French Combo -- Mono Black Combo

[bronxie]

The deck has been around for a while, but has never really cought hold as a superpower deck because it loses to GAT and more consistant combos.  The best part about it is that it does not lose anything to the restrictions.  I really like the deck and its fun to play, but a well placed force of will wrecked it and you have to draw duress effects to win.  all that said, heres the list:

Lands -- 8

3x Bayou
3x Polluted Delta
1x Swamp
1x Cabal Pit

Creatures -- 9

4x Shield Sphere
4x Phyrexian Walker
1x Ornithopter

Spells --

4x Cabal Ritual
4x Dark Ritual
4x Land Grant
3x Cruel Bargain
4x Infernal Contract
1x Necropotence
1x Yawg Will
1x Chrome Mox
1x Demonic Tutor
3x Diabolic Intent
1x Demonic Consultation
4x Culling the Weak
1x Vamp Tutor
4x Cabal Therapy
3x Tendrils of Agony
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Jet
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Crypt

Sideboard -- 15

1x Rebuild
1x Tinker
1x Darksteel Colossus
2x Underground Sea
1x Tropical Island
3x Xantid Swarm
1x Echoing Truth
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Hurkyls Recall
1x Chain of Vapor
2x Massacre



I'm also thinking about Beseech the Queen for this deck because it is a good tutor, but i dont think i will ever get to the number of lands needed.  this deck is a lot of fun to play, but you need the perfect balence of cards in your hand and need to make good topdecks in order to win with it.  Comments and questions? criticisms? hit me up.

This is also very viable as a deck for very low proxy numbers (i have it at 3 right now, Ancestral, Lotus, and Mox) but theoretically the deck could cut those 3 and run other stuff (which is what im planning for vintage champs) but the deck is tremendously fun and has won several major tournoments over the past few years.  I have matchup info based on pre-rotation but i think it becomes insignificant with the format change.  It goes 50-50 with stax and beats the face off Ichorid so thats a start.

Thanks for comments and stuff

--Bronxie--

I

[wiley]

...you need the perfect balence of cards in your hand and need to make good topdecks in order to win with it[/B] ...

This part makes me question why I should ever play with this deck in a tounament.  What do you do against chalice at 0 backed up by a quick clock?  That cuts off 18 cards from your deck.  If its followed up by chalice at 1?  Or if they have counters/stifles?

Also, 64 cards?  I didn't count individually but you have listed 8 land 13 creatures and 43 spells.  I can understand running 61 when you have a threat dense deck or your combo is really good, but you run 3 tendrils as your only kill condition ...

If you want, you can pm me a time to meet up with you tomorrow at all fun and games and I can help you test that "beats ichorid in the face" theory

[bronxie]

Chalice at 1 is a problem im working on right now.  thats why i posted this is cause i need help on stuff like that.  its only 9 critters, i cant count today.

[DarkfnTemplar]

#1 this deck is not french
#2 This is a legacy deck
#3 This deck could never see play
#4 Try meandeck tendrils instead. (Sui black combo)

[bronxie]

#1 this deck is not french
#2 This is a legacy deck
#3 This deck could never see play
#4 Try meandeck tendrils instead. (Sui black combo)

This is not helpful.  go bother someone else if you wanna flame, im trying to make a good deck here.

[Hillboy]

3 Diabolic Intent can be a pain I've played a deck similar to this and I would only run 2 otherwise you'll have a dead one in your hand alot.

You might want to try krosan grip or something to deal with chalice.

I also ran dark confidant for awhile as it could draw cards for me or be sacrificed to culling and intent.

[ErkBek]

I worked on a deck similar to this, except without the creature engine. It ran 4 Pact + 4 Duress for protection and goldfished turn 2 frequently. Check it out here:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=32790.0

While working on the deck I came across 3 potential maindeckable solutions for artifact locks that you might run into.

EE deals with Chalice and Spheres
1 Helm negates sphere and can help you combo if randomly drawn.
1 Bazaar is a useful tutor target against Chalice.

Since I ran 4 Grims locating these was rarely a problem.

[Demonic Attorney]

Moved from Vintage Open to Vintage Improvement.

[bronxie]

the deck seems to combo fine without more tutor but i was also thinking about grim tutors.

[metalfan06]

UM.... this is in fact a legacy deck, It's called SI (Spanish Inquisition), http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6099&highlight=si

theres the link for one of emidln's  wright ups on the deck.

[emidln]

This is in fact a Vintage deck. I believe vroman even mentioned this fact when the idea was kicked around on the Ogres Cards forums back in 2006. I think the name you're looking for is KI.TT or "Tendrils Francias" (spelling?). Anyway, I've seen both mono black and black splash Ancestral, Walk, and Twister versions of KI.TT, and I've even ran into the creator of the deck on MWS (although his name escapes me now). The deck should be 60 cards and junk like Cabal Pit isn't necessary (we don't even play that crap in Legacy).

[Duncan]

The creator of this deck is Klu (his real name doesn't come into my mind right now). I piloted the deck back in november 2006 to a top8 finish in Hengelo, the Netherlands. http://www.magic-hengelo.nl/resultaten/061125%2010-proxy/T8%20decklists.php

The maindeck is exactly the same as the opening last as far as i can see with a quick look. Only the sideboard is a bit different. I don't know whether this list is a really good choice right now. It fills the same niche as Forino Sui Black, but it is more vulnerable to hand disruption because it doesn't run Dark Confidant.

I think trying to fit DC in can be a viable addition, although that slows the deck down.

[nicofromtokyo]

The creator of this deck is Klu (his real name doesn't come into my mind right now).

Jean Baptiste Aymes, one of the best french T1 builder  .

[Anusien]

I question the inclusion of Cabal Pit.  I get that it's there to kill Teeg and Mages, but those don't see a lot of play and it seems like it is asking you to get Wastelanded.

Any reason not to put the Underground Seas in the main?  Then you can maindeck Tinker/Jar (or Colossus) as well as Ancestral and Timetwister and bounce.

Really, Demonic Consultation?  With 1 DT and 3 Diabolic Intent you're not hurting for tutors, and you might just remove Yawgmoth's Will.  If you want the tutor effect, run a Grim Tutor, but I think you'd rather have Yawgmoth's Bargain here.

Chrome Mox seems terrible for you because it steals a card, and so many of your cards are -CA already in addition to all the 0 drops.  I'd suggest Cabal Ritual instead if you need that effect.

Do you really need 3 Tendrils?  It's such a weird number; too few to dodge Earwig Squad and too many otherwise.

Land Grant is generally pretty poor in a deck like this.  You beat counters either with Duress type effects or by overwhelming them with must-counters.  Land Grant provides a bottleneck for them to stop you.  Often times you win except that you don't have a source of B to cast Cabal Therapy.  I'd replace them with fetchlands.

Most of your spells don't have a lot of colorless mana requirements.  If you move blue to the main, you can add in a Sapphire instead of the Crypt.

Here's my suggestions:
Mana:
-3 Bayou, -1 Cabal Pit, -4 Land Grant
+4 Polluted Delta, +2 Underground Sea, +2 Swamp

Accel:
-1 Mana Crypt, -1 Chrome Mox
+1 Cabal Ritual, +1 Mox Sapphire

Spells:
-1 Demonic Consultation, -1 Tendrils of Agony, -1 Infernal Contract, -1 Cruel Bargain
+1 Yawgmoth's Bargain, +1 Memory Jar, +1 Tinker, +1 Ancestral Recall

Then I'd look at trimming some of the excess 0 drops or whatnot to fit in some other bombs.  Spells you want to try and fit in:
Timetwister (maybe), Time Walk, Darksteel Colossus (maybe)