Mid Range Budget 8Rack
About me: I'm a budget MTG player that is coming back to MTG after a ~6year hiatus. I've been playing kitchen top modern for the past few months and I'm looking to bring this 8rack deck to my first ever FNM soon (suggestions and tips are welcome !). I believe in using cards that provide me the best value both in CMC and most importantly my cost at my LGS. I approach deck building like I would a grocery store run - sure X and Y would be nice but they really add up in the end. If the deck works out, I MIGHT work my way up to the big ticket items but as of right now I feel as if I get 90% of the functionality at 10% of the cost.
I've set this up like a primer - providing my rationale for each card choice as well as providing both budget and more competitive baller (and more expensive) options cause one size doesn't alway fits all.
Win Conditions
The Rack & Shrieking Affliction: At $4cad each (for a white bordered old set) and 75cents each respectively, a play set of each forms eight "Racks" that punishes your opponent with virtually unpreventable damage each turn.
I avoided cards like Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, Megrim and Quest for the Nihil Stone simply because you end up spending your early turns planning around casting them first and "saving" your discard spells for after. It slows you down too much when you should be more focused on ripping apart your opponent's hand.
_*edit 9/2017:I've recently added Pack Rat as it gets around Leyline of Sanctity and Chalice of the Void at one. Discard your useless spells to Pack Rat and watch them do work
_edit 9/2017:Baller Option: Mutavault - I'm paraphrasing here but Tom Ross was quoted to say that it "wins 25% of games". On a clear board it helps accelerate your clock and can be used as a blocker. Colourless mana can be addressed with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
edit 9/2017: Nyxathid seemed like a natural fit but it strikes me as "win more" card. If you have your opponent at no cards in hand, you would hope that your racks are doing work and your card advantage can address any threats they have.
Discard Spells
1) Inquisition of Kozilek:
Rationale: Arguably my most powerful discard spell and an ideal turn 1. Inquisition not only provides me with the opportunity to not see my opponent's hand but also the ability to derail their next few turns. I was lucky enough to get a play set from my friend for $20cad vs ~$30cad at my LGS so I couldn't resist.
Budget Option: Duress or Despise - both are 25cents each at my LGS, have the same CMC, forces your opponent to reveal their hand and gives you the ability to choose a card. Unfortunately you may run into a situation where nothing in your opponent's hand can be targeted or it doesn't allow you to target the "ideal" card.
Baller Option: Most competitive decks seem to run this along side Thoughtseize so looks like my wallet is safe
2) Blackmail:
Rationale: Choice. Most opponents will have a hand of 3-4 cards as quickly as turn 2 allowing you to have pick of whats left making it a "Thoughtseize" with the ability to choose lands and without the life loss. Not a terrible top deck late game as you will probably be able to a) see your opponent's hand (if they have 3 cards or less) and b) likely have choice of what's left. Worth noting that Blackmail can be a brutal early game discard spell because you're likely not getting as much value.
Budget Option: Funeral Charm at $2cad each at my LGS, where it lacks in making your opponent reveal their hand and having a choice in card, it more than makes up for it in it's utility as a discard spell or removal giving target creature -1 toughness. If not having choice with Funeral Charm or cost is a concern, the other of Duress or Despise would likely work fine.
Baller Option: Thoughtseize. The best discard in modern and more devastating than Inquisition of Kozilek but at $30cad each for the reprint at my LGS I'll gladly stick with Blackmail for now. _edit 9/2017: With the reprint of Thoughtseize with original art in Iconic Masters, I managed to snag a playset of Theros for $17cad each so bargains can be had if you're okay with the art.
3) Wrench Mind:
Rationale: Two for one. Modern's closest thing to a Hymn to Tourach. It can really get the ball...or should I say RACK(s) going, giving you card advantage. Worth noting that is card loses it's edge if an opponent happens to have an artifact their hand and definitely gets sided out against artifact heavy decks like Affinity.
Other Options: At $1.50cad each at my local game store it doesn't really break the bank. Another card that gets consideration for it's 2for1 is Augur of Skulls (75cents each at my LGS); same CMC as Wrench Mind but greater utility and flexibility as it is "guaranteed" two cards if you use it for it's ability, potential regenerating chump blocker and potential to be used for attacking as well. My initial thoughts against it is that it takes an extra turn for it to get the discard effect and in a deck with very few creatures it will likely be a target of your opponent's creature removal. I'm open to discussion on Wrench Mind vs Augur of Skulls. Honourable mention goes to Stupor but the CMC makes it slower than I'd like, some builds run 2 copies.
4) Raven's Crime:
Rationale: Persistent discard. All the other options above we're talked about were getting information and choice. A top deck of this or a land (with it's retrace effect) late game can indiscriminately force your opponent to drop their usually last few precious cards in their hand. Combos for a nice soft lock with Dakmor Salvage as you can keep dredging it back for that pesky persistent discard.
There are no alternatives for this and at 75cents each at my LGS I don't see it breaking the bank. Some builds run three copies instead of the four I have.
5) Necrogen Mists:
Rationale: Your poor man's Liliana of the Veil. It provides persistent discard similar to Liliana's +1 effect but at $4cad each. Hopefully by the time you play this you should have one or more Racks dealing damage each turn and established card advantage allowing you to freely trade discarded cards. Its usually GG soon after this.
Budget Option: Cunning Lethemancer, at 50cents each at my LGS I'm actually gutted that I didn't find this first before I bought a play set of Necrogen Mists. Both are CMC and provide a "similar" discard effect. The advantage of the Lethemancer is that you opponent can't hold on as many surprises in their hand during your turn like he/she would with Necrogen Mists as they are forced to discard during YOUR upkeep instead of their own. Disadvantages would be that you would have to sacrifice it to Smallpox and like Augur of Skulls it is a guaranteed target to your opponent's removal spells.
Baller Option: Liliana of the Veil. I don't think I need to go into too many details and at $110cad plus tax each at LGS it blows the budget. Argument could be made that it makes this deck viable in a competitive environment.
Creature Removal Spells
Like all decks that have little to no creatures, you need to have ways of suppressing your opponent's
1)Smallpox:
Rationale: If you like two for ones then you'll like this potential three for one (or two?). Technically another discard spell in your arsenal and honestly nothing is more satisfying than seeing your opponent sacrifice their only creature (not going to be a problem for you), go down another card in their hand and lose a land. Unlike most decks you face, you don't run into colour problems as all your lands produce black and with 23 lands you're going to have enough for this curve. If your board is short on lands, it may be worth sacrificing your Dakmor Salvage and dredging it back.
Other Options: I've had the pleasure of making opponents sacrifice their precious multicolour lands and will address creatures that are hexproof, have protection from black and are indestructible. I would not take this out but I understand it may not be for you so a good instant speed light version of pox that makes them sacrifice a creature and lose life would be Geth's Verdict. With Smallpox at 75cents each I beg you to buy it and try it.
2)Victim of Night:
Rationale: One of least restrictive 2 CMC mono black creature removal spell in modern. At 50cents each you can't go wrong. [edit 8/2017: Devour in Shadow likely the hands down the least restrictive least restrictive 2 CMC mono black creature removal spell in modern.]
Other Budget Options: Doom Blade is more restrictive but depending on the match up may prove to be better than Victim of Night
Baller Option: Fatal Push is probably the most talked about black creature removal spell in modern. Cost aside ($12cad/each at my LGS), we don't have enough other removal spells to trigger Revolt and we don't have the luxury of our own fetch lands that some decks rely on.
Dismember: Potential replacement for Victim of Night as the cost for casting it varies. I have a play set already so I'm open to discussion :)
Slaughter Pact: At $8cad each I think I'm too cheap to try it out and like Doom Blade it can be more restrictive than Victim of Night. Granted there are times where I'm tapped out and need removal that turn. With all the other upkeep triggers I have (The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Necrogen Mists) I'll probably be that guy forgets and sewers himself.
_3) Bontu's Last Reckoning (*edit 9/2017: was Yahenni's Expertise but CMC 4 was too high) _
Rationale: A Damnation-esque card for $4cad each and CMC 3 seems like it fits well. Can provide removal of more than one creature - addressing one of the main weaknesses of this deck: getting overrun by creatures. The tapped lands may prove to be problematic. In the games I've played I rarely have more than 3 lands in play so options with cmc 4 won't see any play
Budget Option: Flaying Tendrils can be a an excellent way to clear board and exiling may be important. Mutilate in a mono black deck may give you Damnation like removal.
Baller Option: Ensnaring Bridge seems like a natural fit with most long games giving you 0-2 cards in hand. In my experience you end up forcing your opponents to side in their affinity hate cards and makes your Ensnaring Bridges and The Rack easy pickings. Damnation? but 4 cmc may prove to be too much.
Lands
Swamps and 2xDakmor Salvage
Rationale: Soft lock with Dakmor Salvage and Raven's Crime. Also pairs well with Smallpox
Budget Option: Run all swamps. Honestly for $4cad each for Dakmor Salvage, spending $8 total on lands in a modern deck may make it one of your cheapest builds land-wise.
Baller Option: 4xMutavault and 4xUrborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Mutavault gives you a man land for both offense and defense.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth solves the issue of Mutavault not being able to produce black. Retrace your extra copies of Urborg to Raven's Crime and don't forget that swampwalk with Funeral Charm and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth can make your Pack Rat unblockable.
Sideboard
__*edit 9/2017: Answers to Leyline of Sanctity and Chalice of the Void as they can singlehandedly end your game. Most competitive decks splash white for Fragmentize and Disenchant. Honestly it opens up a whole new world of removal spells and other discard spells. For the sake of my budget (and all that time I've just spent writing), I've decided against splashing white.
_Pack Rat is a great way of getting around Leyline of Sanctity - discard your useless targeted discard spells to make more (and bigger) Pack Rats.
_Ratchet Bomb can be charged up to take out Leyline of Sanctity or can immediately blow up with CMC 0 permanents such as a Chalice of the Void or those pesky tokens from Lingering Souls etc.
Delirium Skeins: Did your opponent mulligan a few times to get their beloved Leyline of Sanctity? Discard your own useless targeted discard spells and more importantly get your opponent in striking range of The Rack and Shrieking Affliction. Bonus marks if you have Pack Rat and Mutavault chipping away.
Everyone's sideboard is different and will probably reflect your local meta. I've included additional/alternative creature removal, Duress for other control decks, and Nihil Spellbomb for opponent's only graveyard removal (doesn't interfere with your own soft-lock Raven's Crime & Dakmor Salvage) with potential cantrip card draw.
