I saw decklists online using Toshiro with 30+ instants and almost nothing else, mainly a spellslinger's approach. I tried that strategy shortly but wasn't satisfied with it. I use a few less instants than other lists, allowing me to put in more creatures and other cards and going in a more classic control route. Toshiro allowing 2-for-1 with each instants in a pinch is still relevant enough, and adding more non-instants cards allows me to use other strategies and gets the gameplan a bit more reliable and adaptative.
Guidelines
Toshiro allows us to make 2 for 1 with each instant (even 4-for-1 with Primal Amulet), allowing you to control the board. The instant speed is nice because this deck will be full of answers, even if your board state isn't great.
The deck doesn't always need Toshiro in order to win, but he still makes a huge difference.
It can be quite fast and brutal, mostly in 1v1, by rapidly removing every threat on the board and harassing your opponent. Some creatures in this deck can be quite aggressive, even. But most of the times it is quite a 'laid back' kind of deck.
Assessing who is the most threatening, waiting for the last moment to strike with instant-speed, playing politics and waiting for the right moment to backstab everyone and take the lead is my favorite way to pilot this deck. Of course, it is far from having an answer to everything. Noncreature removal is always a struggle, and Rest in Peace has become one of the most annoying card ever to me. But I don't need to have an answer to everything if I can play my cards right.
Playing this deck for some time now, I learnt the power that can have one well-placed instant. Killing the right creature at the right time is often the different between a loss and a win. Removing ramp, beaters - and the most delectable of them all, killing their commanders four or five times in a row - is the sweetest feeling in all this game.
The BIG mana
This is one of monoblack's greatest strenght: its mana base. You can pull of at least 30-40 mana from a few swamps and cards at some point, and they are all super useful!
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Burnished Hart and Solemn Simulacrum are almost the only ramp I use. Being creatures, they are easily brought back one the field a reused a few times if needed.
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Jet Medallion is amazing, reducing the cost of every instant you play from your hand AND from your graveyard (plus every other black card of course).
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Liliana of the Dark Realms is the queen of this deck. Bring more Swamps? YES. Kill a creature or boost another one? YEEEES. Quadruple your manabase??? YEEEEEEEES!!
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Then it's all about doubling everything with Caged Sun, Crypt Ghast and Nirkana Revenant .
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Finally, with the right lands, you don't even need to double things. Cabal Coffers/Cabal Stronghold are amazing, even more with Urborg, and can produce degenerate amounts of mana. With most of my permanents bringing a nice amount of devotion, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx really pulls its own weight too. To get the land you want, Expedition Map is relevant enough while also being cheap.
The creatures
Creatures in this deck serve differents goals: killing creatures, destroying stuff, reanimation, exile, getting you value from death (card draw, life, tokens...) or acting as beaters and rattlesnakes. I enjoy having at least a decent amount of them in the deck, to make sure I have enough weight on the board in order to never be an easy target for my opponents.
Cards interactions
As I said it is mainly a slow-paced game, so the interactions are pretty obvious most of the times. I'll juste list a few interactions that I find important and/or enjoyable. I'm not calling them 'combos' because most of the times it's not really combos, just cool things to do. I'll just add more as I think of them/the deck changes.
Main issues
The drawback of monoblack is noncreature removal, and its greatest weakness is Rest in Peace and such. I have added some answers for that over time, but right now my solutions are:
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Scour from Existence even though it is expensive as hell. At least it is an instant.
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Torment of Hailfire and Phyrexian Obliterator. Yeah, it's not really great because you don't get to pick, but still, it can clear the way.
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Steel Hellkite is the best in that regards in my opinion. A beater, and a really scary activated ability that needs answering.
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Oblivion Stone is more like a safeguard. Basically it will sit there until the last minute, threatening everyone.
I'm looking for more effective answers, but it'll do for the time being. When non-creature removal becomes too much of an issue during a game, I just turn to politics and the complex strategy of killing the problematic player with all my ressources.
