MB Undying

[SpeedOfDark]

Hi guys!

I made a mono black control deck that revolves around Undying Evil synergy and Volrath's Stronghold lategame. I have a local legacy tourament coming up in a month or so, and I'm considering playing a similar list. The deck is aiming to excel against creature heavy strategies, without being abysmal against combo or control. The list is still in the brainstorming phase and nothing has been tested.

http://static.tappedout.net/mtg-cards/dark-ascension/undying-evil.jpg


----MB Undying---- (60) [scroll down for most recent list]

--creatures-- (20)
3 Typhoid Rats
4 Augur of Skulls
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Shriekmaw

--discard-- (8)
1 duress
4 Thoughtseize
3 Hymn to Tourach

--removal-- (2)
1 Victim of Night
1 Dismember

--cool stuff-- (6)
1 umezawa's jitte
1 sensei's divining top
4 Undying Evil

--mana base-- (24)
19 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Volrath's Stronghold



powerful interaction 1:
When you have 3 mana up, evoke the shriekmaw and cast undying evil in response to its triggers. Result:
3 mana + 2 cards = 2 terror + 4/3 intimidate

powerful interaction 2:
Cast augur of skulls on turn 2, then on turn 3's upkeep cast undying evil on it. Once it has resolved, sac it twice.
3 mana + 2 cards = opponent discards 4



other cards:

typhoid rats: simly put, it is a piece of removal or it eats up a piece of removal 1 for 1. Usually playing actual removal would be better, but typhoid rat is chosen here because it can interact with volrath's stronghold and undying evil. As long as your opponent is playing creatures and is assuming the beat down role in the MU, this card should preform just fine.

gatekeeper of malakir: build in 2 for 1 removal, aw yeah.

vampire nighthawk: raw mono black power! He has the same 1-1 synergy with undying evil and volrath that typhoid rats has, except this one can actually be used as a realistic wincon.

stillmoon cavalier: a recurring (volrath) wincon that stops batterskull tokens and is immune to sotp. This is mostly for extra help in the popular stoneforge control MUs (there is a second copy in SB).

(very) potential sideboard:
4 pithing needle
1 stillmoon cavalier
4 leyline of the void
2 grafdigger's cage
4 mindbreak trap

main weaknesses that are trying to be covered with sideboard:

shriekmaw is terrible against mud or affinity (pithing needle), non-targeted discard is terrible against graveyard based strategies (leyline+cage), and even though the deck packs plenty of discard, the clock is too slow for combo (trap). For extra help in stoneforge-based control MU, pithing needle blanks batterskull/jace and stillmoon cavalier does its thing. Grafdigger's cage can also be used against anything that runs NO/prog.



So let me know what you think of the strategy, if you have any cool card ideas, etc.

Thanks! :D


EDIT -- most recent list:


----MB Undying---- (60)

--creatures-- (17)
4 Augur of Skulls
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Faerie Macabre
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Shriekmaw

--discard-- (8)
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize
3 Hymn to Tourach

--removal-- (4)
4 Innocent Blood

--cool stuff-- (5)
1 umezawa's jitte
1 sensei's divining top
3 Undying Evil

--mana base-- (26)
17 Swamp
2 Bojuka Bog
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Volrath's Stronghold
3 Wasteland

---SB--- (15)
1 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Pithing Needle
3 Dystopia
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
1 Leyline of the Void
4 Mindbreak Trap

[michaelq]

The interaction works, just as it would with Momentary blink. I'm not sure this would be Legacy-viable, but it would definitely be strong in Modern. Of the other Evoke creatures, the only other ones worth playing are Mulldrifter and possibly Ingot Chewer - though it wouldn't be worth splashing for either of those.

This could also be played with Phyrexian Dreadnought! That would spice things up a bit - you could potentially use a card like Diabolic Intent to set up the combo. You might be able to use Undying Evil as Stifle 5-8.

[SpeedOfDark]

The interaction works, just as it would with Momentary blink. I'm not sure this would be Legacy-viable, but it would definitely be strong in Modern. Of the other Evoke creatures, the only other ones worth playing are Mulldrifter and possibly Ingot Chewer - though it wouldn't be worth splashing for either of those.

This could also be played with Phyrexian Dreadnought! That would spice things up a bit - you could potentially use a card like Diabolic Intent to set up the combo. You might be able to use Undying Evil as Stifle 5-8.

It does work like momentary blink, however it has a lot of upsides:
cheaper, on color, gives a +1/+1 counter and can be used with every other creature in the deck (to lesser effect of course, but still nowhere near a dead card).

Unfortunately I don't think phyrexian dreadnaught would work with undying evil the way you'd like it. Since his trigger happens when he enters the battlefield, not when he is casted, I believe this would happen:
cast dreadnaught
cast undying evil
dreadnaught dies
dreadnaught comes back bigger
dreadnaught dies again :P

[cherub_daemon]

You might be interested in this deck, in case you're not aware of it:

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?16885-Deck-The-Gate

The deck uses Abyssal Persecutor for a clock, and sac mechanics to get around the "can't win the game" thing. Also, I feel like Vampire Nighthawk is a stronger choice than Stinkweed Imp, given that you're mono-black, and already have a lot of ways to get creatures back. Nighthawk is probably also better than Stillmoon Cavalier.

I like some of the recursion interactions you have running here, but you might consider reducing the count on Rats, Augur and Shriekmaw in favor of either: a) more gas or b) more disruption. I feel like rats are especially weak, since you cannot use them to get rid of acceleration or utility creatures, like Noble Hierarch or SFM.

It also feels like Cabal Therapy would be a natural fit with the recursion.

I don't see much point in Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. Having Stronghold produce black is probably not worth being more vulnerable to Wasteland. If you're dying to run a utility land there, I might consider Bojuka Bog, which is at least a little MD grave hate.

Cards to consider in your board:
Yixlid Jailer is a solid graveyard hater that will recur.
Phyrexian Revoker is a recurrable Needle.

[SpeedOfDark]

@cherub_daemon:
I think stillmoon cavalier can be justified as a metagame call against sotp and batterskull, however you are probably right that nighthawk's raw power more than overcompensates for the benefits of stinkweed shenanigans.

It's true that typhoid rat's power is greatly reduced against control MU where these utility creatures are commonplace, but I think it would preform excellently in aggro MUs.

I don't really know about the lands, I guess testing will tell. Although, on second consideration I do think my land count was too high so I knocked it down a bit.

PS: I did some modifications to the list.

[cherub_daemon]

@cherub_daemon:
It's true that typhoid rat's power is greatly reduced against control MU where these utility creatures are commonplace, but I think it would preform excellently in aggro MUs.


It depends on how narrowly you define "aggro". Zoo and Goblins? Sure. But Stoneforge Mystic is an aggro staple, and something you want to kill. Delver is getting run in pretty much any aggro deck with blue, and Rats can't get him before he flips, and then after the flip, he flies. By all means, test Rats, but I think you'll be happier with an Edict effect (e.g. Diabolic Edict).

That said, this is all just theorycraft on my part, too.

EDIT: Faerie Macabre will be a hilarious SB card. I think that The Gate players are also running a copy or two maindeck, since heavy discard decks tend to have issues with 'yard-based strategies.

[SpeedOfDark]

It depends on how narrowly you define "aggro". Zoo and Goblins? Sure. But Stoneforge Mystic is an aggro staple, and something you want to kill. Delver is getting run in pretty much any aggro deck with blue, and Rats can't get him before he flips, and then after the flip, he flies. By all means, test Rats, but I think you'll be happier with an Edict effect (e.g. Diabolic Edict).

That said, this is all just theorycraft on my part, too.

EDIT: Faerie Macabre will be a hilarious SB card. I think that The Gate players are also running a copy or two maindeck, since heavy discard decks tend to have issues with 'yard-based strategies.

I did a bit of testing today, only against maverick and merfolk though. The result was that it destroyed merfolk (even when I broke the standstill), which is good, however it struggled against maverick.

Even though the rats worked as expected against merfolk, it was worse than dead against maverick. As you mentioned, against decks like merfolk, zoo and goblins they do what they are supposed to, but they become semi-dead cards against everything else... so they definitely have to go. To fill in the 1 mana slot in my curve, I'll probably be using a few more 1 mana discard/removal (inquisition of kozilek, tragic slip, dismember)

I definitely think I need more pre-board weapons against maverick type decks. I'm thinking one or many of the following:
-increase the land count and include wasteland (interrupt punishing fire, slow down bigger threats)
-as you mentioned, faerie macabre (interrupt graveyard synergies/strategies at faster than instant speed)
-maybe a few bojuka bogs (blank graveyard once in a while)

I'll think about it some more and edit the list.

[cherub_daemon]

To fill in the 1 mana slot in my curve, I'll probably be using a few more 1 mana discard/removal (inquisition of kozilek, tragic slip, dismember)


Innocent Blood might be a strong choice.

[SpeedOfDark]

Innocent Blood might be a strong choice.

If I have room for say 4 removal slots, do you think I should go all out innocent blood or like 2-2 or 3-1 with dismember?
PS: I put "most recent list" at bottom of OP

[cherub_daemon]

If I have room for say 4 removal slots, do you think I should go all out innocent blood or like 2-2 or 3-1 with dismember?


I'd probably start with 4-0 Innocent Blood, since your other removal (Shriekmaw and Gatekeeper) starts recurring in the mid/late game, and the life cost of a 1-cc Dismember is painful if you're trying to stabilize early. If your recursion starts working for you, having dead Innocent Blood draws should be less of an issue.

Maybe put little slips of paper in your sleeves to remind yourself to think about whether you wish you were drawing Dismembers.