Darkarts' Decks and Discussion - MBC

[darkarts981]

Welcome to Darkarts' Decks and Discussion, this week, I will be focusing on one of my favorite deck types in the current standard metagame – Mono Black Control (otherwise known as MBC). The particular list that I am focusing on in this article was posted in the standard section by Calebestes (http://imtgapp.com/forum/index.php/topic,10402.0.html). Like I said previously, it is one of my favorite deck types in the current standard metagame.

Ok, so to start off, one of my favorite parts of this deck, is the fact there a lot of 2-of's and 3-of's in the deck. I like this because it means that you probably won't get the same thing 2 games in a row, but whatever combination of cards you get will work in your favor. I love the fact that {Staff of Nin} is in here, mainly because it's the last thing that you would expect to see in an MBC deck, but also because along with {Sign in Blood}, it gets the card advantage that black usually can't get (aside from discard). I like {Solemn Simulacrum} in this deck as well, for the same reason as listed above, that it gives black things that it usually doesn't have, mainly the mana acceleration. I also like the SS in there because it interacts brilliantly with {Mutilate} and {Black Sun's Zenith}, especially {Mutilate} (fetch a swamp on its way in, and then {Mutilate} for more than you previously could). I see countless interactions in this deck, among them are {Sign in Blood} and {Vampire Nighthawk} (get two cards for free), and {Wurmcoil Engine} and any type of wrath effect. Despite the fact that I like this deck so much, there are stilla few changes I might make. First of all {Blood Artist} should definitely be in there, as should {Killing Wave}. {Killing Wave} is good in here because there are so many other ways to kill stuff, so they might pay the life, and then you kill everything anyways, or you kill everything with {Killing Wave}. These two aforementioned cards also work brilliantly together.

The Breakdown:
First up in this week's breakdown is {Liliana of the Dark Realms}. I find her probably one of the most important cards in the deck, mainly because she gets the land you need, so it guarantees land drops every turn. I find her main purpose to be removal or pump (second ability). However if you don't need to use that, it's always nice to get lands. And then if the game goes an long enough, maybe you get her emblem and cast {Diabolic Revelation}..........

This leads me to my next Breakdown subject – {Diabolic Revelation}. The purpose of this card is most likely to use after Lili's emblem, however it could also be used on turn 8 to search for two cards, or turn 7 to get a {Griselbrand} which could be dropped on turn 8. I like it as a 1-of because too many of them would make it a dead card.

{Karn Liberated} – if all else fails – restart the game. His purpose is simple and can be quick, if things are not going in your favor, you have not gotten much removal or wrath, or maybe even very few creatures, chances are, with the absence of everything else, you have him. He is good in almost any control deck, because when he hits the board, it usually means the game is over....or rather is restarted.

{Shimian Specter} is another one of the most important cards to this deck, it gets the best cards out of peoples hand....and graveyard and library and anywhere else accessible. It is particularly good against decks that play a lot of 4-of's in the deck, it will decrease the cards in their deck, and get a select card out of any chance of getting it, and then you even get to play the game with superior knowledge by seeing someone's hand! And from personal experience, superior knowledge is one of the best things of about the card.

Lastly in this week's breakdown I will review {Massacre Wurm}. This card provides an addition wrath effect (although it is limited), and body with it. It provides a lifeloss engine similar to {Blood Artist} but slightly more powerful with a higher cost.

To conclude this week's article, I will say again that MBC is one of my favorite decks in the current standard metagame. This particular version, is my favorite out of the ones I have seen so far, there are a few aforementioned changes I would make, but overall I think that it is a fantastic deck build, I would run it if I had all the cards. Thanks for reading, I look forward to next week when I post again.

[Thorn]

Thanks and well done!

[Mentonin]

Original deck list:

Mono Black Control.  What Ya Think? 67 cards, 0 sideboard 4 {Cavern of Souls} 18 {Swamp} 1 {Inkmoth Nexus} 23 lands 2 {Phyrexian Obliterator} 2 {Shimian Specter} 4 {Solemn Simulacrum} 2 {Wurmcoil Engine} 1 {Massacre Wurm} 3 {Vampire Nighthawk} 1 {Griselbrand} 15 creatures 1 {Sorin Markov} 2 {Mutilate} 1 {Black Sun's Zenith} 2 {Murder} 3 {Geth's Verdict} 2 {Liliana of the Dark Realms} 2 {Dismember} 3 {Tragic Slip} 2 {Staff of Nin} 2 {Liliana of the Veil} 3 {Sign in Blood} 1 {Diabolic Revelation} 2 {Despise} 2 {Go for the Throat} 1 {Karn Liberated} 29 other spells Sideboard

Just to make it easy

[Imdowd80]

Love to see you break down one of my decks. I scrape together some weird ones. I like getting peoples takes on them.

[darkarts981]

Love to see you break down one of my decks. I scrape together some weird ones. I like getting peoples takes on them.

Sure! I'll pm me my email and you can email me a list!