Mono-Black Storm

[kicks_422]

I just whipped up this list because I wanted to be able to use my sets of Saga Duress and Dark Ritual. It turns out to work pretty well, for a budget deck.

12 Swamp

4 Phyrexian Walker
4 Shield Sphere
4 Ornithopter

2 Ad Nauseam
4 Duress
2 Tendrils of Agony
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Lotus Petal
4 Diabolic Intent
4 Culling the Weak
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Ritual
4 Tainted Pact

So it's roughly like the SI shell of old, only modified to abuse the Ad Nauseam engine instead of the Draw4's.

I had 4 Chrome Mox in there, but I didn't think it was what the deck needed. I tried (without expecting much) the old Gamekeeper tech Tainted Pact, and it's working better than everything else I tried (Infernal Tutor, Plunge into Darkness, Night's Whisper, etc). It also made the deck budget light, so I guess that stays in.

[FluffyPinkBunnies]

This looks fun.

Whats the usual turn you win?

Have you tried Bubbling Muck at all?

[kicks_422]

It has the capabilities of winning Turn 1, for sure. However, the average I would assume (from the games I've played, no hardcore data to back it up though) would be Turn 3, since I spend the first couple of turns for Duress/Therapy/Intent/Pact.

I've tried Bubbling Muck and Rain of Filth. Both were pretty underwhelming compared to Cabal Ritual. If I had a lot of lands in play where these cards shine, I don't need the extra mana. When I have 3 lands in play (which seems to be the usual number) These two become Dark Rituals, with the added downside of sucking in multiples. I think I'll stick to Cabal Ritual.

EDIT: I'm also thinking of adding a single Phyrexian Tower, and add some Snow-covered Swamps over regular Swamps for Pact shenanigans. Also, Cabal Pit, Tomb of Urami, Shizo, Death's Storehouse, Urborg, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, and Vault of Whispers. Fuck Wasteland.

[Vacrix]

Bubbling Muck is particularly nice when you can run Cloud of Faeries as a free Culling the Weak target and then untap your lands for Bubbling Muck. Then it requires a blue splash and is a completely different deck, but its an interesting thought to say the least if you are going for a consistent, turn 3 with duress-esque protection.

[kicks_422]

Adding blue would have been for Mystical Tutor, more than anything.. But I like the Cloud of Faeries. They'd be Culling the Weak fodder/Bubbling Muck enablers only, since they can't really block as well as the other 0cc drops to protect the life total.

But it's work to fit those in. I'd rather play Spring Tide then. :tongue:

Also, what the deck lacks right now is consistency in getting Ad Nauseam to the hand early on. The mana and protection are smooth - it's just the search for the bomb that's the problem, and since the Diabolic Intents have been amazing, the slots left to answer that problem would be the Tainted Pacts.

The Pacts have been ok. At the very least, it removes the chaff off the top of the library (extra mana/creatures/disruption when I need Ad Nauseam, for instance). I'd like something better though... I've tried Plunge into Darkness, Spoils of the Vault, Serum Powder, even Brainspoil... Nada.

[Greenpoe]

Rhystic Tutor can work if you plan it right (AKA avoid playing it when they do have the mana to counter it), otherwise you're pretty much stuck to something like Diving Witch or Death Wish.

[kicks_422]

3 mana is a bit too steep. I want the deck to work with 2 lands in play. I don't want to burn a Ritual just to be able to Tutor.

That said, Rhystic Tutor is the closest thing that could challenge for the Tainted Pact slots.