MTG Salvation

The focus of this deck is plenty of discard to control your opponent and then beat face with Drana.

Updated the list to make it more versatile for multi or 1v1. ALso, removed all the discard except Myojin and Mind Shatter so that it isn't as nasty as it was. I also added more creatures because I got bored with having Drana as the only creature. It is a lot more fun to play now since it can win in a variety of ways versus just beat down with Drana.

1/2/12: Changed the deck again. I want to make it more competitive 1v1. I was beaten recently by a few people with highly competitive decks and I want to be able to return the favor. To accomplish this I added much more discard and trimmed out much of the fat.

Quote from ctaylor33

The other problem is that I am too dependent on nonbasic lands and artifacts to make things happen and once they get removed it is hard for me to recover.

So once they get removed play them again:
Petrified Field
Yawgmoth's Will
Grim Discovery
Crucible of Worlds (is on the 1v1 banned lists)
Or play someone elses soon with Praetor's Grasp.

And make your little dudes potentially huge. Nightmare Lash and the upcoming Fleshwrithe should be in there period.

I don't really see much use out of Buried Alive in here.

I'd probably drop Braids and put in Necrotic Ooze. He becomes another Geth or Steel Hellkite or anything in your opps graveyard.

And Profane Command. I'm astounded how this card is overlooked in monoblack decks recently. It's HUGE.

I'm a fan of keeping the non-basic count low to maximize coffers, but Vesuva is likely worth it as you can then have two coffers on board. Strip Mine may also be worth it as a lot of players wait on my coffers to drop with their own strip mine or tectonic edge, and you can preemptively kill theirs with your own.

Thanks for the reply. I made a few changes and updated my list. I am still working on getting a few of the cards you suggested, like Profane Command.

What do you think of No Mercy?

Quote from ctaylor33

What do you think of No Mercy?

It's not bad. I've run it in a couple decks, and I've actually been thinking about putting it back in my Geth/Drana deck. It's definitely worth a test run.

What do you think of Gravestorm for card draw? And do you think Exsanguinate is worth its slot? Also, how much discard do you recommend? Persecute? Mind Twist? Mind Shatter? Thoughtseize? Hymn to Tourach?

Lastly, what do you think of draw cards like Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper, and Ambition's Cost?

Thanks!

Quote from ctaylor33

What do you think of Gravestorm for card draw? And do you think Exsanguinate is worth its slot? Also, how much discard do you recommend? Persecute? Mind Twist? Mind Shatter? Thoughtseize? Hymn to Tourach?

Lastly, what do you think of draw cards like Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper, and Ambition's Cost?

Thanks!

I don't care much for Gravestorm. You're already running the two best draw cards (Necropotence and Phyrexian Arena) along with Skullclamp and the skeleton (Bloodghast makes a great draw engine with the clamp too).

After those, I'm fond of Promise of Power as well as the 3 you mentioned. I'd probably pick two of those and throw in Bloodghast and say the card draw is done.

I do think Exsanguinate is probably worth the slot. It's better in multiplayer, and Profane Command is way better in 1v1, but it can still serve you well as a finisher.

The discard stuff - Though I don't like most of it in Mulitplayer (exception being Syphon Mind), it can be devastating in 1v1, but you need a lot of it to make it effective, and I'm not sure you can afford the slots. I think it would be taking away from your primary gameplan too much. With that said..... Mind Sludge is probably a good inclusion, and Mind Twist would be, but it is on the 1v1 banned lists, if you're group allows it then it would be my top choice. I'd probably go with one or both of those and leave out the little discard stuff like thoughtseize/tourach/etc.

I would add every good discard spell available (thoughtseize, duress, distress, inquisition, mind twist, mind sludge).

If you are having problems with artifacts and enchantments perhaps you should consider nevinrrylls disk and oblivion stone.

Quote from simbayu

I would add every good discard spell available (thoughtseize, duress, distress, inquisition, mind twist, mind sludge).

And what would you drop for all that? Removal, Ramp, Draw, Tutoring? EDH decks generally have great draw power. Single-carding is pretty inefficient for trying to combat that.

I think heavy hand disruption has it's place in 1v1 edh, but I don't see it working so well in a build like Drana.

Quote from Blackjack68

And what would you drop for all that? Removal, Ramp, Draw, Tutoring? EDH decks generally have great draw power. Single-carding is pretty inefficient for trying to combat that.

I think heavy hand disruption has it's place in 1v1 edh, but I don't see it working so well in a build like Drana.

The point of inquisition is to help resolve Drana and make sure she lives. It takes spot removal and counters. If you want to beat with Drana you must protect Drana. Luckily, black has discard which is one of the best ways to protect a General.

I've never played this deck before, but here are some cards that would be high on my list of cards to remove. Again, take it with a grain of salt since this is from a viewpoint of someone who has never played the deck.

If it was totally up to me I would go with ramp, discard, draw, and removal. I wouldnt bother with graveyard recursion, combo (leyline/helm, clamp/bitterblossom/bloodghast/reassembling skeleton) or equipment.

Solemn Simulacrum
Coffin Queen
Reassembling Skeleton
Chainer, Dementia Master
Dimir House Guard
Helm of Obedience
Skullclamp
Spine of Ish Sah
Rings of Brighthearth
Grafted Exoskeleton
Nightmare Lash
Gate to Phyrexia
Leyline of the Void
No Mercy
Decree of Pain
Dimir Machinations
Diabolic Tutor
Grim Discovery
Reanimate
Beacon of Unrest
Exsanguinate
Shred Memory
Hatred
Suffer the Past
Bloodghast

Also, I would add all black fetchlands (for sensei top), strip mine, wasteland, and tec edge.

Quote from simbayu

If it was totally up to me I would go with ramp, discard, draw, and removal. I wouldnt bother with graveyard recursion, combo (leyline/helm, clamp/bitterblossom/bloodghast/reassembling skeleton) or equipment.

Actually, I can agree with most of that (especially the combo). Here's the thing.....


It started out in the original post as just a way to help the deck deal with non-creature permanents, and then just kinda progressed from there. I didn't really have a total overhaul in mind, though I should have. I was probably just being lazy. I also tend to forget sometimes when it's a duel deck we're talking about, I slip into multiplayer mode a lot.

ctaylor33 - I apologize. What I should have started out with was that truly competitive, dedicated 1v1 EDH decks play, and should be built with a very different approach than most EDH decks you'll see. What Simbayu said is accurate. To be really competitive, you'll need to make it very quick and straightforward. Ramp/Disruption/Draw/Removal and Beat face with Drana for 21 general damage. You'll need to get rid of just about all the rest. Draw cards like Dark Confidant and Dark Tutelage, that would normally be suicide in a multiplayer game, or the small disruption like Inquisition, get a whole lot more valuable in this environment.

If you're looking to compete in a 1v1 tourney here on the forums, or in a highly competitive 1v1 league, then that's the direction you need to take the deck. If you just want to beat the other players at your local shop and end up using it for multiplayer too, then going bigger, slower, and more versatile is fine.

If you want to go the total overhaul route, then I agree with pretty much everything Simbayu suggested cutting (except maybe Nightmare Lash and Solemn Simulacrum).

Take a look at the "Compendium of Competitive Decks" HERE. Specifically the one using Skithiryx as commander. The deck should end up looking a lot more like that (not completely, but a lot).

Again, I apologize, I started taking you down a more casual/multiplayer friendly route instead of competitive 1v1.

Thank you both for all your valuable feedback. I should have been more specific about what I was looking for. I want the deck to be competitive in the sense that I want to win consistently with it in 1v1. I played one of the better payers at our store the other night and he just beat me game after game and it was not fun. While I have no desire to compete in a tournament any time soon mostly because I would be in way over my head due to my lack of card knowledge, I could see myself doing so down the road. I also like being able to use this deck in multiplayer if the occasion arises.

After some playtesting, I cut the following cards. Then I read the suggested list above and found it interesting that many of the cuts I made on my own were listed there.

Chainer, Dementia Master
Spine of Ish Sah
Nightmare Lash
Reanimate
Suffer the Past

And I am finding myself wanting to cut these:

Coffin Queen
Rings of Brighthearth
Grim Discovery
Grafted Exoskeleton
Exsanguinate
Bitterblossom

I forgot all that I added (my list is updated above) but I know I added Nevinryall's Disk. I am experimenting with Gravestorm not only for draw but because I am finding that forcing my opponent to remove cards from the game is powerful in EDH, which is why I added Ashes to Ashes as well.

While I wish to be competitive, I do like the Helm of Obedience/Leyline of the Void combo. It is just fun to drop that on someone (maybe not fun for them). Plus it helps as an alternate win-con when they have Drana locked down somehow.

Thanks again for all your advice.

I updated my list using the Skithyrix deck in the competitive thread as a model. I streamlined it, adding more discard and removal. The focus is to control the game long enough to then play Drana and beat face. Still having trouble with artifacts and enchantments. Nevinryall's Disk just isn't enough. I had removed Exsanguinate but have added it back in because I find that in games where my opponent is able to lock down Drana I need an alternate win con or two.

Could you guys please look the list over and let me know if there is anything that looks out of place?

I'm running a very close deck, but I find that Bitter Ordeal, Nightmare Incursion, and Sadistic Sacrament are nice for removing those artifacts and enchantments you can't deal with.

To tell you the truth this looks a lot more like a multiplayer deck than a 1v1. For starters I think mindtwist is banned in 1v1. If you're looking for a competitive 1v1 deck you would be much better off just using skithiryx dumping the expensive spells and using more low cost discard like thought sieze and cheap acceleration. In competitive 1v1 I don't think cards like decree of pain would be worth the cost.

Thanks for the replies. Can you please give me examples of cheap acceleration cards? I am back and forth on the direction I want to take this list. I want it to be competitive in 1v1 but I also want to be able to play the occasional multiplayer game with it. If I add the money I would build a whole new deck just for multiplayer and streamline this deck for 1v1, but at the moment this is the only EDH deck I own.

Well I can tell you if you go the route I'm talking about it would probably no longer be viable in MP games at all. If you're wanting to play in 1V1 tournaments I would say change it. But it's always good if you're a casual player to have a deck that could do well in 1V1 and MP. The decks I play resemble your deck and they do good in both settings. But I wouldn't take them to a tournament. Do you play tournaments? Also some of the guys from these forums constructed a deck called shotgun skittles and it can be found in the 1V1 competetive decks sticky. If you're looking to go competitive that would be a good place to look.

I don't think I am ready for 1v1 tournaments just yet so I think I want the deck to be a balance between the two but with more emphasis on 1v1 since that is what I play the most. Do you think I have accomplished that with this build? I am still having trouble with artifacts and enchantments. I am thinking about adding Oblivion Stone but it seems slow. I also want to add Gate to Phyrexia but I don't have enough creatures to fuel it.

Artifacts/Enchantments are hard for black to deal with. The cheapest suggestions I can think of are nevinyrral's disk, O-Stone and karn, silver golem . There's also the more expensive All is dust, karn,liberated and spine of ish sah . I play more MP that duels so my advice would be mostly from that perspective. But I've found when dueling people with other hybrid MP/1v1 decks that mind twist,mind shatter,mind sludge and myojin,of night's reach have been more than enough given all the tutors I run. How often do you play MP? If not very often I would probably leave it pretty close to it as Is. But I would add thoughtsieze. I don't know if it's in your price range but I'd take out dimir machinations for grim tutor . How has the deck performed for you so far?

In the few games I have been able to play it since I overhauled it I have done well, something like 4-1 in 1v1. Haven't had a chance to play MP with it yet. I just pulled a Karn, Liberated yesterday. You think it would be good in this deck to deal with non-creature permanents?

Yes, Karn is worth it.

So, if I'm reading the progress of the thread correctly, we're basically back to where I was going with it before. The deck isn't actually for competitive 1v1 tourneys, it's for a multiplayer deck environment where most of the games that happen are duels. Right?

As nutterbutter said, art/ench just is a weakness of monoblack. Karn will help quite a bit, Steel Hellkite can do the trick and should probably be in here anyway. Add a couple targeted discard and maybe Sadistic Sacrament to finish out the package.

Geth, Lord of the Undead, also being great by himself in a monoblack deck, is another way I have dealt with noncreature perms. You can often reanimate an opponents Acidic Slime, Qasali Pridemage, Indrik Stomphowler, or similar creature to deal with the problem.

Hex Parasite can also deal with Planeswalkers.

Cards I want to add:

Karn Liberated
Thoughtseize
Sheoldred, Whispering One (is it worth it in this deck?)

What would you take out for those?

Quote from ctaylor33

Cards I want to add:

Karn Liberated
Thoughtseize
Sheoldred, Whispering One (is it worth it in this deck?)

What would you take out for those?

I don't see Sheoldred being worth a lot in this build. I'm running it in mine, but I've got a lot more creatures to reanimate than you.

For the other two..... maybe Devour in Shadow & Nihil Spellbomb?

Added Karn and Thoughtseize. Which do you like better:

Wayfarer's Bauble
Armillary Sphere
Mycosynth Wellspring

Quote from ctaylor33

Added Karn and Thoughtseize. Which do you like better:

Wayfarer's Bauble
Armillary Sphere
Mycosynth Wellspring

Bauble. Wellspring has a couple things going for it, but it's more "ensuring" consistent land drops through the early game and a bonus land to hand if/when an artifact wipe hits, where bauble is more acceleration.

So yeah, I vote Bauble.

I think the new Lashwrithe should find a home here but I am not sure what to take out. It is amazing how tight a 100 card deck can become.