Competitive card Draw in Mono black???
Deck Help forum
Posted on Dec. 29, 2025, 11:23 p.m. by theNeroTurtle
I am trying to build a competitive early game version of Rat Colony without strictly relying on comboing off. I need draw power and I don't know where to go! Paying two life and drawing two cards isn't going to cut it.
I am already using several cards like the following...
Click here to review the deck, please. I need suggestions.
theNeroTurtle says... #3
gildor28, I had Skullclamp at first. Took it out for the larger draw cards like The One Ring.
December 30, 2025 12:15 p.m.
I think that the next best options to draw a bunch of cards at once might be Cut of the Profits and Necrologia. If you are having to frequently recover from board wipes then having Grim Haruspex on the board at least lets you draw a card for each other non-token creature that gets wrathed away.
Icon of Ancestry is an anthem and can help dig for more rats. Some less desirable options might be Slate of Ancestry (expensive and doesn't help you recover after a board wipe) or Endless Atlas (probably just not strong enough for the level you are building for).
Instead of more draw spells, another option would be to try to up your tutor count (Beseech the Queen maybe?) and just aim to tutor for Necropotence as often as you can.
December 30, 2025 12:25 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #5
Since Necrologia sasys at the end of my turn, wouldn't I just lose them at my discard phase? Beseech the Queen looks very spicy.
December 30, 2025 12:48 p.m.
WandoMagic says... #6
Maby necropotence I may have spelled it wrong but be careful not to die from it
December 30, 2025 2:46 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #7
WandoMagic, thanks for the feedback... but I am already running Necropotence. Great suggestion. Great card.
December 30, 2025 2:51 p.m.
Phyrexian Arena and Greed are classic card draw, Insatiable Avarice is decent and I am a big fan of Increasing Ambition though it is a little slower. Peer into the Abyss also slower but basically ad naus #2...these effects are typically paired with a lot of fast mana like Chrome Mox Lotus Petal Mox Opal etc. which are cheap and explosive after casting Ad Nauseam <-- this card usually takes some build around. IDK if that's better here vs. Skullclamp which provides repeatable card draw for cheap. If you have a lot of life loss effects, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is a good hedge which fits your beatdown strat and hates on opposing card draw. Maybe also Phyrexian Altar and Ashnod's Altar to juice those rat tokens.
December 30, 2025 4:55 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #10
capwner, thanks for the feedback. Skullclamp made the take.
December 30, 2025 6 p.m.
Yeah, with Necrologia you only get the chance to draw and cast instants before you have to go to your discard phase.
You typically play it when your hand is nearly empty, you are really trying to dig for something specific, or your hand is full of useless cards that you want to get rid of. Similar to Ad Nauseam, it's a card that teaches you to be ok with tossing away life and currently unneeded cards if it means getting closer to what you want and leaving yourself with a full hand. Necrologia is generally a worse 1-shot Necropotence effect, but it can potentially be better than Ad Nauseam in a deck with more high-cost cards. And unlike Necropotence, it lets you discard cards without exiling them so that can make it more useful in decks that want a full graveyard.
When I play it in commander I generally cast it while giving up 10 to 15 life because out of those cards there are going to be a bunch of unneeded lands and cards that won't be particularly relevant at that point in the game, like extra mana rocks. I'm willing to give up the extra life if it means being able to leave myself with a sculpted hand of relevant cards.
I wish that the card didn't have the restriction of only being cast during the end step but sometimes you just have to work with what you've got.
December 30, 2025 7:46 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #12
SaberTech I feel like Necrologia gives you way more bang for your buck now that you have explained it. More cards with less life loss. Changing those cards out. Thanks.
December 30, 2025 7:54 p.m.
I haven't dug through everything, but I think Mask of Griselbrand is an underplayed card in general, but especially in decks featuring high power creatures, like Rats. You can either hold up a big rat as a blocker (that will die in combat due to being an x/1), and if it's on a big rat and someone Wrath's you draw. It's also good if you can sacrifice a rat, such as to Marrow-Gnawer.
December 31, 2025 8:16 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #14
DreadKhan, thanks for the feedback. That is a lot of CMC actions just to draw two cards. All of my creatures are low P/T.
December 31, 2025 8:26 p.m.
A card that I only just remembered is Promise of Power. 5 mana and 5 life for 5 cards is a fairly decent exchange rate. It's just that, once you get to five mana, black has a lot more options for game-warping cards that outclass it.
Still, it's a decent budget-friendly draw spell for mono-black if you are just looking for something to help refuel your hand in the mid to late game.
December 31, 2025 10:22 p.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #16
You're running an amount of Rats. So Pact of the Serpent seems good. Also, how about Infernal Contract?
January 1, 2026 12:10 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #17
SaberTech and seshiro_of_the_orochi, those are some great cards to consider. I will think on them for the day. Thank you.
January 1, 2026 12:14 p.m.
hyalopterouslemur says... #18
Necropotence probably costs too much (It's around $20.), but if you have one, play it. As long as you're drawing at least 2 cards per turn (and a rat deck should be playing at least that many cards per turn), you're getting an advantage. (That said, I don't typically play Necro on turn 3. I typically play it later.)
Skullclamp is another obvious recommendation for typal decks. You're essentially sacrificing a creature to draw two cards.
Night's Whisper, Sign in Blood, Read the Bones...those are some of my favorite "draw X cards". You can throw in Damnable Pact for big plays. I also like Stinging Study, but it's kind of expensive.
Erebos, God of the Dead (a bit expensive) or Greed is useful as well.
Now, a word about Phyrexian Arena: I'm not sure you want it in an aggro strategy. It's great for controlling strategies, especially Stax (decks which essentially make it impossible for most decks to do anything and then do a point or two of damage every turn) and landfall, but aggro? It's still good, but not insanely overpowered. There's also Dark Confidant, which is Phyrexian Arena #2.
January 1, 2026 5:42 p.m.
theNeroTurtle says... #19
hyalopterouslemur, already running Necropotence and Skullclamp... as for creatures you mentioned, you clearly did not check out the deck. I do appriciate the suggestions, though.
gildor28 says... #2
Skullclamp could work, seems like you have a lot of X/1's and not that many static buffs
Village Rites, Deadly Dispute for instants, maybe Phyrexian Arena but I feel like that's too slow in early game decks
December 30, 2025 6:55 a.m.