't get it, it buffs my Shadow while also letting me choose any non-land card they could possibly be holding for them to toss in the graveyard. It's a damn lifesaver against a large part of the format, and without it, this deck would be significantly worse off than it is now. In some situations, you aren't holding a Tainted for the infect kill. No worries, that's where Rite of Consumption comes in. It's basically a black Fling. Yeah, it's dumb, I know :)
Enchantments: The sole enchantments of the deck are here to drop for any longer game. Phyrexian Unlife gives me a bubble of protection in longer, more drawn out matchups, and against control, tends to instantly draw out opposing counterspells really nicely. Also, I kinda don't lose for being at 0. Which, in a deck designed to kill itself as quickly as possible while still being alive, is kinda insanely relevant.
Lands: Marsh Flats is here to pull out Godless Shrine or basics in the fringe situation you need mana without taking more than 1 damage. Godless Shrine is here to shock ourselves for Shadow buffs, and Caves of Koilos exists in this deck to make sure if I need to grind myself down on life for whatever reason, I can. It's relevant, trust me. Isolated Chapel is honestly a filler land, but it's there to provide color fixing in a big way without playing lands that are just bad.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to put them down in the comments so I can consider them. Also, if you like this deck, feel free to +1 and throw it in your folders to look at later on :) Thanks!!
