[Deck] Casual/Peasant Magic: CAMBA

[Curby]

Cheap-Ass Mono-Black Aggro

The goal is to build a casual black aggro deck using only cheap commons.

If it seems like I'm going a bit overboard for a stupid common pile, understand that this is my start at practicing deck building and optimizing. The entire Legacy cardpool is a bit overwhelming to a newbie deck builder, so restricting myself to commons should make it more approachable. I recommend this to other budding designers too. =)

I chose black because it has no less than five forms of evasion in its cheap commons: protection, fear, shadow, flying, and landwalk. Even better, critters with these abilities are often reasonably efficient (power >= CC). Evasion should help its critters go for the dome and avoid tangling with other decks' bigger threats, while the efficiency should provide constant pressure and hopefully fast kills. Black is also efficient at creature removal (at least for non-black critters) and has a powerful discard suite for some early disruption, all at common rarity. After the list, I discuss individual cards:

Newest list is in this post (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6524&page=2#post201802)

Early Decklist (see above for updates)

// Mana (22)
18 [R] Swamp (1)
4 [R] Dark Ritual

// Creatures (18)
4 [FE] Order of the Ebon Hand (3)
2 [ON] Wretched Anurid
4 [AL] Phyrexian War Beast (1)
4 [EX] Carnophage
4 [TE] Dauthi Slayer

// Critter pumps (4)
4 [MR] Bonesplitter

// Destruction and Disruption (16)
3 [VI] Funeral Charm
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach (1)
3 [MM] Snuff Out
4 [US] Duress
2 [MR] Consume Spirit

// Sideboard
4 [TE] Dauthi Horror (These go in when more evasion is needed)
4 [CHK] Distress (Swap with Duress against creature-heavy decks like Elves! and Goblins!!, or add to remove otherwise difficult threats (e.g. Humility))
4 [CHK] Rend Flesh (Hit black critters)
3 [WL] Spinning Darkness (More free removal)

Adding Uncommon Cards:

Snuff Out --> Smother/Shriekmaw
Phyrexian War Beast --> Hypnotic Specter/Shriekmaw
Funeral Charm --> Night's Whisper
Bonesplitter --> Grafted Wargear
Order of the Ebon Hand --> Stromgald Crusader

1-drop critters

Carnophage An iconic black suicide weenie, and the best 1-drop available to us since Sarcomancy is Rare and runs about $5 each.
Vampire Bats/Phyrexian Battleflies If we don't have enough things to do with our first Swamp, this may be added. It firebreathes for two and could be pumped with equipment.
Nightshade Stinger Arguably even worse than Bats since it can't ever do 2 by itself. Note that none of these fliers can carry a Funeral Charm for extra damage.

2-drop critters

Skulking Ghost, Foul Imp, Fledgling Djinn Here we get some flying creatures that actually do some damage without help, though they come with significant downsides. With the hopes that in a casual environment and a threat-filled deck these might stick around for a while, I'll choose the Foul Imp. Skulking Ghost would be nice except that we can't equip or enchant it.
Dauthi Slayer, Dauthi Horror I'll likely be attacking anyway, and with all the possible damage sources out there, 2 toughness might make the difference to keep it alive. Hence, we'll go with the Slayer for now. See also Funeral Charm.
Wretched Anurid As a 3/3 for 2, he's one of our fatter critters, and pretty efficient to boot. Just hope no one empties the warrens onto our heads.
Order of the Ebon Hand This iconic Black Weenie can safely kill opposing weenies with first strike, and chew up our unspent mid-game mana. While skipping Dauthi Horror left us with an even weaker White Weenie MU, the Order helps balance the scales a bit.
Nezumi Cutthroat Here's a fear option, though the 1 toughness is unfortunate (dies to anything, can't take a Funeral Charm).
Fallen Askari Has flanking for improved combat performance, but in the end it's just a bear when unblocked.
Erg Raiders Compared to the Askari, they're unshockable but can't kill a Kird Ape when attacking.

3-drop critters

Phyrexian War Beast Efficient boltproof critter at the upper end of our mana curve that provides colorless damage and blocks the odd Pro-Black attacker.

Should something else be in this slot?

Pumpers

Though our men are efficient, they're a bit weak while unarmed.

Unholy Strength Is it worth the risk of card disadvantage? +2/+1 for one mana is simply amazing, but with such fragile creatures, it may not pan out.
Bonesplitter The best common equipment, giving +2 power for a total of two mana. When lacking other first turn plays, this could be cast (though it doesn't do much as we have no Hasted critters for play+equip on the second turn).
Sinister Strength +1/+1 over Bonesplitter at the cost of 2-for-1 vulnerability is probably not worth it. +1/+0 over Unholy Strength for twice the cost is definitely not worth it.
Vulshok Morningstar Three extra mana compared to Unholy Strength for one measly toughness. However, this doesn't die with the creature, and moves many out of bolt range.

Removal/Utility

Snuff Out Very importantly, this can be cast out of nowhere, to free up our mana to play threats. It can also surprise the opponent.
Spinning Darkness A "free," Instant-speed drain life for 3 that only hits creatures. Doesn't hit black creatures, but can be cast for free towards the mid game.
Last Gasp Very effective weenie and midrange killer that even buries regenerators and indestructibles. Actually better than Nameles Inversion because it's unlikely we'll ever get a 4-toughness guy on our side.
Diabolic Edict This can get rid of anything the above cards cannot, if we're lucky enough to kill their other creatures. The targeted destruction provided by the "Terror family" may be more useful more often.
Eyeblight's Ending Elves might be more common than Spirits, but we've plenty of options against green critters. Black Elves are uncommon, and can still die to Funeral Charm and Consume Spirit.
Rend Flesh Not much worse than Eyeblight's Ending, but there are a surprising number of spirits. At least it doesn't pump Tarmogoyf as much.
Faceless Butcher Mr. Oubliette provides a 2/3 body for the extra colorless mana. Permanently removes tokens, and helps a creature of our own dodge sweepers. Note that the casting cost is prohibitive in a deck with such a low land count.
Consume Spirit We might not have enough mana to make it hurt much, but it kills black creatures, can finish an opponent, and can keep us alive.
Moonglove Extract The common Aeolipile is actually quite horrible, but provides colorless removal without Jitte, Masticore, and Cursed Scroll.

Discard Option

Black can't remove artifacts and enchantments, so it relies on targeted and mass discard to remove such threats before they're even cast.

Funeral Charm An old-school favorite. Pump your critters to reach for the kill, force a trade in creature combat, bury opposing utility creatures (even regenerating indestructible black ones), or finish the discard job that your other cards started.
Hymn to Tourach Scratching the top of our self-imposed price limits, this is among the more efficient discard cards in print.
Duress Useful to get rid of dangerous cards, but can miss in creature-heavy newbie/casual play.
Distress The low end of our curve is pretty cluttered, making this BB Thoughtseize less viable than Duress in spite of its flexibility.
Ostracize While Duress hits five card types, Ostracize only hits one. Also, we have enough ways of taking care of creatures after they've been cast.

General Notes:

Official peasant magic allows the use of 5 uncommons, for which I'd consider Hypnotic Specter, Shriekmaw, Phyrexian Arena, etc. Sinkhole could be an option to destroy utility lands or further an opponent's mana screw. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of decent black creatures that conform to the stated goals. Almost everything can be acquired for under $1 per card. Obviously, this isn't meant to be a tournament-viable deck, but is reasonably lethal against other casual decks. Suggestions are more than welcome!

Thanks for reading!

The Cheap Ass (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Cheap%20Ass) Series (making 4 fun decks with less than $70):
CAMBA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6524): Cheap-Ass Mono-Black Aggro
CARGA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6848): Cheap-Ass Red-Green Aggro
CAMU (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7268): Cheap-Ass Mono-Blue (Aggro-Control)
CATA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9320): Cheap-Ass 'Tog Affinity

[zulander]

Why don't you run any terror? I think it's a bit better than snuff out.

[Curby]

Why don't you run any terror? I think it's a bit better than snuff out.

I've considered it, but the ability to hit the odd artifact creature may be useful. Also, it lets us keep our lands open to play other threats, as mentioned. In the end, perhaps the four life may prove too painful, especially with other suicide cards such as Carnophage, Foul Imp, and Wretched Anurid. Any other ideas on how to fill this slot?

[technogeek5000]

Having experience with Sui black i can tell you that Snuff out is an incredible card. The life loss is harldy ever an issue and the tempo swing it makes while cast alongside a 1cc or 2cc creature is actually game swinging. Snuff out is one of the best pices of removal black has to offer. Terror still doesnt kill black creatures and it also doesnt kill artifact creatures. If your looking in the 2cc rmeoval range i would think smother would be better then terror but i would still run suff out just because it is a free spell.

[Curby]

If your looking in the 2cc rmeoval range i would think smother would be better then terror but i would still run suff out just because it is a free spell.

Smother's great since it kills black weenies too, and even fatties in Legacy tend to cost 3 or less. That said, it's uncommon so I'll save it for my "mostly common" variant. =)

[outsideangel]

Hymm has been a staple of MBA decks since it was printed. It's amazing and I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't run it.

[Curby]

Hymm has been a staple of MBA decks since it was printed. It's amazing and I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't run it.

I know it's a great card, along the lines of Sinkhole vs other land destruction spells. However, some have argued that just running 4 Sinkholes alone is a bit of wasted space. You will have some effect, but you really want to have more slots dedicated to land destruction to turn it from mildly annoying to devastating.

In that light, I'm not sure that 4 Hymns alone will do much good. Hymn+Duress+Hypnotic might be effective at destroying a slow hand, but if the most I could expect from a typical game is 1 Hymn, it seems like a drop in the bucket. Is my analysis wrong?

Thanks for the replies, everyone. =)

[outsideangel]

I know it's a great card, along the lines of Sinkhole vs other land destruction spells. However, some have argued that just running 4 Sinkholes alone is a bit of wasted space. You will have some effect, but you really want to have more slots dedicated to land destruction to turn it from mildly annoying to devastating.

In that light, I'm not sure that 4 Hymns alone will do much good. Hymn+Duress+Hypnotic might be effective at destroying a slow hand, but if the most I could expect from a typical game is 1 Hymn, it seems like a drop in the bucket. Is my analysis wrong?

Thanks for the replies, everyone. =)

Yeah, well you should also probably be running Duress.

Honestly, a bunch of small-ish critters just aren't going to get the job done a lot of the time. You need to be able to disrupt the opponent to compliment your aggressive strategy. The idea is to keep the other guy off balance long enough for you to go for the throat.

Even if you just run Hymm, it's still better than a solo Sinkhole. Hymm is almost always a 2-for-1, where Sinkhole just trades. Also, because the discard is random, it can compliment various other strategies. See Anwar's Red Death article for a primer on overlapping disruption.

Looking at your list, I'd cut either the Drain Lifes or the Foul Imps for Hymms and then probably the other one for Duress (or possibly Funeral Charm over Drain Life).

[Clark Kant]

Hymn doesn't need Duress or land destruction to work well. Making your opponent randomly discard two cards really screws up a lot of otherwise strong hands.

If you play it early-mid game, you end up hitting the cards that your opponents had been waiting all game to get to the mana to cast. In the casual meta, Hymn usually takes out lots of random fat creatures that if they had cast could have lost you the game.

Duress is another common that you should look into. Just do a search on ebay for "Duress Hymn" and buy an auction with both cards. You can get them for under your budget. And they're a great investment for anyone that wants to play.

Here is what comes to the top of my hand, it's by no means meant to be optimal, just an idea of where to explore, sorry but I have no idea what are commons and which are uncommons. But man, there are a lot of great rares you are cutting yourself off from (Hypnotic Specter, Phyrexian Negator, Dark Confidant, Nantuko Shade, Sinkhole etc)...

22 Swamp

4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Smother
4 Contagion/Funeral Charm/Some Form of Instant Speed Combat Manipulation

4 Sarcomancy
4 Carnophage
3 Rotting Giant
3 Flesh Reaver
4 Phyrexian Warbeast

[outsideangel]

Clark, I think you miss the point of the excercise. Cheap commons only, which eliminates Sarcomancy and Flesh Reaver. Also 22 Swamps is way too many.

[Curby]

I'll add the discard to see how it does, though I'm a bit reluctant to get rid of my fliers. I'll have to consider which to cut.

What sort of critter pumper should I run? Is Bonesplitter fine, or is +1/+1 better to avoid bolts on the Anurid? The old-school guy in me loves the idea of Unholy Strength, but the 2-for-1 risk looms large.

@Rotting Giant: is that better than Wretched Anurid? Adding the discard will give me SOME cards in graveyard, but I don't expect to have more than 2-3. This doesn't not sound like the sort of deck that the Giant will work well in. Why did you suggest it over the Anurid?

@Flesh Reaver: How well does that work in practice? A sewer rat could chump-block to Fireblast me, and even if it connects it drains us both... seems a little TOO risky even for semi-suicide MBA.

Anal-retentive aside: Technically, Hippie is uncommon (I think in terms of Revised, when I started playing) and Sinkhole is a common. But they break the spirit if not the word of peasant magic, so I'm leaving them out. =)

By the way, the original decklist comes in at under $12 in MWS. Yeay!

Thanks for the replies. Decklist has been updated.

[Clark Kant]

Flesh Reaver was a mainstay back in the old suiblack days. I really don't know how well it works now as I haven't run it. I just know that just about everyone used to run it before Nantuko Shade and all these other rare Sui Black beaters got printed. I think it's decent in combination with Smother and the instant speed combat manipulation to ensure it attacks the dome.

Smother is honestly my favorite black removal spells. In legacy, virtually every creature costs less than 2 mana.

Wretched Anurid is awesome. The only reason I didn't include it is because it doesnt' play well with the lifeloss you already take from Flesh Reaver. Plus, I wanted to give you some fresh ideas for creatures and stuff too.

22 Swamps probably is overkill. Black aggro typically runs 18 Swamp & 4 Wasteland which I'm guessing isn't a common. Without Wasteland, you can probably cut back to 20-21 lands.

Rotting Giant might work fine. Half your spells are instants that wind up in the yard, about the same number as Red Death. But Red Death also runs fetchlands and wastelands so I really don't know.

[Curby]

Flesh Reaver was a mainstay back in the old suiblack days. I really don't know how well it works now as I haven't run it. I just know that just about everyone used to run it before Nantuko Shade and all these other rare Sui Black beaters got printed. I think it's decent in combination with Smother and the instant speed combat manipulation to ensure it attacks the dome.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind for my Common/Uncommon version. After checking, seems Flesh Reaver, Smother, and Rotting Giant are all uncommon though (as is Wasteland, as you thought).

I agree Smother is wonderful... it targets black critters, and even the fat tends to cost 3 or less in Legacy.

[outsideangel]

Play more Anurids and less Carnophages. 2/2s don't beat anything. 3/3s beat a lot of things. You have plenty of first turn plays, so the curve can probably support it.

[Tacosnape]

These are commons, but might be too hard to get:

Wei Ambush Force (Very hard to get) and Lurking Nightstalker (Less hard to get.)

[Bovinious]

Vendetta or Ghastly Demise might be good for creature kill.

[Curby]

Play more Anurids and less Carnophages. 2/2s don't beat anything. 3/3s beat a lot of things. You have plenty of first turn plays, so the curve can probably support it.

While I do have a lot of 1-mana spells, it's basically down to Carnophage and Duress for things I'd want to cast first turn. If Bonesplitter is cast on turn 1 by itself, it can't be used until turn 3. However, a turn 1 critter could be equipped with a Bonesplitter to swing on turn 2. Funeral Charm could bury a weenie if I draw first, so that's sometimes turn-1-viable.

What about Dark Ritual? If I Rit, I'd cast a 2-drop and be able to cast Phage, Duress, or Bonesplitter, or cast a War Beast by itself. That's not a problem, as my options abound. However, if I don't draw a Ritual, I'd still like to have an effective turn 1 play.

While the Anurid is unquestionably great, Carnophage is my only 1-drop critter and is one of only three effective turn 1 plays (Phage, Duress, Dark Ritual). By dropping that number, I restrict my ability to have an aggressive start. Please let me know if that's insufficient reason to keep it as a 4-of. How about taking out other 2-drops for more Anurids?


Wei Ambush Force (Very hard to get) and Lurking Nightstalker (Less hard to get.)

They're actually in stock at under a buck apiece at starcitygames, so they're probably not THAT hard to get. The question is, as a 2-drop, what would you take out for these? 1 toughness is awful fragile, and whereas the Order has a ton of abilities to compensate, a 3/1 when attacking and 1/1 otherwise doesn't sound so great for 2. I'd probably opt to increase my Anurids if I wanted more 2-drops, but please convince me otherwise


Vendetta or Ghastly Demise might be good for creature kill.

If the Snuff Out's alternate cost ever gets in the way, I'll certainly consider these. Thanks!

[THEchubbymuffin]

to be totally honest i dont think you should rule out the cheap uncommon's. i am not sure if somebody has recommended this already, but smother is cheaper than duress. and there are probably better versions of certain types of cards for just a bit more money.

[SuckerPunch]

I agree.

It doesn't make sense to rule out uncommons that are cheaper than $1 to get each. From what I can tell, you are trying to develop a cheap deck that people unfamiliar with legacy can throw together and do fairly well with.

Smothers go for about .50 cents.

So do Sarcomancies, Rotting Giants, Wretched Anurids, Flesh Reavers etc.

All these uncommons are a LOT cheaper than Duress.

So why exclude them from the deck?

[KillemallCFH]

I agree.

It doesn't make sense to rule out uncommons that are cheaper than $1 to get each. From what I can tell, you are trying to develop a cheap deck that people unfamiliar with legacy can throw together and do fairly well with.

Smothers go for about .50 cents.

So do Sarcomancies, Rotting Giants, Wretched Anurids, Flesh Reavers etc.

All these uncommons are a LOT cheaper than Duress.

So why exclude them from the deck?Sarcomancy is a rare and goes for a lot more than $0.50 (usually $4-$5), and Wretched Anurid is a common.

[SuckerPunch]

Fair enough, but is it justifiable to leave off the other cards I listed despite them being WAY cheaper than Duress to get.

[Curby]

Fair enough, but is it justifiable to leave off the other cards I listed despite them being WAY cheaper than Duress to get.

Nope, not at all. In fact, I have some really nice uncommons (IRL) like Hypnotic Specter that I'm not using. Much like Peasant Magic's arbitrary "5 uncommons" rule, I just wanted to see what I could do with just cheap commons. It is rather arbitrary, and might result in a suboptimal build for the same amount of money spent, but that's ok with me.

I guess I should develop a rarity-agnostic list to satisfy the ravenous hordes though. :tongue: Before then, here are some thoughts:

A few Plague Slivers ($1-2 each) are nice, though you probably don't want 4 of them. Smother is great, as mentioned. Mask of Memory may help provide some card advantage and cost about $0.25 each. Phyrexian Arena is a bit pricey (in this context), but you can find a playset for less than the cost of a single Dark Confidant. Hand of Cruelty and Knight of Stromgald are great uncommons. Rotting Giant can replace Wretched Anurid if you move in a more graveyard-heavy direction, at which point Ghastly Demise becomes an option. Reanimate can be found for under $2 each and in a creature-heavy casual environment, may do quite well.

For the common version, are Unearth or Restless Dreams any good? Restless Dreams is like a bad Recall, but might be good to restock the hand with critters in the mid-late game.

[Curby]

New Decklist

// Mana (22)
18 [R] Swamp (1)
4 [R] Dark Ritual


This update actually slightly lowers the curve of this deck, but going lower than 18 lands is too risky.

// Creatures (18)
4 [EX] Carnophage
4 [TE] Dauthi Slayer
4 [TE] Dauthi Horror
4 [US] Skittering Skirge
2 [FE] Order of the Ebon Hand (3)



I've found that evasion is paramount because our guys have low toughness and can't stand toe-to-toe with other creatures. For that reason I'm taking out some normal guys and putting in 4 fliers and 4 more Shadows. Skittering Skirge is a bit risky but is one of our more undercosted attackers. Even if it's the only critter on the board, it can cause serious trouble if left unanswered.

// Pumpers (7)
4 [MR] Bonesplitter
3 [5E] Unholy Strength


Yes, Unholy Strength opens the door for 2-for-1s, but it is simply too efficient to pass up. Duress will help us peek into their hand to assess the riskiness of casting it.

// Disruption and Removal (13)
4 [US] Duress
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach (1)
3 [MM] Snuff Out
2 [VI] Funeral Charm


By taking a more aggressive role, our utility suite is slightly reduced. Duress and Hymn are must-haves, and Funeral Charm and Snuff Out are still doing their job. Consume Spirit doesn't grow very big with our tight manabase though, so it is cut. While we lose some reach, our evasive creatures should make up for it.

// Sideboard
2 [FE] Order of the Ebon Hand (3)
4 [TE] Diabolic Edict
4 Distress
3 Unmake
2 Faerie Macabre


We're focusing on evasion, and Orders just don't get through as often as I'd like. However, Kithkin are gaining popularity, and white weenie decks are always around. The rest of the side is a mixture of removal spells for untargetables, black creatures, and lifegain. Note that black Changelings can't be targeted by any of our removal except Funeral Charm!

Monoblack commons have absolutely no defense against resolved non-creature artifacts and enchantments. If this becomes a problem for you, put 4 Distress in the side to come in along with Duress, and try to pluck out problems before they're cast. That's pretty much the best you can do.

EDIT: It's such a shame that Dross Golem is unusable, when Spire Golem and Razor Golem are so good in their colors. The quickest you can cast him is turn two with two Swamps and a Dark Ritual, and you might not get your third land till very late in the game.

EDIT: Rite of Consumption and Scarscale Ritual are promising.

EDIT: Unmake costs a lot but the effect is solid, and on second thought, Orders are great with all the +power pumpers.

[Shtriga]

I think for 70$ you could probably get a few uncommons and rares in the mix. unless you are strict in the "commons only" clause :)

[Curby]

I think for 70$ you could probably get a few uncommons and rares in the mix. unless you are strict in the "commons only" clause :)

Yeah, the point is to use commons only here, but Hypnotic Specter, Grafted Wargear, Phyrexian Arena, Smother, Sudden Death, and the like are all pretty cheap and very effective. Scattered throughout this thread are other ideas for additions.

P.S. The idea is $70 total for 4 decks, not each. This one runs about $15. =)

[THEchubbymuffin]

kirbysdl whats the next deck in the peasant series? I personally like seeing what you have and throwing in some rares to help me win some. so you have to keep making these.

[Curby]

Thanks, it's heartening to get some nice comments once in a while. Have you tried CAMU yet? It's actually my favorite, and has gotten better with pseudo-counterspells and more resilience. I defeated the second place deck in a 25+ player tourney with it! Ok, ok, it was largely luck. :rolleyes:

I still haven't actually constructed CARGA yet, so I'll be working on that in real life next. I'm starting to collect cards for a mono-White build though. Razor Golem, Oblivion Ring, Order of the Golden Cricket... it probably won't be as effective as CAMBA but we'll see. I hope to explore Kithkin and/or Rebels to see if I can get some nice interaction going.

EDIT: For a powered version of this deck that performed well, try this: http://sales.starcitygames.com/deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=21660 . Note that in its Flash-heavy meta, its discard suite gave it much of its power, but it should still be reasonably dangerous today. There are also suicide black threads here on the Source for other powered builds.

[cRUMMYdUMMY]

If you're building cheap decks, why not just build the top decks with replacement cards in the expensive slots? For example, you can build Affinity incredibly cheaply discounting Ravager and replacing with Atog. You can also build Threshold very cheaply since the expensive parts are fetches, duals, goyfs, and forces. Goyfs can be replaced with old school werebears, fetches with terramorphic expanse, and force with foil or some such. Of course, these decks will all be slower, but the optimal expensive lists are still not THAT much better considering the monetary investment. It's the concepts behind the decks themselves that are already great.