[Deck] Mono Black Control

[Madak17]

Modern hasn't really done much to MBC. Sure, late game acceleration with Cabal Coffers is gone, but if you ask me it never really needed it.

//24 Lands
12 Swamp (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Swamp)
1 Dragonskull Summit (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Dragonskull Summit)
1 Drowned Catacomb (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Drowned Catacomb)
4 Gemstone Mine (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Gemstone Mine)
2 Ghost Quarter (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Ghost Quarter)
1 Isolated Chapel (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Isolated Chapel)
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth)
1 Woodland Cemetery (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Woodland Cemetery)

//14 Creatures
3 Typhoid Rats (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Typhoid Rats)
3 Nantuko Shade (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Nantuko Shade)
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Gatekeeper of Malakir)
3 Phyrexian Obliterator (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Phyrexian Obliterator)
1 Batterskull (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Batterskull)

//5 Creature Kills
3 Geth's Verdict (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Geth's Verdict)
2 Damnation (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Damnation)

//6 Utilities
3 Engineered Explosives (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Engineered Explosives)
1 Elixir of Immortality (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Elixir of Immortality)
1 Crucible of Worlds (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Crucible of Worlds)
1 Phyrexian Arena (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Phyrexian Arena)

//7 Discards
3 Duress (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Duress)
3 Inquisition of Kozilek (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Inquisition of Kozilek)
1 Painful Quandary (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Painful Quandary)

//4 Searches
3 Beseech the Queen (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Beseech the Queen)
1 Liliana Vess (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Liliana Vess)

//Sideboard
4 Funeral Charm (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Funeral Charm)
3 Raven's Crime (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Raven's Crime)
4 Leyline of the Void (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Leyline of the Void)
4 Memoricide (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Memoricide)

Main deck card choices:
3 Nantuko Shade: Most people looking at this would probably switch him for Dark Confidant or Vampire Hexmage, but I prefer Shade because he's a stronger win condition.

1 Elixir of Immortality: Late game you can keep searching for these to recycle your creatures and ensure you don't get picked off by a stray Lightning Bolt. Also provides a weak defense against mill decks.

1 Painful Quandary: This can make your opponent think twice about playing top decks every turn late game--slowing them down and making your 1cc discard relevant again.

[Madak17]

Took this deck to a Legacy FNM last night and went 4-0.
Knights: 2-0
Shoal Infect: 2-1
Reanimator: 2-1
TES: 2-1

Phyrexian Obliterator, Nantuko Shade, and Engineered Explosives were definite MVPs and Painful Quandary seemed to be useful enough to justify at least a one-of.

Anyway, I've been thinking of trying out Amulet of Vigor (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Amulet of Vigor), Terramorphic Expanse (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Terramorphic Expanse), Ghost Quarter (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Ghost Quarter), and Crucible of Worlds (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Crucible of Worlds) for some nonbasic killing, mana ramp, deck-thinning shenanigans. I've always had problems with man-lands with this deck since a lot of the kill spells are sorceries or things that can't hit lands, so the ghost quarters and crucible will probably go in no matter what.

[sclabman]

You're already running 3 Elixer of Immortality, why again is Phyrexian Arena bad? Seems like the reason to do mono-black in itself.

[Madak17]

You're already running 3 Elixer of Immortality, why again is Phyrexian Arena bad? Seems like the reason to do mono-black in itself.

It's definitely a viable one-of to try, I think. Most of my card decisions in this deck come down to testing against Goblins and Zoo.

Between Geth's Verdict, Gatekeeper of Malakir, Damnation, and Phyrexian Obliterator, I feel like this deck should be incredibly strong against creature decks, but it still gets steam rolled by Zoo about 50% of the time.

I've been toying with:
-1 Beseech the Queen
-4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
+1 Phyrexian Arena
+4 Vampire Nighthawk

Nighthawks are awesome and would help with the loss of life from Arena, Thoughseize, Shocklands and such, but Nighthawks have a tendency to get Swords'd or Bolt'd before they can do much (in my experience) whereas a Gatekeeper guarantees a creature sac at least--which is really, really important on turn 3.

I dunno, I'm still looking for the answer to getting a stronger game against Zoo. I guess I could look at Walls, though I'm not crazy about that.

[Phoenix Ignition]

Took this deck to a Legacy FNM last night and went 4-0.
Knights: 2-0
Shoal Infect: 2-1
Reanimator: 2-1
TES: 2-1


Where the hell do you play Legacy? Oh my god these people must be horrible.

No offense intended towards you, but really? Reanimator can't beat a mono colored deck? TES? That must be very embarrassing.

[Madak17]

Where the hell do you play Legacy? Oh my god these people must be horrible.

No offense intended towards you, but really? Reanimator can't beat a mono colored deck? TES? That must be very embarrassing.

Mulled to Leyline against Reanimator and discarded his answers. Then discard, Chalice at 0, life gain from Elixir of Immortality, and EE was enough to screw with TES. All that plus I did get pretty lucky in general.