Mono Black--viable in T1?

[Derisive]

So, here’s the decklist for my monoblack attempt

Creature Base-14
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Hypnotic Specter
4 Withered Wretch
2 Phyrexian Negator

Disruption/Discard/Removal-13
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Powder Keg
4 Hymn to Tourach
2 Sinkhole

Draw/Tutor Engine-6
1 Necropotence
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Night’s Whisper
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Mana Base-23
4 Dark Ritual
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
15 Swamp

Sideboard
3 AEther Vial
2 Engineered Plague
2 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Diabolic Edict
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Null Rod

I’m very unsure of both Sinkhole’s and Negator’s efficacy in the deck, as having them has often compromised my deck as much as it has enhanced it.

In terms of Creatures I’ve chosen, I think Nantuko, Wretch, and Specter speak for themselves. Just in case they don’t, I’ve found that most T1 decks use the graveyard fro something, whether it be for pinging using Fish, Weldering, Yawgmothing, Reanimating, or even abusing Intuition/AK. Wretch helps to control that. Once a Specter or two is out, the effect on an opponents hand is quite amazing. Shades use excess mana to pound out extra damage. The Negator’s downside is fearsome, but luckily there isn’t too much burn and the like in T1. They’ve won the game but they are quite a liability.

As in any non-Moxen, non-Lotus deck, disrupting these mana sources is critical. Hence Powder Keg and Chalice. Also, Keg serves as my only means of removing artifacts and creatures already in play. Keg has hurt me a few times, but it’s won the game far more times.

The Tourach’s and Duresses are great, great cards. Especially first turn, they can disrupt things like TPS and Oath (assuming no FOW). Ritual + Duress followed by Tourach is a favorite of mine, especially if the Duress is countered with FOW, leaving whatever they hoped to protect more vulnerable. One of the most stable ways to screw with decks is mana removal, especially with things like Keg and Chalice in play, so I chose to include Sinkholes, at first playing 4. However, I found that I had too few creatures to seal the deal with that number of sinkholes, opting instead to include Negators.

The draw/tutor engine is a little low for my taste, being used to playing with blue, the draw color, but having too much draw actually slows down the deck for me, especially when the draw is at sorcery as opposed to instant speed. Necropotence and Yawgmoth’s are absolutely wonderful cards, as is Vampiric Tutor. However, I have my doubts about Night’s Whisper and Demonic Tutor. They eat up mana I could be using to pump Shades are remove graveyard cards. I feel the way my deck SHOULD work is too basically keep them from getting anything on the table using discard and successively higher Chalices as the mana becomes available to me, destroy what lands on the table, and win using the Shades for massive damage. Will + 3-4 Rituals is so fun.

I’ve found that many of the cards in my deck, namely Sinkhole, Wretch, Shade, Specter, Hymn, and Necro require BB or BB+ to play, so running Mishra’s and more Wastelands actually slowed me down, I wasn’t able to cast second turn what I wanted to or was forced to Mulligan a nice hand due to lack of swamps. I’m also feeling like 19 lands and 4 enhancers is a little small a base for what I need, or that I keep drawing mana sources without any use for them when I need other cards.

Earlier, when I ran 4 Fetches, I also ran 1 less land and 1 more Wasteland, so perhaps with the addition of effectively 2 Swamps, fetches might be once again worth a spot in my deck.

The other debate I'm having is Powder vs. Rod in the main deck. I'm really stuck on that one as well.

My Sideboard I’m having a ton of difficulty with. To date, I haven’t SBed in Crucible and have made extensive use of Crypt, Vial, and Plague. I’m wondering if Vial deserves a spot in the maindeck, and if so in what card’s place? The immediate place that comes to mind is in the spot of Negator and perhaps Sinkhole. With Vial, I could also run 4 Wastes, because hardcasting Creatures becomes less of a problem. Edict has been working very well, it's my most appreciated SB card to date.


It's also occured to me that Nether Void and AEther Vial with a blue splash of Standstill, Brainstorm, Recall, and FOW would be absolutely awesome. I could cast through my own void probably Nantuko's and/or Negators.

Anyhow, I’m of to an old friend’s house, I hope this qualifies for content.

--Raph

[PipOC]

I would refer you to this thread.  This iteration of the deck is far too underpowered to be competitive, the black fish approach is most assuredly the way to take this.

[Derisive]

I just read much of that thread, not all of it, and it seems too me that Chains, Vial, discard, and then the beat mentioned in the latter pages of that thread is the way to go.

Here's the very, very revised decklist:

Creatures/Enhancers-18
4 Mesmeric Fiend
4 Withered Wretch
4 Phyrexian Negator
3 Skittering Skirge
3 Jitte

Disruption/Draw-15
4 Chalice
3 Chains of Mephistopheles
4 Duress
4 Cabal Therapy

Mana Base/Enhancers-26
4 AEther Vial
4 Ritual
13 Swamp
4 Waste
1 Strip

It seems too me that Winter Orb would be a very strong addition with AEther Vial. perhaps if the deck were even more Vial dependent, things like the Skitterings and Winter Orbs would do excellently. Chains + Orb + AEther + Waste/Strip + Crucible would be a fierce lockdown.

[J J P]

Why no Dark Confidant? It is a nice draw engine that even works under Chains.

[Derisive]

Yeah it does, what would you advocate switching out for it?

I've been playtesting this in MWS and feeling a distinct lack of Beat. I think Casbal Therapy could leave.

[xrizzo]

Assuming I had to take a monoB deck, I would run:
*assuming you don't have power*

Creatures/Enhancers-21
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Mesmeric Fiend
4 Dark Confidant
3 Withered Wretch
3 Phyrexian Negator
3 Jitte

Disruption/Draw-13
1 Necropotence
4 Chalice
4 Duress
2 Chains of Mephistopheles
2 Darkblast*

Mana Base/Enhancers-26
4 AEther Vial
4 Ritual
13 Swamp
4 Waste
1 Strip

*Darkblast:  <instant>
Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Dredge 3 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly three cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)

Your options for dealing with welder decks is not super solid, but the two darkblasts should help.  (you have nearly infinite uses for them)

Your draw is basically Dark Confidant, (and necro if you get it) but you are going to be paying 0,1,2 nearly all the time, so it is worth it.

[Derisive]

That looks very nice, actually.

For Welders, there's always Engineered in the SB or perhaps more Darkblasts. I'm getting to hate Negators.