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Thread: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

  1. #1

    Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Hi guys n gals! This deck is nothing shocking. No new silly combos or mechanics, but it does seem to be a fast, disruptive and high value. Mono black aggro has been one of if not my favorite archetypes since I got into Magic back in 1995. Caleb Woodward has been rockin a pretty sweet mono black aggro deck recently and it's been hitting MTG Top 8 lists. He's running the really good mono black dudes such as Opposition Agent and Plague Engineer with a highly disruptive control engine with draw. My deck is a certainly more aggro and less control but it feels really strong in the goldfishing. I actually ordered a few of the cards I didn't already have to get it together.

    Anyway, let see the deck.

    Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Creature: (18)
    4x Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4x Dark Confidant
    4x Nighthawk Scavenger
    4x Rotting Regisaur
    2x Blackbloom Rogue

    Removal: (8)
    2x Liliana of the Veil
    2x Eliminate
    2x Fatal Push
    2x Liliana's Triumph

    Disruption: (10)
    4x Hymn to Tourach
    3x Inquisition of Kozilek
    3x Thoughtseize

    Ramp: (4)
    4x Dark Ritual

    Land: (20)
    1x Castle Locthwain
    2x Cavern of Souls
    4x Prismatic Vista
    7x Swamp
    2x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    4x Wasteland

    Sideboard: (15) SB could use some work.
    2x Opposition Agent
    3x Plague Engineer
    3x Pithing Needle
    4x Leyline of the Void
    3x Ratchet Bomb

    This deck has a decent amount of removal and disruption. 12 Disruption (counting Lilly) and 8 Removal. Plus 8 deathtouch creatures, 4 of which have flash so aggro matchups I'm thinking should be in my favor. It also features big fast beats.

    It also features three great synergies.

    1). For starters it's got life loss from Bob but life gain from Nighthawk Scavenger to circumvent this.
    2). Bob has great synergy with both Lilly and Regisaur in that he replaces lost card advantage from their abilities / drawbacks.
    3). It has Rogue synergies. These were actually un-intentional. I had played with N. Scavenger in a test deck about a month ago and discovered that it is amazing. Then discovered Thieves' Guild Enforcer. Not because it was a Rogue but because it was just awesome. Then I realized they were both rogues. The last edition to the deck was Blackbloom Rogue. I actually added him to smooth out the mana base and again, didn't know he was a rogue. Between 10 of these guys and discard/disruption getting Blackbloom Rogue and Thieves' Guild Enforcer to grow is a cinch! Both of these guys are nuts! Blackbloom is a 5/3 menace for only 3 mana and also fixes my mana base. TGE is a 3/2 flash + deathtouch for 1 mana. That's a lot of value.

    Thoughts?
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  2. #2
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Rotting Regisaur could be vulnerable in a fair deck vs cards like StP and Petty Theft (you get 2-for-1ed or 3-for-1ed after discarding)

    Dark Rit + Opp Agent is one of the best things this deck can do.

    It's very tempting to just go full on Rogue aggro since having more Rogues enables Enforcer faster, and Enforcer is bad (vanilla 1/1) if you can't enable it quickly and keep their GY big.
    Bitterblossom tokens trigger Enforcer
    Oona's Blackguard becomes a discard lord. Could be good or bad.
    Faerie Macabre is tribal GY hate that doesn't wreck your deck

    4x Leyline has some big downsides. Makes Enforcer 1/1 forever, Blackbloom 2/3, Scavenger 1/3. It also loses 4 life to Bob. Seems bad.



    //Creatures: 19
    4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4 Dark Confidant
    3 Oona's Blackguard
    4 Nighthawk Scavenger
    4 Opposition Agent

    //Enchantments: 3
    3 Bitterblossom

    //Spells: 18
    4 Dark Ritual
    3 Cabal Therapy
    2 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Bloodchief's Thirst
    2 Eliminate
    4 Hymn to Tourach
    1 Liliana's Triumph

    //Lands: 20
    4 Cavern of Souls
    2 Castle Locthwain
    14 Snow-Covered Swamp

    //Rough Sideboard: 15
    3 Contamination
    1 Nihil Spellbomb
    2 Surgical Extraction
    2 Faerie Macabre
    1 Earwig Squad
    1 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Liliana's Triumph
    1 To the Slaughter
    3 Plague Engineer


    Bitterblossom tokens can be converted to value a couple ways: Contamination lock, Cabal Therapy, Oona's lord, Thieves' mill

    Therapy lets you sac your own Bob to not lose. Also gives value with extra 1/1s.

    Edit: The edicts are for Marit Lage, but I just remembered Bitterblossom turns Marit Lage into Goblin Fireslinger so 3 edicts may be overkill.
    Last edited by FTW; 05-14-2021 at 04:44 PM.

  3. #3

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    Rotting Regisaur could be vulnerable in a fair deck vs cards like StP and Petty Theft (you get 2-for-1ed or 3-for-1ed after discarding)

    Dark Rit + Opp Agent is one of the best things this deck can do.

    It's very tempting to just go full on Rogue aggro since having more Rogues enables Enforcer faster, and Enforcer is bad (vanilla 1/1) if you can't enable it quickly and keep their GY big.
    Bitterblossom tokens trigger Enforcer
    Oona's Blackguard becomes a discard lord. Could be good or bad.
    Faerie Macabre is tribal GY hate that doesn't wreck your deck

    4x Leyline has some big downsides. Makes Enforcer 1/1 forever, Blackbloom 2/3, Scavenger 1/3. It also loses 4 life to Bob. Seems bad.



    //Creatures: 19
    4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4 Dark Confidant
    3 Oona's Blackguard
    4 Nighthawk Scavenger
    4 Opposition Agent

    //Enchantments: 3
    3 Bitterblossom

    //Spells: 18
    4 Dark Ritual
    3 Cabal Therapy
    2 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Bloodchief's Thirst
    2 Eliminate
    4 Hymn to Tourach
    1 Liliana's Triumph

    //Lands: 20
    4 Cavern of Souls
    2 Castle Locthwain
    14 Snow-Covered Swamp

    //Rough Sideboard: 15
    3 Contamination
    1 Nihil Spellbomb
    2 Surgical Extraction
    2 Faerie Macabre
    1 Earwig Squad
    1 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Liliana's Triumph
    1 To the Slaughter
    3 Plague Engineer


    Bitterblossom tokens can be converted to value a couple ways: Contamination lock, Cabal Therapy, Oona's lord, Thieves' mill

    Therapy lets you sac your own Bob to not lose. Also gives value with extra 1/1s.

    Edit: The edicts are for Marit Lage, but I just remembered Bitterblossom turns Marit Lage into Goblin Fireslinger so 3 edicts may be overkill.
    Your list looks tight! All valid points. I actually originally had 2 Bitterblossom main. I cut them for Blackbloom Rogue, mostly because I was sometimes having trouble getting to the 2 black mana for cards like Hymn and Nighthawk Scavenger. But you're right it certainly needs to be in there. I also really like it with Cabal Therapy. The problem with Blackbloom is that I've added two more 3 drops in a deck crowded with 3 drops.

    I had looked at Oona's Blackguard but dismissed it after possibly misreading the text.

    "Each other rogue creature you control comes into play with an "additional" +1/+1 counter on it."

    I think I assumed they'd only get a +1/+1 counter if they already came into play with a +1/+1 counter on it. The word "additional" really threw me off. I would think it would just say:

    "Each other rogue creature you control comes into play with "a" +1/+1 counter on it."

    But yes, if they do come into play with +1/+1 counters they absolutely should be in the deck. Thanks for the heads up!



    Yes, Op Agent should be in there and I knew it would be recommended. Perhaps in my Regisaur slot.

    Dark Ritual is one in question imho. Although I'm running it, I question how good it really is in aggro rather than combo. For the same drawback that Regisaur has, two cards lost to one card such as STP. Dark Ritual creates card disadvantage especially if the spell you are casting with it is countered. I have considered adding more threats and less ramp.

    I have noticed that Caleb's build runs both Ritual and Regisaur. Not sure they are both great here. I ordered my cards already and am going to test my original build but I'm liking yours more and more. Especially Blackgaurd with Cabal Therapy and Op Agent. I could very likely switch mine up to yours if mine's not performing very well.
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  4. #4
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Yeah, Blackguard puts a +1/+1 counter on every Rogue that enters after it. It should play well with tokens and cheap flash creatures, though the discard engine can be a bit slow to get going.

    Good question about Dark Ritual's card disadvantage. I think 4x Opposition Agent justifies it, because you can threaten to Stifle any fetchland with just 1 black open, immediately stealing a land. Powering out Hymn, Liliana or Contamination can be pretty strong too. At least there are multiple ways to regain card advantage.

    I would worry about Ritual's card disadvantage more with Rotting Regisaur. If you Ritual out T1 Regisaur (what Caleb is doing) and they upkeep StP/Push/Decay/bounce it after the discard trigger goes on the stack, that's a 3-for-1. It's a big body but dying to Decay and Push makes it more vulnerable than Gurmag. Nighthawk Scavenger is often a 5/3 deathtouch flying lifelink or bigger. If you can get that for 3 mana, why discard cards for a vanilla 7/6?

    I haven't played monoblack aggro in ages though, so I could be off base. Maybe the fatty is worth it. Maybe the Bitterblossom stuff is too slow and durdly.

    The one card I would really cut from your build is Leyline of the Void. It has anti-synergy with so many of your creatures.

  5. #5

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    Yeah, Blackguard puts a +1/+1 counter on every Rogue that enters after it. It should play well with tokens and cheap flash creatures, though the discard engine can be a bit slow to get going.

    Good question about Dark Ritual's card disadvantage. I think 4x Opposition Agent justifies it, because you can threaten to Stifle any fetchland with just 1 black open, immediately stealing a land. Powering out Hymn, Liliana or Contamination can be pretty strong too. At least there are multiple ways to regain card advantage.

    I would worry about Ritual's card disadvantage more with Rotting Regisaur. If you Ritual out T1 Regisaur (what Caleb is doing) and they upkeep StP/Push/Decay/bounce it after the discard trigger goes on the stack, that's a 3-for-1. It's a big body but dying to Decay and Push makes it more vulnerable than Gurmag. Nighthawk Scavenger is often a 5/3 deathtouch flying lifelink or bigger. If you can get that for 3 mana, why discard cards for a vanilla 7/6?

    I haven't played monoblack aggro in ages though, so I could be off base. Maybe the fatty is worth it. Maybe the Bitterblossom stuff is too slow and durdly.

    The one card I would really cut from your build is Leyline of the Void. It has anti-synergy with so many of your creatures.
    All very good points. The more I'm looking at your list the more I'm loving it. Everything about your deck is better than mine. I'm definitely going to go that route. I do want to squeeze in a couple Lillys though. Might make a couple of small changes. There's a lot of hidden synergies in your build. It looks F-ing brutal!

    Bitterblossom can be a bit slow (like you said) but it activates Thieves Guild Enforcer every turn. Also you get Cabal Therapy advantage. I think 2x main feels correct.

    I also would like to squeeze a couple Blackbloom Rogue into the deck. He's actually a really big scary evasion creature and the icing on the cake is that he fixes mana.

    You've sold me on Dark Ritual + Op Agent too.
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  6. #6
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Lily should be good, especially if you run more than 1 Liliana's Triumphs in the 75.

    2 Bitterblossom might be more correct.

    I've played UB Rogues in Standard: Thieves' Guild Enforcer, Nighthawk Scavenger, Soaring Thought-Thief, Brazen Borrower, Blackbloom Rogue. The creatures are fun, surprisingly good, and mana-efficient enough that you can back it up with aggro-control disruption. Nighthawk Scavenger is an absolute powerhouse if it survives, especially if you can discard out their removal before casting it. Blackbloom Rogue can hit for a lot when you're flooded and don't need it as a land. The only reason I didn't have Blackbloom Rogue in the above list is I felt the 3 spot was already crowded (for a Legacy curve) while ETB tapped is a big tempo hit for an aggro deck, so it was competing with better cards for both 3cc and lands. It can be a really scary attacker though.

    Oona's Blackguard makes Nighthawk Scavenger enter as an X/4 immune to Bolt and Delver, which could be a big difference vs RUG and UR. Oona's Blackguard is the kind of card that seems like it has potential (evasive lord + discard engine) but is a bit slow and durdly. I've wanted it to make it work for a while. All these new powerhouse Rogues might be enough to do it.

  7. #7

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    Lily should be good, especially if you run more than 1 Liliana's Triumphs in the 75.

    2 Bitterblossom might be more correct.

    I've played UB Rogues in Standard: Thieves' Guild Enforcer, Nighthawk Scavenger, Soaring Thought-Thief, Brazen Borrower, Blackbloom Rogue. The creatures are fun, surprisingly good, and mana-efficient enough that you can back it up with aggro-control disruption. Nighthawk Scavenger is an absolute powerhouse if it survives, especially if you can discard out their removal before casting it. Blackbloom Rogue can hit for a lot when you're flooded and don't need it as a land. The only reason I didn't have Blackbloom Rogue in the above list is I felt the 3 spot was already crowded (for a Legacy curve) while ETB tapped is a big tempo hit for an aggro deck, so it was competing with better cards for both 3cc and lands. It can be a really scary attacker though.

    Oona's Blackguard makes Nighthawk Scavenger enter as an X/4 immune to Bolt and Delver, which could be a big difference vs RUG and UR. Oona's Blackguard is the kind of card that seems like it has potential (evasive lord + discard engine) but is a bit slow and durdly. I've wanted it to make it work for a while. All these new powerhouse Rogues might be enough to do it.
    Okay, so I was trying to tweak your build a bit to include Lilly but I don't think there is room. I was feeling that if I was going to run another 3 drop we would want Blackbloom Rogue to smooth out the mana and lands.

    Speaking of lands. I realized that you don't have Wastelands. Shouldn't they be in here? Maybe not, but feels weird not to have them.

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    The only reason I didn't have Blackbloom Rogue in the above list is I felt the 3 spot was already crowded (for a Legacy curve) while ETB tapped is a big tempo hit for an aggro deck, so it was competing with better cards for both 3cc and lands. It can be a really scary attacker though.
    I agree. So I actually cut an Op Agent. Is that a bad idea?

    Also with all of the deathtouch creatures I figured we could go down to 4 creature removal spells.

    One last thing I did was change up the targeted discard spells. Cabal Therapy is just so much better if you can hit your opponent with an IoK or Thoughtseize first. Also, Iok And Thoughtseize are one of the best first turn plays next to Ritual.

    Sideboard I made zero changes to. It looks pretty good to me.



    How does this list look?


    //Creatures: 19
    4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4 Dark Confidant
    3 Oona's Blackguard
    4 Nighthawk Scavenger
    3 Opposition Agent
    1 Blackbloom Rogue

    //Enchantments: 2
    2 Bitterblossom

    //Spells: 18
    4 Dark Ritual
    2 Cabal Therapy
    2 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Thoughtsieze
    2 Bloodchief's Thirst
    2 Eliminate
    4 Hymn to Tourach


    //Lands: 21
    3 Wasteland
    2 Cavern of Souls
    1 Castle Locthwain
    2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    13 Snow-Covered Swamp

    //Rough Sideboard: 15
    3 Contamination
    1 Nihil Spellbomb
    2 Surgical Extraction
    2 Faerie Macabre
    1 Earwig Squad
    1 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Liliana's Triumph
    1 To the Slaughter
    3 Plague Engineer
    Last edited by Laser Brains; 05-16-2021 at 06:28 PM.
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  8. #8
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    Okay, so I was trying to tweak your build a bit to include Lilly but I don't think there is room. I was feeling that if I was going to run another 3 drop we would want Blackbloom Rogue to smooth out the mana and lands.

    Speaking of lands. I realized that you don't have Wastelands. Shouldn't they be in here? Maybe not, but feels weird not to have them.
    Wasteland is good. Especially paired with the Op Agent mana denial.

    I just wanted to be able to cast Hymn without mana issues (Cavern + Wasteland). This is a manabase tension that comes up in mono B Pox too, because they want to run all these colorless utility lands but they also need BB on turn 2, so the land slots are a careful balancing act. Consistent turn 2 Hymn requires something like 15 black sources? Blackbloom doesn't really count towards that because you don't want to be curving out T1 tapped land, T2 Hymn into Daze/Pierce/Veil, opponent takes turn 3 while you've accomplished nothing. That's no aggro plan. This wants a turn 1 play, which means Blackbloom doesn't functionally count towards T2 Hymn. Castle does count because you can curve T1 Swamp into T2 Castle Hymn without loss of tempo.

    You've got Urborgs. That is one way to play nonbasics into T2 Hymn but I don't like Urborg with Opposition Agent because it makes their uncracked fetches tap for colored mana, reducing their need to walk into your trap card. Without Urborg you need a high number of black lands so there's a lot of competition for nonbasic slots. Maybe Wastelands are still correct, with fewer Caverns like you have. We don't need Cavern as badly as Goblin Lackey decks and have discard to remove counters from hand. Your 3 Wasteland + 2 Cavern + 1 Castle + 15 Swamps seems good without needing Urborg.


    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    I agree. So I actually cut an Op Agent. Is that a bad idea?
    I think Op Agent is the best reason to be in mono black with Dark Ritual. It has all the tribal synergies too. I would cut pretty much anything else first. That's why I couldn't find room for Rogue in my list. Rogue can be a good 3-mana clock sometimes, but compared to Nighthawk Scavenger not even close. After Op Agent and Nighthawk, how many 3s can you afford to run? Maybe 3 Op Agent is still enough. Test it out and see how it goes.

    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    One last thing I did was change up the targeted discard spells. Cabal Therapy is just so much better if you can hit your opponent with an IoK or Thoughtseize first. Also, Iok And Thoughtseize are one of the best first turn plays next to Ritual.
    Yeah, I had some IoKs in there (instead of just 4 Therapy) for that reason. But I specifically used only a mix of Cabal Therapy and IoK to avoid Thoughtseize life loss. Extra lifeloss seemed unnecessary in a deck running Bob and Castle and Bitterblossom and only 4 lifelink creatures main (Jitte SB). What about playing 3 IoK + 3 Therapy + 0 Thoughtseize instead? Or 4 IoK + 2 Therapy?

    May come down to personal preference too. Therapy is a card that has a wide range of results among pilots because of the poker element. I love playing Cabal Therapy but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    Sideboard I made zero changes to. It looks pretty good to me.
    That sideboard was just pulled out of thin air. I didn't think much about sideboard mapping or bad matchups. Just some fun cards that synergize with the deck plan. Completely untested. Tweak as you see fit.

    Make sure you have some answers to EOT Marit Lage and cheatyface Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. That's what Liliana's Triumph was for. Without StP or Karakas, the monoblack removal suite is inherently weaker to those fatties. Instant speed edict effect saves you from nasty 1-shots. I think Caleb was running a couple Triumph for the same reason.

    The 1 To the Slaughter was a hedge between needing edict slots and having answers to nasty things like Karn (Eliminate can't kill it, Thirst can't kill it for less than 4 mana sorcery speed).

  9. #9

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    Wasteland is good. Especially paired with the Op Agent mana denial.

    I just wanted to be able to cast Hymn without mana issues (Cavern + Wasteland). This is a manabase tension that comes up in mono B Pox too, because they want to run all these colorless utility lands but they also need BB on turn 2, so the land slots are a careful balancing act. Consistent turn 2 Hymn requires something like 15 black sources? Blackbloom doesn't really count towards that because you don't want to be curving out T1 tapped land, T2 Hymn into Daze/Pierce/Veil, opponent takes turn 3 while you've accomplished nothing. That's no aggro plan. This wants a turn 1 play, which means Blackbloom doesn't functionally count towards T2 Hymn. Castle does count because you can curve T1 Swamp into T2 Castle Hymn without loss of tempo.

    You've got Urborgs. That is one way to play nonbasics into T2 Hymn but I don't like Urborg with Opposition Agent because it makes their uncracked fetches tap for colored mana, reducing their need to walk into your trap card. Without Urborg you need a high number of black lands so there's a lot of competition for nonbasic slots. Maybe Wastelands are still correct, with fewer Caverns like you have. We don't need Cavern as badly as Goblin Lackey decks and have discard to remove counters from hand. Your 3 Wasteland + 2 Cavern + 1 Castle + 15 Swamps seems good without needing Urborg.




    I think Op Agent is the best reason to be in mono black with Dark Ritual. It has all the tribal synergies too. I would cut pretty much anything else first. That's why I couldn't find room for Rogue in my list. Rogue can be a good 3-mana clock sometimes, but compared to Nighthawk Scavenger not even close. After Op Agent and Nighthawk, how many 3s can you afford to run? Maybe 3 Op Agent is still enough. Test it out and see how it goes.



    Yeah, I had some IoKs in there (instead of just 4 Therapy) for that reason. But I specifically used only a mix of Cabal Therapy and IoK to avoid Thoughtseize life loss. Extra lifeloss seemed unnecessary in a deck running Bob and Castle and Bitterblossom and only 4 lifelink creatures main (Jitte SB). What about playing 3 IoK + 3 Therapy + 0 Thoughtseize instead? Or 4 IoK + 2 Therapy?

    May come down to personal preference too. Therapy is a card that has a wide range of results among pilots because of the poker element. I love playing Cabal Therapy but it's not everyone's cup of tea.



    That sideboard was just pulled out of thin air. I didn't think much about sideboard mapping or bad matchups. Just some fun cards that synergize with the deck plan. Completely untested. Tweak as you see fit.

    Make sure you have some answers to EOT Marit Lage and cheatyface Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. That's what Liliana's Triumph was for. Without StP or Karakas, the monoblack removal suite is inherently weaker to those fatties. Instant speed edict effect saves you from nasty 1-shots. I think Caleb was running a couple Triumph for the same reason.

    The 1 To the Slaughter was a hedge between needing edict slots and having answers to nasty things like Karn (Eliminate can't kill it, Thirst can't kill it for less than 4 mana sorcery speed).

    I must say that you two and I must be fans of the same kinds of decks. I have always enjoyed Caleb's legacy content and especially when he plays mono black. This deck seems great and I already have a lot of it from my modern collection. Opposition Agent just seems like such a sweet card to play with, and I have always liked Bob...I'm going to sleeve this up as well.

  10. #10

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    Wasteland is good. Especially paired with the Op Agent mana denial.

    I just wanted to be able to cast Hymn without mana issues (Cavern + Wasteland). This is a manabase tension that comes up in mono B Pox too, because they want to run all these colorless utility lands but they also need BB on turn 2, so the land slots are a careful balancing act. Consistent turn 2 Hymn requires something like 15 black sources? Blackbloom doesn't really count towards that because you don't want to be curving out T1 tapped land, T2 Hymn into Daze/Pierce/Veil, opponent takes turn 3 while you've accomplished nothing. That's no aggro plan. This wants a turn 1 play, which means Blackbloom doesn't functionally count towards T2 Hymn. Castle does count because you can curve T1 Swamp into T2 Castle Hymn without loss of tempo.

    You've got Urborgs. That is one way to play nonbasics into T2 Hymn but I don't like Urborg with Opposition Agent because it makes their uncracked fetches tap for colored mana, reducing their need to walk into your trap card. Without Urborg you need a high number of black lands so there's a lot of competition for nonbasic slots. Maybe Wastelands are still correct, with fewer Caverns like you have. We don't need Cavern as badly as Goblin Lackey decks and have discard to remove counters from hand. Your 3 Wasteland + 2 Cavern + 1 Castle + 15 Swamps seems good without needing Urborg.




    I think Op Agent is the best reason to be in mono black with Dark Ritual. It has all the tribal synergies too. I would cut pretty much anything else first. That's why I couldn't find room for Rogue in my list. Rogue can be a good 3-mana clock sometimes, but compared to Nighthawk Scavenger not even close. After Op Agent and Nighthawk, how many 3s can you afford to run? Maybe 3 Op Agent is still enough. Test it out and see how it goes.



    Yeah, I had some IoKs in there (instead of just 4 Therapy) for that reason. But I specifically used only a mix of Cabal Therapy and IoK to avoid Thoughtseize life loss. Extra lifeloss seemed unnecessary in a deck running Bob and Castle and Bitterblossom and only 4 lifelink creatures main (Jitte SB). What about playing 3 IoK + 3 Therapy + 0 Thoughtseize instead? Or 4 IoK + 2 Therapy?

    May come down to personal preference too. Therapy is a card that has a wide range of results among pilots because of the poker element. I love playing Cabal Therapy but it's not everyone's cup of tea.



    That sideboard was just pulled out of thin air. I didn't think much about sideboard mapping or bad matchups. Just some fun cards that synergize with the deck plan. Completely untested. Tweak as you see fit.

    Make sure you have some answers to EOT Marit Lage and cheatyface Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. That's what Liliana's Triumph was for. Without StP or Karakas, the monoblack removal suite is inherently weaker to those fatties. Instant speed edict effect saves you from nasty 1-shots. I think Caleb was running a couple Triumph for the same reason.

    The 1 To the Slaughter was a hedge between needing edict slots and having answers to nasty things like Karn (Eliminate can't kill it, Thirst can't kill it for less than 4 mana sorcery speed).
    Aha! I see the method of your madness. Also, didn't even think about Op Agent and Urborg anti-synergies. Good call. I'm going to take your advice on the 3x Wasteland + 2x Cavern + 1x Castle + 15x Swamps and 0x Urborg.

    Yes the Cabal Therapy and yes it's not everyone's cup of tea. I somehow just got lucky with it when I used to play Pox. I almost always just say Brainstorm if I don't know what my opponent is playing. I do like to have a peek at the opponent's hand first though so I usually build with that in mind. Perhaps 4x IoK and 2x Therapy or 3 and 3. You're right about life loss on Thoughtseize too. We're already taking a bunch of damage from Bitterblossom and Bob.

    @FistaCuff: If you get this deck together and get some matches in, please post your results. I'm curious as to how well this holds up.
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  11. #11

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    I put this together last night. I’ll try and get some test games in tonight. I went with 2 bitterblossom and 1 liliana of the veil.

  12. #12

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Just saw this list. Very cool idea. I really think it should be playing 2 Reanimate maindeck.

    With all the mill effects you play, Reanimating your opponents Tarmogoyf or TNN or Griselbrand or even reanimating a Delver or Dragon or Snapcaster or Hexdrinker or Rabblemaster is going to win you quite a few games. The floor is that its an Unearth that costs you life, but the upside of reanimating the TNN or Griselbrand or Snapcaster flashback Hymn that you had used to make them discard or Pushed or had them mill is well worth it.

  13. #13

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    That new Dauthi Voidwalker dude is insane and seemingly should fit in this deck because he's a rogue. A 3/2 shadow creature for BB is great, plus gravehate and an awesome ability. Imagine a turn one, Swamp, Dark Ritual, Dauthi Voidwalker, Thoughtseize (nabbing a high cc spell / creature) then activating his ability the following turn. There's a lot of options. Griselbrand obviously comes to mind etc...



    However, he's a bit of a nombo with Thieves' Guild Enforcer and Nighthawk Scavenger. If you're munching up your opponent's yard then Thieves' Guild Enforcer is just a vanilla 1/1 with flash. However, TGE does mill two cards giving Dauthi Voidwalker more options. So I could see maybe running both in the same deck.

    Nighthawk Scavenger on the other hand will suffer but maybe not too much depending on which dude you cast first. Also depends on if you're on the draw or not. If your opponent goes first and cracks a fetch then casts Ponder or Brainstorm you'll have two card types in you're opponent's yard thus making you're NHS is a 3/3 lifelink deathtouch dude. And that's still pretty good.

    My thoughts are that you could still run both. Maybe just a couple less NHS than 4 maindeck.

    Maybe something like this: (Possibly Plague Engineer over Oona's Blackguard)

    //Creatures: 19
    4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4 Dauthi Voidwalker
    2 Dark Confidant
    2 Oona's Blackguard
    2 Nighthawk Scavenger
    3 Opposition Agent
    2 Bitterblossom

    //Spells: 20
    4 Dark Ritual
    2 Cabal Therapy
    2 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Thoughtsieze
    2 Bloodchief's Thirst
    2 Eliminate
    2 Sudden Edict
    4 Hymn to Tourach


    //Lands: 21
    3 Wasteland
    2 Cavern of Souls
    1 Castle Locthwain
    2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    13 Snow-Covered Swamp

    //Rough Sideboard: 15
    3 Contamination
    1 Nihil Spellbomb
    2 Surgical Extraction
    2 Faerie Macabre
    1 Earwig Squad
    1 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Liliana's Triumph
    1 To the Slaughter
    3 Plague Engineer

    [EDIT]: This seems like a decent mana curve.
    16x one drops
    18x two drops
    5x three drops
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  14. #14
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    The anti-synergy between Dauthi Voidwalker and the other graveyard stuff seems like a problem. Thieves' Guild is not playable as a 1/1 mill 2. Nighthawk is not playable as a 1/3.

    Somebody donated a deck very close to yours to ThrabenU:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZib8wAmNV0


    Their deck

    //Creatures: 18
    4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4 Oona's Blackguard
    4 Dark Confidant
    4 Dauthi Voidwalker
    2 Opposition Agent

    //Enchantments: 2
    2 Bitterblossom

    //Equipment: 1
    1 Umezawa's Jitte

    //Spells: 20
    4 Dark Ritual
    4 Thoughtseize
    1 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Fatal Push
    2 Reanimate
    4 Hymn to Tourach
    3 Sudden Edict

    //Lands: 19
    4 Mutavault
    1 Castle Locthwain
    1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    13 Swamp

    //Sideboard: 15
    3 Surgical Extraction
    2 Necromentia
    2 Ratchet Bomb
    2 Plague Engineer
    2 Eliminate
    1 Sudden Edict
    1 Bitterblossom
    1 Sorcerous Spyglass


    Phil went 2-3 and said basically the same thing about the antisynergy. He recommended picking 1 of 2 directions instead of mixing both.

    I noticed the deck also suicided too much life to Thoughtseize and Bob without enough ways to regain life or be able to sacrifice Bob, which ended up losing some games. Bitterblossom life loss just adds to that even more. Playing Monoblack back in the day (2008-2010 Legacy), it usually tried to mitigate life loss and had ways to kill Bob (even just Cabal Therapy). 4 Thoughtseize is probably a mistake. Inquisition of Kozilek and Cabal Therapy are better in this deck, while Hymn can clean up high CMC things left behind.


    Rogues Version
    If you want to go hard on Rogues, maybe cut Voidwalker and use Nighthawk to compensate for life loss. Even in a pure Rogue deck, 4x Blackguard seems like too much. Mutavault also seems like a trap since it doesn't actually benefit from any of the Rogue synergy, it's a Mishra's Factory that loses harder to Plague Engineer on Rogue.


    //Rogues: 17
    4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer
    4 Dark Confidant
    2 Oona's Blackguard
    4 Nighthawk Scavenger
    3 Opposition Agent

    //More Rogues: 2
    2 Bitterblossom

    //Equipment: 1
    1 Umezawa's Jitte

    //Spells: 20
    4 Dark Ritual
    3 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Cabal Therapy
    2 Fatal Push
    1 Bloodchief's Thirst
    2 Eliminate
    2 Sudden Edict
    4 Hymn to Tourach

    //Lands: 20
    3 Wasteland
    2 Cavern of Souls
    1 Castle Locthwain
    14 Swamp

    //Sideboard: 15
    3 Plague Engineer
    2 Earwig Squad
    2 Faerie Macabre
    2 Surgical Extraction
    2 Powder Keg
    1 Sudden Edict
    1 Cabal Therapy
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Liliana, the Last Hope



    NonTribal version
    Voidwalker seems better in regular monoblack without the tribal stuff. Cling to Dust is a more controlling way to gain life. Lili is another good payoff for Dark Ritual if not running 3-mana Rogues.



    //Creatures: 10
    4 Dark Confidant
    4 Dauthi Voidwalker
    2 Opposition Agent

    //Equipment: 1
    1 Umezawa's Jitte

    //Planeswalkers: 4
    4 Liliana of the Veil

    //Spells: 24
    4 Dark Ritual
    4 Inquisition of Kozilek
    2 Thoughtseize
    2 Reanimate
    2 Cling to Dust
    2 Bloodchief's Thirst
    2 Eliminate
    2 Liliana's Triumph
    4 Hymn to Tourach

    //Lands: 21
    3 Wasteland
    3 Mishra's Factory
    1 Castle Locthwain
    1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    13 Swamp

    //Sideboard: 15
    3 Plague Engineer
    3 Surgical Extraction
    2 Necromentia
    2 Powder Keg
    2 Sudden Edict
    1 Pithing Needle

  15. #15

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    So I toyed around with the tribal version running Thieves Guild Enforcer with Voidwalker and they really don't work well together at all. TGE as a 1/1 has zero kick to it other than it mills a few cards to exile. Like you were saying, this leaves two routes: 1). Go tribal rogues and cut Voidwalker completely. OR.. 2). Go non-tribal mono black beats.

    I'm liking your non-tribal route better. Seems like it should have 2x Cabal Therapy in the 2x Thoughtseize slot as it combos nicely with IoK due to the information it gives you, and you can sac your Bobs if they get out of hand. Also with 4x Voidwalkers maybe Cling to Dust is the flex slot. Also, Reanimate because you'll lack the option of animating your opponent's dudes if Voidwalker is in play plus you're going to take more damage in addition to Bob. Maybe, this is were Unearth is better?

    Seems like we should have a faster clock and heavier beats but I can't think of anything that synergizes well. Bob sort puts the axe on high cc delve creatures like Angler and Tombstalker. Looks like we could get either get hellbent fairly fast between Dark Ritual and/or Lilly, and also have dead cards late game (after your opponent is hellbent Iok and Hymn don't do much). So maybe something that takes advantage of that. Regisaur then becomes more attractive, but then he's another 3 drop.

    You'd have to build around a suicide package but Scourge of the Skyclaves and Death's Shadow come to mind.
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  16. #16

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Any updates on this deck? I always feel like these mono black decks with strong 3 drops seem great, but I can’t ever find much info on them.

  17. #17

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FistaCuffSmith View Post
    Any updates on this deck? I always feel like these mono black decks with strong 3 drops seem great, but I can’t ever find much info on them.
    I've been toying with a new Stompy list that goes all in on mana denial but I haven't tested it outside of goldfishing yet. It seems like it should have some good matchups. There's a lot of threats to counter. I'm wondering if some removal creature like Ravenous Chupacabra should go into the Bob slot and leave the card drawing to Locthwain.
    Also, looks like you could get hellbent pretty fast so another card I was toying with is Cursed Scroll. Not running it as a Stax deck but maybe 2x or so Braids, Cabal Minion wouldn't be shitty. It'd still be an aggro deck with Braids to mop up any of the permanents that your opponent manages to squeeze through your mana denial.

    Beatz (16)
    2x Dark Confidant
    3x Dauthi Voidwalker
    4x Opposition Agent
    3x Plague Engineer
    4x Rotting Regisaur

    Mana Denial: 14 (22 counting Op Agent and Wasteland)
    4x Chalice of the Void
    4x Sinkhole
    4x Tangle Wire
    2x Trinisphere

    Land / Ramp (30)
    4x Mox Diamond
    4x Ancient Tomb
    2x Castle Locthwain
    3x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    4x Wasteland
    13x Swamp
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  18. #18
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    If you're making this into a Stompy variant, check out Reeplcheep's Curse Stompy thread. He's done a lot of work and testing on black stompy in 2021.

    You probably want to play Dark Ritual even with Chalice in the deck, because the mana boost is just so explosive.

    Chrome Mox is probably better than playing Mox Diamond with high land count (bad topdecks).

    Spell lands like Blackbloom Rogue or Hagra Mauling are useful. They let you boost your "land count" (have more black sources) without worrying about topdecking lands later. They work well with Chrome Mox too, but not as well with Bob.

    For consistent BB I think you only need 16 black sources in the deck. Your manabase could be something like this.
    4 Chrome Mox
    3 Blackbloom Rogue
    1 Hagra Mauling
    3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    2 Castle Locthwain
    7 Swamp
    4 Ancient Tomb
    4 Wasteland

    That's only 20 lands + 4 Mox, instead of 30 mana slots! But you still have 16 B-producing "lands" + 4 Mox. You should have no problem casting Sinkhole while having 6 fewer land topdecks. That also frees up 2 more slots for beatz or spheres.

  19. #19

    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    If you're making this into a Stompy variant, check out Reeplcheep's Curse Stompy thread. He's done a lot of work and testing on black stompy in 2021.

    You probably want to play Dark Ritual even with Chalice in the deck, because the mana boost is just so explosive.

    Chrome Mox is probably better than playing Mox Diamond with high land count (bad topdecks).

    Spell lands like Blackbloom Rogue or Hagra Mauling are useful. They let you boost your "land count" (have more black sources) without worrying about topdecking lands later. They work well with Chrome Mox too, but not as well with Bob.

    For consistent BB I think you only need 16 black sources in the deck. Your manabase could be something like this.
    4 Chrome Mox
    3 Blackbloom Rogue
    1 Hagra Mauling
    3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    2 Castle Locthwain
    7 Swamp
    4 Ancient Tomb
    4 Wasteland

    That's only 20 lands + 4 Mox, instead of 30 mana slots! But you still have 16 B-producing "lands" + 4 Mox. You should have no problem casting Sinkhole while having 6 fewer land topdecks. That also frees up 2 more slots for beatz or spheres.

    That makes sense. Thanks FTW! I did actually manage to get three games in last night on Untapped.in and the deck felt really strong! I did go 1-2 though. I was playing against one of those new super fast Madness decks. Game one I kept a bad hand of almost all mana and lost. Game two I had to mulligan for the exact opposite reason but ended up winning. Voidwalker and some lock piece were really good here. Voidwalkers gravehate came in super handy. Tangle Wires feel great for buying time and tempo. I closed this game out with a Regisaur quickly. Game three he went first and exploded his hand all over the battlefield and I wasn't able to recover. I do feel like I could have won game one though if I would have mulliganed.

    So do you recommend both Chrome Mox annnnnd Dark Ritual? I was thinking one or the other but maybe that'd be good for getting my threats on the table faster. I'll for sure run Blackbloom Rogue. This deck feels like a monster!

    Also, I'm liking Braids in the Bob slot. Not for prison though. Mostly for slowing opponent while I beat down and close out the game. With the exception of Sinkhole every card in the deck is a permanent so there is always something to sac to Braids. Decks running a lot of non-permanent spells should likely have trouble recovering from that.

    I'm gonna take another look at Reeple's mana base and borrow some ideas. Thanks for the suggestion!
    "WaaaauuugghhhaaaauuugghhhaauuugghhhaaauuugghhhW" -Chewbacca

  20. #20
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    Re: Laser's Mono Black Aggro 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    That makes sense. Thanks FTW! I did actually manage to get three games in last night on Untapped.in and the deck felt really strong! I did go 1-2 though. I was playing against one of those new super fast Madness decks. Game one I kept a bad hand of almost all mana and lost. Game two I had to mulligan for the exact opposite reason but ended up winning. I do feel like I could have won game one though if I would have mulliganed.
    These mana variance reasons are exactly the reason to play Blackbloom Rogues with Stompy mana.

    Stompy shells have worse card selection than most Legacy decks and tend to risk either lack of colored mana sources (due to colorless lands like Ancient Tomb & Wasteland) or mana flood (if running a high basic count to get colored mana, but then having no card selection to filter draws). With 30/60 cards as mana, each draw step has 50% chance to be mana so you have high risk of flood. Double-faced lands like Blackbloom Rogue are major tech here, giving colored mana in the early game and then business as topdecks. Reeplcheep tested this a lot and always runs 4 now (Pelakka Predation or Hagra Mauling make more sense for Curses, but Blackbloom seems better for your aggro). You could also consider 1-2 Agadeem's Awakening in those slots, since you actually have good low CMC creatures to return.


    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    So do you recommend both Chrome Mox annnnnd Dark Ritual? I was thinking one or the other but maybe that'd be good for getting my threats on the table faster. I'll for sure run Blackbloom Rogue. This deck feels like a monster!
    Check with Reeplcheep and his decklists for that. Curses runs both Dark Rit and Mox, but it also has a higher curve than you with more 4-5 cmc spells.

    T1 Dark Rit -> Trinisphere or Dark Rit -> Opposition Agent are both monster plays that can steal games. But running both Rit + Mox does mean more card disadvantage, so you may want to keep a draw engine like Bob. Curses is more able to take that card disadvantage gambit since it runs hard-to-remove 1-card win-cons (Karn, Curse, Helm) and only needs to resolve one. Aggro may need to resolve multiple creatures, and each can be answered by 1-mana spells (StP, Terminus, Push), so card disadvantage may bite you a lot more. You may have to pick between Ritual and Mox.


    Quote Originally Posted by Laser Brains View Post
    Also, I'm liking Braids in the Bob slot. Not for prison though. Mostly for slowing opponent while I beat down and close out the game. With the exception of Sinkhole every card in the deck is a permanent so there is always something to sac to Braids. Decks running a lot of non-permanent spells should likely have trouble recovering from that.
    If you're looking at Braids in Black Stompy, then can you find room for Crucible of Worlds? It negates Braids' drawback and also lets you Wastelock greedy mana. Then you can save Sinkhole for basics and really manascrew them.

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