Decks

Standard Lethal Combo in mono-Black

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Since the mechanic Crime was introduced in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, I have off and on been playing a mono-black deck in Standard B01. I used the launch of the following sets, Bloomburrow, Duskmourn and Foundations, to see if I could improve on the deck as it is not, despite being fun to play, a Tier 1 deck by any stretch of the imagination.

Since its inception, I have tweaked the deck only a little bit. Among the recent additions are Fell and Bandits’ Talent. The first is a decent creature removal spell and the second fits nicely into the theme of the deck. Another key addition is Unstoppable Slasher from Duskmourn, a card that many decks have a hard time removing permanently.

Fell
Bandit's Talent
Unstoppable Slasher

With Foundations, I again went back to see if there was something I could again add to the deck. While nothing leaped out, I did decide to pair up Unstoppable Slasher with Bloodletter of Aclazotz. I will not claim credit for this impressive combo but will definitely vouch for its effectiveness after feeling its effects first hand.

Why is this combo so powerful? When Unstoppable Slasher deals combat damage to your opponent, they lose half of their life, rounded up. Then, Bloodletter of Aclazotz does its thing and doubles that damage. Between the two of them, that’s fatal damage! Granted it does require that both cards be on the battlefield and that Unstoppable Slasher deal player damage, but it’s not hard to line this up.

Other core pieces like Tinybones, the Pickpocket, Deep-Cavern Bat and Hopeless Nightmare remain in the deck. I’ve also started looking at sideboard additions to see if I can move this deck up to B03.

Tinybones, the Pickpocket
Hopeless Nightmare

Here is my latest mono-Black B01 Standard ‘Crime Does Pay’ deck:

Deck

  • 1 The Dross Pits (ONE) 251
  • 16 Swamp (MH3) 315
  • 2 Tinybones Joins Up (OTJ) 108
  • 2 Tinybones, the Pickpocket (OTJ) 109
  • 1 Mirrex (ONE) 254
  • 4 Deep-Cavern Bat (LCI) 102
  • 2 Demolition Field (BRO) 260
  • 2 Vadmir, New Blood (OTJ) 113
  • 2 Kaervek, the Punisher (OTJ) 92
  • 3 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor (BRO) 95
  • 2 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal (LCI) 88
  • 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (DMU) 107
  • 2 Sheoldred’s Edict (ONE) 108
  • 2 Fell (BLB) 95
  • 3 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
  • 2 Skullcap Snail (LCI) 119
  • 3 Hopeless Nightmare (WOE) 95
  • 1 Hidden Necropolis (LCI) 275
  • 2 Bandit’s Talent (BLB) 83
  • 1 Vein Ripper (MKM) 110
  • 2 Unstoppable Slasher (DSK) 119
  • 2 Hostile Investigator (BIG) 10

Sideboard

  • 2 Gix’s Command (BRO) 97
  • 2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97
  • 2 Gisa, the Hellraiser (OTJ) 89
  • 2 Duress (STA) 29
  • 2 Ruthless Negotiation (BLB) 108
  • 2 Callous Sell-Sword (WOE) 221
  • 2 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102
  • 1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115

1v1 Commander: Squirrels demolish Ruhan

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Noah and I tend to make sure we have a Magic deck or two when we travel. So, when it was time to visit a few universities to help decide which one to apply to, we settled on Commander decks. My wife still does not play (nor do I expect that she ever will or if she does, it will be one of those Hell has frozen over scenarios!) so it was 1v1.

Ruhan of the Fomori
Chatterfang, Squirrel General
Squirrel token

We settled in and revealed our decks to each other. He brought his Chatterfang, Squirrel General deck and I brought my Ruhan of the Fomori deck. Let’s just say that it was not a fair matchup! Tokens everywhere against lumbering giants looking to get equipped before heading off to battle. It was not pretty.

You know that meme, perfectly illustrated by Cardboard Crack, about 15 squirrels taking on Emrakul? Well, you even fewer to take on Ruhan!

Cardboard Crack Emrakul vs Squirrels

We played three games. Not only did I lose all three but none were even close. In fact, all three games took less than hour. And then Noah simply asked, “Do you want to switch decks?” I turned the offer down, knowing that it would just be as one-sided.

Next time, a bit more planning may be required to avoid these kinds of matches! Or do I try for an outright Squirrel ban in the house?

Cartoon credit: Cardboard Crack

Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric Deck With Foundations

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

We’re less than a week away from Pre-Release events for Magic’s latest set. Foundations is an interesting that will remain Standard Legal until at least until 2029.

As usual, when a new set comes out, I take a look at what new Clerics are in it to plan for any adjustments to my Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric deck. Whereas Duskmourn only offered three new cards, Foundations brings eight new cards for consideration, three being completely new and five being reprints from previous sets. Seven are playable in an Orzhov deck, with only Vizier of the Menagerie, falling out of immediate consideration being a green card.

Let’s first take a look at the new cards.

Hinterland Sanctifier
Infernal Vessel
Sun-Blessed Healer

Hinterland Sanctifier will fit nicely into decks focused on Lifegain but aside from being a cheap 1/2 at a single , I’m not sure that it is a compelling addition or replacement for Evolved Sleeper in the one mana slot.

Infernal Vessel is a little more interesting. For Black pip, you get a 2/1 that comes back as a 4/3 Demon Cleric when it dies. With the right other cards on the battlefield, it could be a worthwhile addition. I think I will try it but I’m not sure what to pull out for it. I don’t think it is strong enough to replace either Shadow-Rite Priest or Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim. Maybe I pull Essence Channeler or Phyrexian Missionary but both have proven useful. I’m leaning instead to cutting Moonrise Cleric, a three mana card.

Sun-Blessed Healer is an interesting card. A close look at it and you realize that it is very similar to Phyrexian Missionary. The main difference is that it can bring back any target nonland permanent for a kicker whereas the Missionary can only bring back a creature for Black pip. More flexibility but at a cost of two white pips. In this deck, it really does not make a big difference as it comes down to the mana I have available to work with. My statistics days are far behind me but something tells me that I should stick with Phyrexian Missionary.

Let’s take a look at the reprints.

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
Marauding Blight Priest
Nullpriest of Oblivion

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim is a card I will want to try out. a 2/3 with Deathtouch for Black pip is not bad but the Sacrifice options offer some good options. Gaining a bit of life could trigger a few abilities, eg, another +1/+1 counter on Essence Channeler, or some useful removal, albeit with a difficult condition, namely having 10 more life than my starting total.

Marauding Blight-Priest is a pretty simple card. I think I will try it as an alterative to Moonrise Cleric if that card is not replaced by Infernal Vessel or something else.

Nullpriest of Oblivion is less compelling. It functions like Phyrexian Missionary in that paying its Kicker cost lets you bring back a creature. Except that it comes in with weaker stats and its Kicker is a much heavier price at Black pip compared to Black pip. Maybe I’ll dust it off at the next rotation if I still want the ability to bring creatures back from my graveyard.

One change that I made during Duskmourn that I did not mention before was that I retooled the mana base, taking out the three Three Tree City in favour of The Fair Basilica, The Dross Pits Scoured Barrens, and Valgavoth’s Lair. I may tweak it further with one or more Secluded Courtyards when Foundation comes out.

I’ve also added a few more cards to the Sideboard in the anticipation that I may try this in B03 at some point.

Here is what I will try out (3 Infernal Vessels instead of Moonrise Cleric) when Foundations comes out:

Deck:

  • 3 Infernal Vessel (FDN) 63
  • 2 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102
  • 2 Anointed Peacekeeper (DMU) 2
  • 2 Fell (BLB) 95
  • 3 Evolved Sleeper (DMU) 93
  • 3 Shadow-Rite Priest (DMU) 106
  • 2 Loran’s Escape (BRO) 14
  • 3 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
  • 2 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198
  • 3 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27
  • 2 Annex Sentry (ONE) 2
  • 3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
  • 2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
  • 2 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
  • 2 Metropolis Reformer (MAT) 4
  • 2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
  • 8 Plains (THB) 250
  • 6 Swamp (THB) 252
  • 1 The Dross Pits (ONE) 251
  • 2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
  • 1 The Fair Basilica (ONE) 252
  • 1 Forlorn Flats (OTJ) 258
  • 2 Scoured Barrens (NEO) 274
  • 1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Sideboard:

  • 2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
  • 1 Skrelv, Defector Mite (ONE) 33
  • 1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
  • 2 Lay Down Arms (BRO) 11
  • 1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
  • 2 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
  • 1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
  • 1 Leyline Binding (DMU) 24
  • 2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97
  • 2 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115

The future of Magic with Universes Beyond

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

With Wizards’ announcement this week that Universes Beyond sets would be Standard Legal starting in 2025, I give you a glimpse at the future of Magic (courtesy of the very funny @Cardboard_Crack):

This little strip captures everything that I think is wrong with this move and does a much better job of explaining exactly why than I ever could.

Wizards did add that the change only applies to sets releasing in 2025 and later. This means that existing sets, including the recent The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and Assassin’s Creed will not become legal for Standard. In the grand scheme of things, this is completely irrelevant and does little to change what I think is an extremely disappointing development.

Source: @Cardboard_Crack

Building an Izzet Otter Typal deck for Arena S01

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

When Bloomburrow previews began, I got excited about building some kind of mustelid typal deck. To save you a click back to the original article, mustelids are a family of small carnivorous mammals. It includes weasels, otters, badgers. minks and the fearsome wolverines. 

I realized that I have not shared any mustelid decks since then. I’ll remedy that today.

Bria, Riptide Rogue
Coruscation Mage
Stormcatch Mentor

A quick search reveals that there are 22 mustelid cards in Standard. Not much has changed since my last article with these being mostly otters with a sprinkle of badgers and weasels. The entire colour wheel is represented but most cards fall in Blue and Red. So no big surprise, I built on my original idea, an Izzet Otter Prowess deck. It’s gone through a few iterations and this is what the current deck looks like:

Deck

  • 3 Seize the Secrets (OTJ) 64
  • 3 Bria, Riptide Rogue (BLB) 379
  • 1 Tempest Angler (BLB) 235
  • 4 Stormcatch Mentor (BLB) 234
  • 2 Ral, Crackling Wit (BLB) 230
  • 4 Coruscation Mage (BLB) 131
  • 3 Stormchaser’s Talent (BLB) 75
  • 2 Pearl of Wisdom (BLB) 64
  • 3 Valley Floodcaller (BLB) 79
  • 3 Shore Up (DMU) 64
  • 3 Stasis Field (MOM) 79
  • 2 Into the Flood Maw (BLB) 52
  • 2 Long River’s Pull (BLB) 58
  • 2 Demonic Ruckus (OTJ) 120
  • 10 Island (THB) 251
  • 1 Lilypad Village (BLB) 255
  • 6 Mountain (THB) 253
  • 1 Restless Spire (WOE) 260
  • 2 Spirebluff Canal (OTJ) 270
  • 3 Swiftwater Cliffs (NEO) 277

Sideboard

  • 2 Kitsa, Otterball Elite (BLB) 54
  • 2 Stormsplitter (BLB) 154
  • 3 Meeting of Minds (MOM) 66
  • 2 Freeze in Place (WOE) 50

Now, the big question: How does it play? Let’s start by saying that this is far from a Tier 1 or Tier 2 deck. As it stands today, it has only won 35% of the time with an 18-33 record. The deck can be quite explosive but can also be frustrating when you either don’t get your creatures onto the battlefield or they don’t last long enough for Prowess to kick in.

Pearl of Wisdom
Stormchaser's Talent
Monstrous Rage

There are a couple of potential improvements:

  • Make the deck more aggressive by dropping the Stasis Fields in favour of Monstrous Age
  • Drop Bria, Riptide Rogue in favour of a couple of creatures (Elusive Otter perhaps) and a couple of spells
  • Cut a land more and add an additional spell

As for next steps, I’m going to play with the recommendations above and add this deck to my deck portfolio here on the site where I can easily update it as I make changes.

If you’re playing an Izzet Otter deck, drop me a note below and let me know what has worked for you.

Duskmourn Clerics: Worth Adding to Your Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric Deck?

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

A new set means that it’s once again time to see how we might possibly improve our Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric typal deck. Unfortunately, Duskmourn: House of Horrors only brings three new Cleric cards to Standard. Commander players will find an additional five, mostly reprints, in the pre-constructed decks. I guess that clerics are not very welcome on a plane ruled by a demon although Valgavoth might have been more open minded about clerics who worshiped at its feet, especially if they were willing to suffer for him.

Let’s take a closer look at these new Clerics. All three new Standard Clerics are Black cards. There are no Mythics or Rates, only one Uncommon and two Commons.

Valgavoth's Faithful
Fanatic of the Harrowing
Resurrected Cultist

Valgavoth’s Faithful is a cheap card at only Black pip for a 1/1. But unlike many such cards, it comes with an activated ability that costs Black pip that could be very useful in bringing back a more expensive card later. But it will either require protection until then or a later play.

Fanatic of the Harrowing is not jumping out at me either. For Black pip, you get a 2/2 that forces card discards. It might get you a card back but this is the type of card that is just too situational in my opinion. In the right circumstances, it can be useful but it can also prove to be useless. For example, my opponent could have no cards in hand or I could be forced to discard something that I would rather hang on to. It won’t displace anything in my deck at this cost.

Resurrected Cultist is bit cheaper than Fanatic but offers less for it. A 4/1 is likely destined for a quick death and bringing it back with Delirium only means another quick death. It is again a card that does not offer better value than existing Clerics.

While I may play with all three just to see if I’m wrong, my initial thought is that the deck will remain unchanged for now. If it changes, it may be to bring other cards in. For example, Sanguine Savior has disappointed and is on the chopping block. But I doubt that it will make room for a Duskmourn Cleric.

So, no changes to the current deck:

  • 3 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102
  • 2 Anointed Peacekeeper (DMU) 2
  • 2 Valorous Stance (OTC) 88
  • 3 Evolved Sleeper (DMU) 93
  • 3 Shadow-Rite Priest (DMU) 106
  • 2 Essence Channelers (BLB)
  • 4 Starscape Cleric (BLB)
  • 2 Loran’s Escape (BRO) 14
  • 2 Moonrise Clerics (BLB)
  • 2 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198
  • 2 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27
  • 2 Sanguine Savior (MKM) 230
  • 3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
  • 2 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
  • 2 Annex Sentry (ONE) 2
  • 8 Plains (THB) 250
  • 7 Swamp (THB) 252
  • 2 Forlorn Flats (OTC) 258
  • 3 Three Tree City (BLB) 264
  • 2 Fabled Passage (BLB) 252
  • 2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269

Sideboard:

  • 2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
  • 2 Chaplain of Alms (MID) 13
  • 1 Essence Channeler (BLB)
  • 2 Skrelv, Defector Mite (ONE) 33
  • 2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97

Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric Typal in Bloomburrow

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Who knew that cute little animals could soon become one of my favourite Magic sets? Not only does the set look like it will allow me to build a mustelids deck but it looks at first glance like a great set for Clerics as well. After the disappointment of Outlaws of Thunder Junction (at least as far as Clerics go), this latest set looks to set everything right in the Magic universe once more. Let’s take a closer look!

There are a total of 10 Clerics in Bloomburrow and 13 when you include the Commander sets. And best of all for our Orzhov deck, all of them are in the appropriate colours! Perfect timing considering that the current version of the deck will lose a few staples with set rotation kicking in.

Takenuma, Abandoned Mire

Here is my Orzhov Cleric Typal deck, unchanged in a while. I’ve crossed out the cards that are rotating out:

  • 3 Infernal Grasp (MID) 107
  • 2 Anointed Peacekeeper (DMU) 2
  • 2 Valorous Stance (VOW) 42
  • 3 Evolved Sleeper (DMU) 93
  • 3 Shadow-Rite Priest (DMU) 106
  • 2 Voice of the Blessed (VOW) 44
  • 4 Lunarch Veteran (MID) 27
  • 2 Loran’s Escape (BRO) 14
  • 2 Markov Purifier (VOW) 241
  • 2 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198
  • 2 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27
  • 2 Sanguine Savior (MKM) 230
  • 3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
  • 2 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
  • 2 Annex Sentry (ONE) 2
  • 8 Plains (THB) 250
  • 6 Swamp (THB) 252
  • 2 Scoured Barrens (NEO) 274
  • 3 Shattered Sanctum (VOW) 264
  • 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire (NEO) 278
  • 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire (NEO) 268
  • 2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269

Sideboard:

  • 2 Farewell (NEO) 13
  • 2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
  • 2 Chaplain of Alms (MID) 13
  • 1 Voice of the Blessed (VOW) 44
  • 1 Intercessor’s Arrest (NEO) 20
  • 2 Skrelv, Defector Mite (ONE) 33
  • 2 Fateful Absence (MID) 18
  • 2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97
Essence Channeler
Starscape Cleric
Moonrise Cleric

21 cards of the main deck are rotating out! That will leave some big holes to fill. What can we do? There are a few things:

  • Swap out the 3 Voice of the Blessed for 3 Essence Channelers.
  • Swap 2 Markov Purifiers for 2 Moonrise Clerics.
  • The Lunarch Aspirants are a bit trickier to replace. Let’s try 4 Starscape Clerics and see how it goes.
  • A less than ideal swap is Go for Throat for Infernal Grasp.
  • Shattered Sanctum will be replaced by Concealed Courtyards with an expected loss of some deck speed.
  • I have a good feeling about Three Tree City. I’ll start with 3 of them and see if my gut is right on this card.
  • Forlorn Flats for Scoured Barrens
  • Losing the Takenuma and Eiganjo lands will be felt. Both were very useful lands. I’ll add a Swamp for now for Takenuma, Abandoned Mire.
  • There might be room for a Fabled Passage or two as well.
  • As for the sideboard, I will just cut the rotating cards and play a few games to see what adjustments will be required.
Three Tree City
Fabled Passage

Here is the new deck:

  • 3 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102
  • 2 Anointed Peacekeeper (DMU) 2
  • 2 Valorous Stance (OTC) 88
  • 3 Evolved Sleeper (DMU) 93
  • 3 Shadow-Rite Priest (DMU) 106
  • 2 Essence Channelers (BLB)
  • 4 Starscape Cleric (BLB)
  • 2 Loran’s Escape (BRO) 14
  • 2 Moonrise Clerics (BLB)
  • 2 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198
  • 2 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27
  • 2 Sanguine Savior (MKM) 230
  • 3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
  • 2 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
  • 2 Annex Sentry (ONE) 2
  • 8 Plains (THB) 250
  • 7 Swamp (THB) 252
  • 2 Forlorn Flats (OTC) 258
  • 3 Three Tree City (BLB) 264
  • 2 Fabled Passage (BLB) 252
  • 2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269

Sideboard:

  • 2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
  • 2 Chaplain of Alms (MID) 13
  • 1 Essence Channeler (BLB)
  • 2 Skrelv, Defector Mite (ONE) 33
  • 2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97

Now to put the deck through its paces and see how it fares!

Unleashing the Power of Mustelids in Bloomburrow: Card Analysis and Potential Deck Strategies

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Many, many years ago, I graduated from university with a Zoology degree. Among my favourite animals are mustelids. For those who are not familiar with this term, it is a family of small carnivorous mammals. It includes weasels, otters, badgers. minks and the fearsome wolverines. Thanks for the lesson, you say, but what does this have to do with Magic, you then ask? Good question, until Bloomburrow previews started, it meant little. But that looks to be about to change.

Previews have just started but we have already seen 11 cards that are related to mustelids. More than half are otters and they are nearly all Wizards. The other creatures are a weasel and a mean-looking badger.

Brightblade Stoat
Hugs, Grisly Guardian
Stormcatch Mentor

Is there enough to build a deck centered around mustelids? At this point, I’m going to say no unless you ready to go straight into jank territory. Or is there?

Thundertrap Trainer
Bria, Riptide Rogue
Tempest Angler

These eight creature cards are supported by three additional cards that have good synergy. First up is a sorcery spell, Pearl of Wisdom, that will draw us some cards. Perhaps more interesting is Ral, Crackling Wit. Yes, the Planeswalker from Ravnica appears to have landed in Bloomburrow as an otter.

Finally, the new land Three Tree City, is definitely an auto-include in any typal deck. Unfortunately, its effectiveness is blunted by the fact that the creatures above are not of a single type. Why did Wizards not go as far as assign all of them the mustelid type? I expect we will never know the answer to this question. Three Tree City will still help with Otters but the fact that it’s legendary will prevent using a second to name a second creature type in the same deck.

Pearl of Wisdom
Ral, Crackling Wit
Three Tree City

Looking through these cards, an Izzet build might be possible. Eight cards fit into the deck and could work well enough together to put up a fun deck if nothing else. And let’s not forget that previews are not over yet.

The synergy across these cards lies with Prowess and casting noncreature spells. Ral, Crackling Wit creates counters with Prowess and gains a loyalty counter. Bria, Riptide Rogue and Stormcatch Mentor both have Prowess. And for those creatures that don’t, Bria kindly shares her ability with them. Tempest Angler and Coruscation Mage both also have abilities that trigger when a noncreature spell is cast. Alania, Divergent Storm, also fits into the deck but the random effect can give you a nice upside just as easily as give you nothing or worse give your opponent a card with nothing in return.

Coruscation Mage
The Infamous Cruelclaw
Alania, Divergent Storm

Pearl of Wisdom will help keep your hand full of cards, hopefully many being noncreature spells. And given that most of these are Otters, the deck will certainly have a Three Tree City or two in it as well.

Lastly, there are a couple of Otters in the Wilds of Eldraine set. Both could be worthy additions to the deck as well. For the record, there are two other older mustelid cards that will be Standard legal after the release of Bloomburrow but they are both Green. Maybe a Temur build is the way to go, especially as it also allows us to add Hugs, Grisly Guardian, a fearsome looking badger.

Other colour combinations do not appear to have the same number of supporting cards. At this point at least, it looks like the Mustelid typal deck will need to be Izzet or Temur with little other choice otherwise.

I’ll keep an eye on further previews to see how much closer we can get to a functional and hopefully half decent Mustelid deck.

Standard B01: Does Crime Pay?

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

My go-to decks in Standard B01 currently are a Red Prowess deck and a Selesnya Enchantment deck. The former is something I picked up a while back based on the meta. The latter is one that I have been playing for a while and enjoy playing.

It’s time for a little variety. While I do play a few other decks in other formats, I decided to build a new one focused on the new Commit a Crime mechanic introduced in Outlaws of Thunder Junction for Standard B01.

Commit a crime is well represented across Blue, Black, Red and Green. It’s no big surprise that there is only one White card using the mechanic. For my first build, I decided to go with a mono-Black build focused around Tinybones, Vadmir, New Blood, Kaervek, the Punisher and Gisa, the Hellraiser.

Kaervek, the Punisher
Gisa, the Hellraiser

From there, I added a few additional cards that should complement these nicely. Among these are Tinybones, the Pickpocket, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor and Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal. I also threw in Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (which is almost an auto-include in Black decks these days).

Tinybones, the Pickpocket
Gix, Yawgmoth -Praetor
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal

From there, I filled out the deck with cards to go and commit crimes. It’s the usual mix of removal spells and others that target my opponent.

Deck

  • 2 Tinybones Joins Up (OTJ) 108
  • 2 Tinybones, the Pickpocket (OTJ) 109
  • 2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
  • 4 Deep-Cavern Bat (LCI) 102
  • 3 Vadmir, New Blood (OTJ) 113
  • 2 Kaervek, the Punisher (OTJ) 92
  • 2 Gisa, the Hellraiser (OTJ) 89
  • 3 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor (BRO) 95
  • 2 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal (LCI) 88
  • 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (DMU) 107
  • 2 Gix’s Command (BRO) 97
  • 2 Infernal Grasp (MID) 107
  • 3 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
  • 2 March of Wretched Sorrow (NEO) 111
  • 2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97

Lands

  • 2 Demolition Field (BRO) 260
  • 2 Mirrex (ONE) 254
  • 2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire (NEO) 278
  • 18 Swamp (MH3) 315

I have played 10 games in Standard Play to get a sense of how the deck works. I won 7 times (70% win rate) so far. A good start but it’s time to take it to Ranked and see how it fares against the top decks in the meta.

In the meantime, a few observations from those first 10 games:

  • The deck feels a little top-heavy with 9 cards costing 4 or more mana. I may lighten it up a bit, perhaps with Preacher of the Schism.
  • Aclazotz is a great card. It is one of those that needs to be removed quickly or it can put the game away. I don’t like playing against it but I sure do like watch it resolve.
  • I may add one or two more Instant or Sorcery spells and cut the corresponding number of creatures (21 at the moment).
  • I might look to make it a Dimir deck to give me a few spell options. On the creature side, perhaps Lazav, Familiar Stranger or Nimble Brigand. Both cost 3 mana and could help with my first point above.

Anyone else playing a Commit a Crime deck? How is it going ?