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i.Stab

Modern* Casual Cycling Horror Mono-Black Theme/Gimmick

Andramalech

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Creature (20)

Sorcery (4)

Land (20)

Instant (12)

Enchantment (4)

Sideboard

Instant (8)

Sorcery (4)

Artifact (3)

Maybeboard

Creature (16)

This is a deck created in many different veins; it serves as primarily a challenge fulfilled deck for kamarupa, who issued me the task to build decks corresponding to Horrors. This deck is a Mono-Black () construction meant to exemplify Horrors, and Cycling as a core mechanic to the deck.

The most crucial element of this deck is a creeping dread and uneasy-ness about the cast. All of them seem un-wittingly apart of some greater operation.. why does this deck look so funny? Because it's meant to operate funny. The cast and crew give way to a giggle-fest for the user, that by the time the opponent realizes what's up.. they'll wish that they had main-boarded grave-hate.

The main cast member I love and cherish is Tonberry, who is of Final Fantasy fame. More on that later. The core principle of the deck is to keep this goofy guy around as fodder, as the best pawn you could possible pull up with.

The next stages involved some jumping through hoops and potentially using our noodles to time the Shadow of the Grave precisely when we need it.

If all goes well, you'll have large creatures swinging in by turn , and creeping power upwards after that.

A collaboration

This deck is a part of a collaborative effort with kamarupa and Balaam__ to create decks centered around Horrors. This one is my more competitively driven attempt in creating a short-list, and it is the more unique and original idea of the two I had created for this challenge. I really enjoyed kind of building a deck around one of my favorite fictional characters, and it just so happened to really benefit me in this challenge. Cheers!

ooooOOOoOOOooOOooOO...

So i know of Tonberry from very spooky parts of the Final Fantasy games and I love this little concept I have of a little dude surrounded by a gaggle of larger, older Horrors/Demons/Stuff that are all just like.. this little dude? the reaper..? alright.. I guess..

..so everybody is just kinda trying to keep this kid around and not let him get himself killed or whatever, so Not Dead After All is a flavor win in that regard (imo), but I also really love the idea of Ghosts nnsh#$%t flying around (Street Wraith) and I sincerely love the aesthetic of this deck! It really seems to work for itself, from Shadow of the Grave to the Phyrexian Tower. I just love how the concept shaped itself out.

Stab Stab Stab!!

This deck is foremost a part of a challenge involving kamarupa, who commented on another build (through this same challenge) that my deck was a bit cheapened by being a Fortnite Re-Skin of another deck I had built named Paladin Wand.

This deck is meant to use a newer creature named Tonberry who happens to be a representative of one of my favorite gaming franchises in history, Final Fantasy.

The deck will function as a main point of introducing this little bugger (ideally), and then unsuspectingly on the second turn blowing him up and returning him back to the field.. with.. the counters still on him? Wait- what's going on?

..so we get Tonberry out and back to our turn . This is when we use Not Dead After All which is albeit telegraphed but when we follow it up with Flare of Malice to remove whatever threat they've established, by the end of it we have a chunkier Tonberry. It's great!

..later turns are spent cycling through your decklist with the variety of differently cycle-abled cards, most of which are in fact.. Horrors. The intent is to put a considerable amount of them into the graveyard, and potentially swing in for the game with Vile Manifestation.

This deck was meant to be a more competitively targeted iteration for our challenge, and I'm happy with it's results. I hope that kamarupa and Balaam__ both take a look at this, because this is certainly my last Horror-themed build for awhile. I'm proud of it, but I'm fizzled out on the creature type as a focus.

Suggestions

Updates Add

Mainboard Updates v.1 — March 4, 2025
Edit

  • The deck functions really ... okay, without the inclusion of a card that fetches up what we're missing in the opening hand. I think something like Diabolic Intent is the best route, or something similarly priced, mana-wise.

  • Considering that the deck struggles with only one cost creature, I found a few test-runs where it feels sluggish. Like, too sluggish. So to combat the terribly midrange and telegraphed nature of this deck, I'm speculative on the inclusion of Flourishing Fox. This would also require including Marsh Flats and Godless Shrinefoil.

  • The other potential inclusions included Overlord of the Balemurk for the access at mana, and then later reinforcing the board state as a hefty body, which the deck naturally wants to do anyways- see whole cast of Horrors that cycle.

  • Lurching Rotbeast comes out for Flourishing Fox.

  • The other suggestions will remain on the standby while I test this change.

The commentary from the community will help me shape this a bit better, but I'm looking for more consistent play that capitalizes on the construction. Cheers!

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Casual

92% Competitive

Revision 2 See all

(1 month ago)

-2 Dakmor Salvage main
+4 Diabolic Intent main
+1 Dismember side
+2 Feed the Swarm side
+8 Flourishing Fox main
+4 Godless Shrinefoil main
-4 Lurching Rotbeast main
+4 Marsh Flats main
+4 Overlord of the Balemurk maybe
+1 Polluted Delta main
-4 Swamp main
+1 Toxic Deluge side
-3 Verdant Catacombs main