"The Rock" Post Rotation -- PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION

[JordanCirk]

"The Rock" Post Rotation -- PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION 60 cards, 0 sideboard 4 {Golgari Guildgate} 4 {Overgrown Tomb} 17 {Swamp} 25 lands 4 {Deathrite Shaman} 3 {Lifebane Zombie} 2 {Scavenging Ooze} 4 {Ogre Slumlord} 2 {Desecration Demon} 2 {Bogbrew Witch} 17 creatures 1 {Ultimate Price} 2 {Putrefy} 3 {Sign in Blood} 1 {Vraska the Unseen} 3 {Devour Flesh} 2 {Abrupt Decay} 2 {Underworld Connections} 4 {Duress} 18 other spells Sideboard Notes: I'm testing out some new cards spoiled so far for BG, mainly focusing around these two cards:                                                   Erebos, God of the Dead     3B                      Indestructible, As long as your devotion to black is less than five, Erebos isn't a creature. Your opponents can't gain life. 1B, Pay 2 life: Draw a card.     5/7.             And                                                             Gray Merchant of Asphodel         3BB             When Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters the battlefield, each opponent loses X life, where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.  2/4.      The merchant is the win cond. drop some deathrites, lifebanes, desecration demons, then drop him to do a 14 point life swing. Erebos I'm trying out with devour flesh, as then they don't receive the life that the creature would have gained them. Some other things to note are sign in blood is a proxy for read the bones, ogre slumlord is a proxy for Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Duress will become Thoughtseize,  and Bogbrew Witch will be a proxy for Erebos, God of the Dead. All tips or advice are appreciated, thanks!

[JordanCirk]

Take out bogbrew witch, ogre slumlord, and deathrite. They don't do anything for this deck. You can play better creatures in their spot

Please read discription, ogre slumlord is a proxy for Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Bogbrew witch is a proxy for Erebos, God of the Dead, both new cards from theros coming out. And I believe deathrite by itself is too powerful not to play IMO.

[Pirate John]

I really like underworld connections in the deck. I think the deck needs more early game answers tho. Too bad we lost our black boardwipe

[JordanCirk]

I really like underworld connections in the deck. I think the deck needs more early game answers tho. Too bad we lost our black boardwipe

Yeah loosing mutilate will hurt, thought about stuff like  {Gaze of Granite} to replace it, but it still doesn't do the same job. And I agree, what do you think would be good for early game? I think just adding low costing removal early game is just fine.

[Pirate John]

You could pack extra kill spells. It never hurts. Or you could run Child of the Night and just chump with creatures for the block +2lifegain. Gaze has always had too high a mana cost for me personally.

Main board {Golgari Charm}, maybe. Next format it doubles as an [enchant] creature kill spell and it'll get rid of the non legend enchants.

[JordanCirk]

You could pack extra kill spells. It never hurts. Or you could run Child of the Night and just chump with creatures for the block +2lifegain. Gaze has always had too high a mana cost for me personally.

Main board {Golgari Charm}, maybe. Next format it doubles as an [enchant] creature kill spell and it'll get rid of the non legend enchants.

.... Why did a golgari player like myself forget about  {Golgari Charm}! Thanks! Ill consider  {Child of Night}, I just feel that  {Abrupt Decay} will be better, as I feel the turn I play child ill be blocking a 3/3 and just giving up a 2 drop, instead of trading. Also, what are your thoughts on the legendary land that allows you to pay 2 tap and add mana equal to your devotion to a certain color? Do you feel it's unnessisary here? Also thanks again for your input.

[JordanCirk]

Take out bogbrew witch, ogre slumlord, and deathrite. They don't do anything for this deck. You can play better creatures in their spot

Please read discription, ogre slumlord is a proxy for Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Bogbrew witch is a proxy for Erebos, God of the Dead, both new cards from theros coming out. And I believe deathrite by itself is too powerful not to play IMO.

Weird, only half of the description showed up on my phone, I see now. Let me re look

Yeah, sorry about the cluster of words on discription btw.. I for some reason couldn't use return while typing it so I had to use a bunch of spaces and hope it looked good.

[Pirate John]

I could see you playing 2-3 of those lands.

New thought: {dark prophecy} in combination with {child of night}. You'd have to gear your deck to play more creatures, but It seems a bit more aggressive. More devotion + it leaves your land open to cast bigger things.

[Pirate John]

I could see you playing 2-3 of those lands.

New thought: {dark prophecy} in combination with {child of night}. You'd have to gear your deck to play more creatures, but It seems a bit more aggressive. More devotion + it leaves your land open to cast bigger things.

If you can find a black fireball you like, you could run 3-4 of those lands... I can't stop thinking about early Rakdos returns lol.

[JordanCirk]

I could see you playing 2-3 of those lands.

New thought: {dark prophecy} in combination with {child of night}. You'd have to gear your deck to play more creatures, but It seems a bit more aggressive. More devotion + it leaves your land open to cast bigger things.

If you can find a black fireball you like, you could run 3-4 of those lands... I can't stop thinking about early Rakdos returns lol.

Hmm...  {Dark Prophecy} is interesting, but like you said I'd have to go more creatures. I really wish BG or even just B had a X spell that dealt damage + something else.

[Pirate John]

Black does have a lot of high cost sorceries and creatures. Any of those interest you?

[JordanCirk]

Black does have a lot of high cost sorceries and creatures. Any of those interest you?

Idk, I've been play testing this today and it seems like I really do need some kinda 2 drop creature.. I'm thinking  {Lotleth Troll} because if anything he's a great chump-regenerate creature. But I'd still have to try it out, I really do want this gray merchant deck to work

[Pirate John]

Child of night should not see constructed play, it isn't good enough. For a rock two drop I think the troll and scavenging ooze are both fine for bears

{Child of Night} is fine. Depends what your deck is trying to do. If you're running bad liliana, anything with lifelink in a black deck is great. If you plan on trading your t2 play with their t2 play, might as well gain 2 like out've it.

[DylanW18]

{Slitherhead} {Lotleth Troll} combo is good

[Pirate John]

{Slitherhead} {Lotleth Troll} combo is good

If you want troll combo, you'd play Jund.
And don't listen to the {child of night} hater. Depends on how you play it.