Cz's Guide to Black Multiplayer Cards and Strategies

Cz · 05-19-2011, 03:36 PM

Cz's Guide to Black Multiplayer Cards and Strategies

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Cards That Everyone Should Have
3. General Deckbuilding Tips
4. Card Elements and Roles
• 4a. Persistent Cards
• 4b. Destructive Cards
• 4c. Scaling Cards
• 4d. Defensive Cards
• 4e. Trap Cards
5. Additional Card Choices
6. Artifacts and Lands
7. Other Colors
8. Synergies and Strategies
9. Sample Decklists
10. Coping with Adversity: Dealing with Black's Weaknesses
11. Conclusion

1. Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to aid your transition from regular Magic duels (i.e. 1v1 games) to the substantially different world of multiplayer Magic. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just getting into the game, multiplayer magic is so completely unique from any other format that it could leave anyone slightly discombobulated. While cards such as Duress and Counterspell have always been staples in their time, these "sacred cows" will be your undoing in big, multiplayer games. Do not sink into despair though, for many of the cards that players cherish most have close multiplayer brothers. Swapping Innocent Blood over Diabolic Edict in your lists will become second-hand nature for you by the end of this. Ultimately I aspire to broaden your general multiplayer card pool knowledge in the hopes that you'll eventually be able to construct your own solid, multiplayer decks. As we delve into the various card choices that you'll have at your disposal, you'll soon discover just how many cards are nearly broken in the format. Exsanguinate has never seen any form of competitive play but smart deckbuilders will pick up on gems such as this. Remember, cards are generally balanced for 1v1 play. As this guide progresses we'll see many occasions where having additional opponents can cause exponential power increases in cards. After I've improved your general understanding of Black's multiplayer card pool I'll then move on to discuss general synergies and strategies. I'll follow that up by providing some sample decklists to put you on the right track to building your own and finish things off by briefly covering ways to cope with the color's inherent weaknesses. That way, no matter your budget, card availability, or even personal preference, you should still (hopefully!) be able to build some solid multiplayer decks.

Before we begin, I'd like to quickly clear something up. A very big misconception that players have is that multiplayer tactics should differ greatly from duel tactics. A lot of people have gone to a lot of trouble to explain to you how to handle multiplayer politics, and even how to use them to your advantage. In fact, virtually every multiplayer article that I've ever read has merely discussed the mental aspects of the format. There seems to be this preconceived notion that the only way to win multiplayer games is through the mental battle and not through the cards themselves. I couldn't disagree more with that frame of mind. I believe that while your card pool is different, your overall tactics shouldn't change much (if at all). Multiplayer Magic doesn't differ from duel Magic in the sense that the best players who always build the best decks with the strongest cards usually win. If you're having a hard time staying afloat in multiplayer Magic, I'd be willing to wager that the problem lies in your skill and/or decks rather than your tactics. Nothing will take you further in your Magic career than learning how to build a solid deck each and every time that you sit down to play. Before you submit to reading articles about becoming a political powerhouse at your tables, ask yourself if the decks that you're using are even good enough to win to begin with. That is by far and away the best advice I could ever give you. Now that that disclaimer's out of the way, let's start things off by taking a look at what kinds of cards you'll want to be playing in a multiplayer setting and how to go about building your first few decks.

2. Cards That Everyone Should Have
No matter what kind of player you are, there are simply some cards that everyone should have to fool around with. This section won't highlight all the best cards that Black has to offer, but it will showcase the ones that I find myself using more often than not. I know that multiplayer is generally considered to be a casual format, so the idea here is to keep costs low and playability high whenever possible. As such, I try to list as many reasonably priced (if-not budget) cards as possible. Buy these cards if you're looking for power, versatility and multiplayer appeal at a sensible cost.

Multiplayer Staples:

Creature Curves:

3. General Deckbuilding Tips
Now that we've covered some of the basic card options and deckbuilding strategies, it's time to focus on building a solid deck. While the tips and tricks that I'll be covering here won't work for every deck in every metagame, it should give you a good idea of how to build something that will more-or-less be "solid." If you're an experienced deckbuilder, this section probably won't be very useful to you. I'm not seeking to fine-tune and perfect a specific list after all. I want to stress that these guidelines should be taken with a grain of salt since every meta will be different after all. Ultimately I don't think that I'll be leading anyone astray though. I'm not going to try and re-invent the wheel after all. I'm simply looking to provide some decent advice about how to go about building a generic multiplayer deck that figures to run smoothly.

Deck Construction:

4. Card Elements and Roles
I'd like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of playing the right kinds of cards in a multiplayer setting. The best way that I can describe a big Chaos game is by comparing it to a marathon. While everyone typically has a strong start to the event, the players who came unprepared for it tend to fall flat during the mid-game stages of the competition. It's the savvy veterans who allocated the time to train and condition themselves that will ultimately see it through to the end. With that analogy in mind, you're primarily looking for cards that will grant you the ability to stay in the game with a chance to win for as long as possible. The 5 generic types of cards that will enable you accomplish that feat are persistent cards, destructive cards, scaling cards, defensive cards and trap cards. These are all critical effects that can help you go the distance and ultimately take home the win. I'll now be taking a much more in-depth look at each of these roles, as well as showcasing the relevant cards in the color. It's my hope that this will make it relatively easy to extract useful information from this guide, since it should provide you with a fairly good idea on where to turn to get relevant card choices for your decks.

4a. Persistent Cards
This sections aims to highlight cards that have resilient, repeatable and/or constant effects. In multiplayer, they are invaluable tools for many reasons. First of all, it's important not to look at resilient cards with the frame of mind: "If I were to lose my permanent, I could pay to keep it/get it back." That's a duel mindset. Rather, you should be thinking to yourself "Since I can protect/reuse this, who would bother depleting resources to temporarily hinder it?" Remember, multiplayer Magic is about taking on many other players. Wasting valuable cards and resources to briefly shut down a threat is neither efficient nor effective. Thus, resilient cards tend to stick around much longer than they probably should. With respect to repeatable and/or constant effects, they bring inevitability to your decks. While cheap and efficient single-shot effects are what you typically see used in duels, they aren't nearly as effective in big, Chaos battles. As discussed earlier, I think of duels as being "sprints" and multiplayer games as being "marathons." You need to be in it for the long haul or you'll just fall by the wayside halfway through. Repeatable and/or constant effects help you go the distance, and that's what you'll need to eventually take down the table. With that in mind, let's take a look at classic examples of persistent Black cards:

Persistent Cards:

4b. Destructive Cards
These are the face-smashers; the cards that pound everyone into the ground and gain you a massive advantage in one fell swoop. Any powerful, temporary, global effect fits into this category, with the "single-shot" attribute being their most distinguishing factor. These are not the kinds of cards that are used to gain you small, incremental advantages over time. Rather, they're trying to immediately bash the table to bits. While their temporary nature doesn't make them ideal when it comes to winning marathons, you're still probably going to have to rely on them to shore up some of your decks' weaknesses. They're a "necessary evil" in that sense. While some of these cards leave you relatively unscathed, a fair number of them wail on you equally as hard as they beat on everyone else. Building around the latter effects should be an important consideration when constructing your decks, since you don't want accidentally become the agent of your own demise. While the volatile nature of these cards makes them somewhat risky, since you can't rely on them to help you out more than once, it's offset by the fact that they provide you with access to some of the strongest effects in the game. Multiplayer, as is self-evident, necessitates that you challenge a great number of foes. It would be arrogant-if-not-stupid to think that you wouldn't find yourself behind at some point in your games, and so cards like these are a great way to keep the other players in check when you find yourself on the back-foot. If peoples' armies, life totals, mana bases, etc. start to get out of hand then these are the kinds of cards that can level the playing field or even swing things back into your favor. Every color has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to destructive effects, so you'll just have to make due with what you have available to you. Let's take a look at some of the most prominent choices:

Destructive Cards:

4c. Scaling Cards
In this section, I'll highlight cards that scale directly off of having more players around. That is, the more players that are in the game, the more powerful that they become. The two types of scaling cards are the "true scalers" which benefit from having more players around and "semi-scalers" which benefit from having many more targets to choose from. An easy way to think about it is that Subversion (a true scaler) will drain more life every circuit in a 10 player game than it would in a 5 player game, but something like Beacon of Unrest (a semi-scaler) will only ever revive a single creature. You'll always appreciate having a bunch of awesome targets to choose from, but the card doesn't become wildly stronger or anything. These are prime examples of cards that are (generally) useless in duels that have suddenly become incredibly powerful due to the increased number of players in the game. If anyone started to read this guide in order to find the true multiplayer cards that are deliberately designed to be played in big Chaos games, then look no further. These are some of the first cards that you should be looking to invest in, especially if you're just starting to build up a collection of powerful, flexible, multiplayer cards. They'll always be relevant threats, regardless of the number of foes you'll be facing. Keeping all of that into consideration, let's take a look at what we have to work with:

Scaling Cards:

4d. Defensive Cards
As the name suggests, these cards ward-off other players, encouraging them to direct their attention elsewhere. Their purpose is to keep you alive for as long as possible by using whatever means necessary. This all stems back to coming prepared to go the distance and completing the marathon, which often entails protecting your own personal space from any would-be delinquents. While many of these cards may seem marginal at first (often times being 1-for-1 trades), it's important to remember the mental aspects of multiplayer. Making the "you gain nothing from attacking me" argument to 4 people, even if it's implicit, essentially makes your defensive cards 4-for-1 trades should they successfully stave off any would-be attackers. The fact that death and/or retaliation is assured goes a long way to protecting you, and shouldn't be underestimated. As you will soon see, the cards listed below range in terms of mana cost and level of protection that they offer. Picking the ones that will work best for your decks should be based off of a combination of their weaknesses and your own personal metagame. That is, try to pick the ones that will protect your deck when it's at its most vulnerable stage of development, given what you expect the other players to be doing at that time. With that general guideline in mind, you should have plenty of options to mull over:

Defensive Cards:

4d. Trap Cards
Trap cards punish your opponents for making uninformed decisions, unaware of the impending consequences of their ill-timed actions. Their distinguishing factor is that they typically abuse some sort of instant-speed effect to catch them off-guard and promptly discipline them for their ignorance. A select-few can only come out at sorcery-speed, however the overwhelming majority of them can "get" people at any time. While these cards will rarely-if-ever have a devastating effect on the board, their primary use is to put your opponents off-balance. You're not using these cards because you expect them to win you games; you're using them so that people will stop screwing with you when you appear to be defenseless. The idea is to let them know that you are never open, no matter how little you may appear to have on your side of the table. It's assumed that you're not to be trifled with, since there's no telling what could all be lurking in your hand. This should hopefully set you up later in games to bluff a defense, which means that the effects of trap cards tend to span far beyond the game at hand. Keep in mind that psychological warfare can be an important factor when it comes to consistently winning games in a multiplayer setting, and so every little edge that you can acquire helps. A word of caution though; I wouldn't rely on having your opponents "play scared" against you on a regular basis. Don't assume that just because you blew someone out once that you'll never have to put early-game defense in your decks ever again. If you fail to deliver on your promises too often then you'll quickly become known as the person who "cried wolf." That being said, it'll still sometimes be the best shot that you'll have at winning. Anyways, let's take a look at what awaits our unwitting foes:

Trap Cards:

Cz · 05-19-2011, 03:37 PM

5. Additional Card Choices
Let's face it; I've only started the list of the playable Black cards. Just because a card doesn't meet one of the arbitrary requirements that I've previously established, that doesn't outright prevent it from being an amazing card to field in a multiplayer setting. I mean, I'm not exactly going to call Ancestral Recall a bad card because it "doesn't scale" or whatever. An amazing card is always going to be worth playing, regardless of the number of opponents that you're facing down. I'm not going to list every playable card in the color here or anything, just ones that I could see myself playing in some decks. I'm still trying to keep you on the right track when it comes to building your decks after all. So, after some reflection, I came up with:

Choices choices choices:

6. Artifacts and Lands
Each color has its own various strengths and weaknesses, and so one of the best ways to enhance what it already does well or shore up areas where it struggles is to turn to colorless solutions such as artifacts and lands. At the end of the day, even though these types of cards could care less about the color(s) of the deck that they're in, it's still very easy to associate certain artifacts and lands to certain colors. The point here is that I'm not trying to create a blanket list of powerful multiplayer artifacts or anything, but rather to showcase the ones that naturally pair with the color. Everything listed will serve an important role in one way or another, and will hopefully shed light on some powerful synergies and strategies that you may not have previously considered. Keep in mind that many of these cards may not be multiplayer cards in the traditional sense, but they bring such a high degree of consistency and/or power to decks that I feel compelled to mention them anyways. The available options include:

Artifacts and Lands:

7. Other Colors
As much as I'd like to think that a color can stand on its own, there exist many Gold cards that are tailored for multiplayer play that can often times provide it with some much needed support. Because Gold cards are harder to cast relative to mono-colored ones, you typically get more bang for your buck when you field them. As such these gems will not only enhance the tactics you've already become familiar with, but will likely upgrade the power level of your decks to the next threshold. This is all too important in multiplayer, where you'll constantly be barraged by a horde of powerful threats all barreling down at you from you stiff opposition. It's difficult to express a general use for these kinds of cards, and so I can't give a much more specific description of what Gold cards will bring to your decks. The best advice that I can give you is to simply peruse the list as you build decks of the corresponding colors. You just may find a diamond in the rough. Relevant Gold cards, in my mind, include:

Gold Cards:

8. Synergies and Strategies
Now that we've gone over the most prominent multiplayer card choices, it's high time we start piecing some of this information together to start building decks. The goal of this section will be to discuss general synergies that can be applied to various decks/deck types rather than discussing specific combos or interactions in great detail. In multiplayer games more-so than in duels, the sum of the parts has to be greater than the whole. It's the only realistic way to win the game given the incredible opposition that players are likely to be facing. I'm going to be taking simple, easy-to-understand concepts, and start incorporating what I've been discussing into them. That is, I will show you how to put a multiplayer spin on a strategy that you already know and love. Full decklists will come later, since I'm still trying to drive home the idea of thinking about things from a multiplayer perspective at this point in time. You need a solid plan to defeat a large number of opponents, and that won't come intuitively to everyone at first.

Discard Effects:

Removal Effects:

Drain Effects:

Prison Effects:

Mill Effects:

Cz · 05-19-2011, 03:38 PM

9. Sample Deck Lists
The purpose of this section will be to provide readers with an idea of some sample decklists that I have constructed over the years. I'll do my best to highlight the most important interactions and synergies amongst the various cards; which probably means that I won't spend too much time explaining why Syphon Mind is in the deck. They'll be good starting points for anyone looking to make similar decks, by giving you a basic idea of the most obvious card choices. Now, keep in mind that these deck lists will become somewhat outdated and suboptimal as time goes on. I'll do my best to update them as much as possible, but I'm only 1 man. They'll still be useful learning tools however, even if they're not always relevant. Each of these decks brings various multiplayer elements that I've previously discussed into play. Please keep all of this in mind as you read over them.

Control Decks:

Aggro decks:

10. Coping with Adversity: Dealing with Black's Weaknesses
I'd like to think that I've done an adequate job of explaining the various strengths of Black in multiplayer. That being said, it is a color with some exploitable weaknesses.

The most prominent examples are artifact and enchantment-based decks. Your best bet to combat them will be to grab a set of All is Dusts, Oblivion Stones and/or Nevinyrral's Disks and wipe them all out at once. While fielding these kinds of cards severely restricts your deckbuilding possibilities, they're the only powerful options at your disposal. Karn Liberated, Steel Hellkite and Spine of Ish Sah are all marginal solutions to consider, and so is Ratchet Bomb to a much lesser extent. They can all be moderately effective at times, but I wouldn't put much faith in them. It'll be difficult to remove more than a couple of permanents on average with them after all. Beyond that, you're looking at much more targeted solutions within the color itself. Further on I'll explore some of the specific counters that you can utilize.

In addition, Planeswalkers can sometimes prove to be a bit of an nuisance for Black decks. The color isn't exactly privy to Oblivion Ring or burn effects after all. While the aforementioned All is Dust, Oblivion Stone and/or Karn Liberateds are all solid answers to Walkers, they're not always the most practical. I'll do my best to highlight some decent alternatives in a bit. None of them are amazing so don't hold your breath, but hey, we all gotta do what we all gotta do to survive.

Handling Artifacts:

Handling Enchantments:

Handling Planeswalkers:

I will admit that it's an uphill battle to face heavy artifact and enchantment themed decks, but the best way to circumvent that weakness is to focus on Black's strengths. Use better tactics and stronger cards to outwit and ultimately outplay your opponents. Make sure that people are reacting to you and not the other way around. By seizing control of the game, it's very possibly to beat decks that would otherwise crush you. That will go a lot further than trying to cram Gate to Phyrexia, Aether Snap and Dystopia into every deck you play "just in case."

11. Conclusion
If you're not overwhelmed, you should be! This is way more information and cards than most players can handle in one sitting. Don't try to learn everything I wrote, just look up the various sections as they become applicable to the deck you're trying to play, and apply it as best you can. My goal for this guide was not to list every card, but to list the best ones. I'm hoping this makes card choices easier on the reader, since the suboptimal ones have been purposely left out. Remember, I'm always patrolling the forums to help out anyone seeking advice on their Black decks, so feel free to PM me or make a post and I'll be sure to do as much of the grunt work for you as I can. I would actually prefer to have people not post deck lists in this thread if possible, so please keep that in mind. Finally, I would like to thank you for your time and hope my guide proved to be a useful tool to anyone playing Black in their multiplayer games. My goal was to open your minds to the wide world of multiplayer, and I hope that reading this guide has inspired new decks and strategies in all who've read it. After all:

Once you go Black, you never go back!

*** An Open Request to Anyone Who's Read This Guide ***

First of all, let me personally thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say. I hope that my guide has steered you in the right in the direction by clearly demonstrating to you what a multiplayer deck should look like. Still, one thing that I would always love to hear is what I could do better. Are there any decks that I should add to my "Sample Decklists" section? I'm not asking for full lists, just general concepts. I do my best to come up with as many as I possibly can, but I'm only one man. Are there are any strategies that I should add to my "Synergies and Strategies" section? Am I showcasing the right kinds of cards in my "Cards Everyone Should Have" section? Did you find the guide too long, too complicated, too boring? Are there any obvious spelling mistakes/broken links? What did you find most useful from reading this? Was there anything that you felt was a total waste of time? Can you apply these concepts to your own deckbuilding process? All these questions and more are things that I would love to hear about. You don't have to answer them all or anything, as I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. Oh, and by all means, pour on the criticism. Trust me, I can take it. The best responses that I've ever gotten about my guides have been constructive criticism that I've been more than happy to apply to them. Putting it bluntly, I'd rather hear about what I'm doing wrong/what I could do better over what I'm doing right. Your opinion matters a lot to me, even if you don't think it does. I don't want anyone to feel as though they're not qualified to give negative feedback or what have you. I've made this guide for you. If you've read it and didn't find it useful, then believe me, I want to hear it.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Umaro · 05-19-2011, 03:48 PM

YEEEEEES!!!

It is soooo nice to see you over here. The God Father of black Multiplayer!

(skyshroud7)

ljossberir · 05-19-2011, 04:02 PM

What an awesome list. Not sure what else to say, but good job!

Hammer · 05-20-2011, 06:31 AM

First of all, a wonderful comprehensive post here, thank you.

Some comments:

Exsanguinate, while powerful, is a really lame and I would say unfair card to run in multiplayer. Sure, that is where it was designed to shine but some people (myself included) will not run it. It's the same reason many playgroups ban Kokusho. Maybe in a 3 player game I could justify it, but otherwise I would not call it a 'staple' for mono black.

Also, I consider phyrexian arena a staple for MBC decks myself. Whether 1on1 duels or multiplayer, it is the engine that makes MBC tick.

Edit: I also don't see cabal coffers mentioned in your staples, which is usually reason #1 to run a MBC deck in the first place.

Umaro · 05-20-2011, 07:39 AM

Article 3 touches on cabal coffers.

As far as exsanguate, alot of tich's post is def pushing the envelope and being the best you can be.

Hammer · 05-20-2011, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killem2

Article 3 touches on cabal coffers.

As far as exsanguate, alot of tich's post is def pushing the envelope and being the best you can be.

Right, which is why I find it strange that he buries the arena and coffers in sub-articles rather than putting them at the top of his 'Cards everyone should have' list. Arena and coffers are reasons number 1 and 2 to play MBC at all IMHO.

Umaro · 05-20-2011, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammer

Right, which is why I find it strange that he buries the arena and coffers in sub-articles rather than putting them at the top of his 'Cards everyone should have' list. Arena and coffers are reasons number 1 and 2 to play MBC at all IMHO.

I'm sure he'll explain his walkthrough, but i would have to imagine that coffers isn't used in every single black deck or perhaps even the majority of them. Maybe my association and peer pressure.

krichaiushii · 05-20-2011, 08:49 PM

My (albeit limited) experience in MP games shows that there is always one or more players running life-gaining cards, so Exsanguinate is a fine means to counter them.

Besides, as so many black cards are powered by life, picking up a handful here and there is no bad thing.

Comments by Tich (and others) led to my picking up enough copies of Exsanguinate to keep at least 2 copies in each of my regularly played black-based MP decks. With 4 in the BR deck featuring X-spells and Black Market. There, it just becomes silly.

Cheers!

Cz · 05-21-2011, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammer

Right, which is why I find it strange that he buries the arena and coffers in sub-articles rather than putting them at the top of his 'Cards everyone should have' list. Arena and coffers are reasons number 1 and 2 to play MBC at all IMHO.

I actually agree with you, thank you for pointing that out. I do run Cabal Coffers in virtually every deck that I run. Phyrexian Arena should probably also be on the list, as it is another staple that I always turn to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammer

Exsanguinate, while powerful, is a really lame and I would say unfair card to run in multiplayer. Sure, that is where it was designed to shine but some people (myself included) will not run it. It's the same reason many playgroups ban Kokusho. Maybe in a 3 player game I could justify it, but otherwise I would not call it a 'staple' for mono black.

This I do not agree with at all. One thing that I absolutely refuse to do is give people bad advice. If a player is looking for a solid, cheap, accessible, multiplayer win-condition then I am going to suggest Exsanguinate (virtually) every time. Why? It's pretty much the best card for the job. Not only does it scale as the game goes on, but it bypasses almost every protection spell out there (i.e Moat/Imperial Mask effects). If players feel like the card is too good, then they can ban it/not play it at their own discretion. That's not my job though. As such, I am going to tell people the best cards and the best combos, and they can use that information however they want. In my mind it's the single best Black multiplayer card ever printed (or among the top 3) and I'm going to champion it until every player has used it.

Umaro · 05-25-2011, 01:40 PM

Hey tich do you play any other colors that deep to make that you could do this for all colors?

I am going to link to this in the sticky.

Cz · 05-25-2011, 05:27 PM

It's been something I've been contemplating, but at the same time it feels like a lot of work. I haven't really made up my mind yet.

CadaverousBl00m · 05-26-2011, 08:54 PM

I'll definitely port the Artifact guide over from the WotC forums when I get a chance to tidy it up. Maybe the Budget Duals thread, too?
Not sure how I'm going to maintain them between two forums, though.

krichaiushii · 06-16-2011, 08:38 AM

The WotC forums have guides of a similar nature for all colors, though none are as complete, thorough, or up-to-date as Tich's.

I am the author of the red one, for example, and it needs Scars block and the Commander cards, as well as reformatting - now I know to NEVER use MS Word when writing for a forum - and more work.

The point is that each of the color guides is started and could be used as a start point for ambitious Magickers.

Cheers!

05-19-2011, 03:36 PM	#1
Cz Very Tall Mage Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 3,545 Blog Entries: 57	Cz's Guide to Black Multiplayer Cards and Strategies Cz's Guide to Black Multiplayer Cards and Strategies Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Cards That Everyone Should Have 3. General Deckbuilding Tips 4. Card Elements and Roles • 4a. Persistent Cards • 4b. Destructive Cards • 4c. Scaling Cards • 4d. Defensive Cards • 4e. Trap Cards 5. Additional Card Choices 6. Artifacts and Lands 7. Other Colors 8. Synergies and Strategies 9. Sample Decklists 10. Coping with Adversity: Dealing with Black's Weaknesses 11. Conclusion 1. Introduction The purpose of this guide is to aid your transition from regular Magic duels (i.e. 1v1 games) to the substantially different world of multiplayer Magic. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just getting into the game, multiplayer magic is so completely unique from any other format that it could leave anyone slightly discombobulated. While cards such as Duress and Counterspell have always been staples in their time, these "sacred cows" will be your undoing in big, multiplayer games. Do not sink into despair though, for many of the cards that players cherish most have close multiplayer brothers. Swapping Innocent Blood over Diabolic Edict in your lists will become second-hand nature for you by the end of this. Ultimately I aspire to broaden your general multiplayer card pool knowledge in the hopes that you'll eventually be able to construct your own solid, multiplayer decks. As we delve into the various card choices that you'll have at your disposal, you'll soon discover just how many cards are nearly broken in the format. Exsanguinate has never seen any form of competitive play but smart deckbuilders will pick up on gems such as this. Remember, cards are generally balanced for 1v1 play. As this guide progresses we'll see many occasions where having additional opponents can cause exponential power increases in cards. After I've improved your general understanding of Black's multiplayer card pool I'll then move on to discuss general synergies and strategies. I'll follow that up by providing some sample decklists to put you on the right track to building your own and finish things off by briefly covering ways to cope with the color's inherent weaknesses. That way, no matter your budget, card availability, or even personal preference, you should still (hopefully!) be able to build some solid multiplayer decks. Before we begin, I'd like to quickly clear something up. A very big misconception that players have is that multiplayer tactics should differ greatly from duel tactics. A lot of people have gone to a lot of trouble to explain to you how to handle multiplayer politics, and even how to use them to your advantage. In fact, virtually every multiplayer article that I've ever read has merely discussed the mental aspects of the format. There seems to be this preconceived notion that the only way to win multiplayer games is through the mental battle and not through the cards themselves. I couldn't disagree more with that frame of mind. I believe that while your card pool is different, your overall tactics shouldn't change much (if at all). Multiplayer Magic doesn't differ from duel Magic in the sense that the best players who always build the best decks with the strongest cards usually win. If you're having a hard time staying afloat in multiplayer Magic, I'd be willing to wager that the problem lies in your skill and/or decks rather than your tactics. Nothing will take you further in your Magic career than learning how to build a solid deck each and every time that you sit down to play. Before you submit to reading articles about becoming a political powerhouse at your tables, ask yourself if the decks that you're using are even good enough to win to begin with. That is by far and away the best advice I could ever give you. Now that that disclaimer's out of the way, let's start things off by taking a look at what kinds of cards you'll want to be playing in a multiplayer setting and how to go about building your first few decks. 2. Cards That Everyone Should Have No matter what kind of player you are, there are simply some cards that everyone should have to fool around with. This section won't highlight all the best cards that Black has to offer, but it will showcase the ones that I find myself using more often than not. I know that multiplayer is generally considered to be a casual format, so the idea here is to keep costs low and playability high whenever possible. As such, I try to list as many reasonably priced (if-not budget) cards as possible. Buy these cards if you're looking for power, versatility and multiplayer appeal at a sensible cost. Multiplayer Staples: Creature Curves: 3. General Deckbuilding Tips Now that we've covered some of the basic card options and deckbuilding strategies, it's time to focus on building a solid deck. While the tips and tricks that I'll be covering here won't work for every deck in every metagame, it should give you a good idea of how to build something that will more-or-less be "solid." If you're an experienced deckbuilder, this section probably won't be very useful to you. I'm not seeking to fine-tune and perfect a specific list after all. I want to stress that these guidelines should be taken with a grain of salt since every meta will be different after all. Ultimately I don't think that I'll be leading anyone astray though. I'm not going to try and re-invent the wheel after all. I'm simply looking to provide some decent advice about how to go about building a generic multiplayer deck that figures to run smoothly. Deck Construction: 4. Card Elements and Roles I'd like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of playing the right kinds of cards in a multiplayer setting. The best way that I can describe a big Chaos game is by comparing it to a marathon. While everyone typically has a strong start to the event, the players who came unprepared for it tend to fall flat during the mid-game stages of the competition. It's the savvy veterans who allocated the time to train and condition themselves that will ultimately see it through to the end. With that analogy in mind, you're primarily looking for cards that will grant you the ability to stay in the game with a chance to win for as long as possible. The 5 generic types of cards that will enable you accomplish that feat are persistent cards, destructive cards, scaling cards, defensive cards and trap cards. These are all critical effects that can help you go the distance and ultimately take home the win. I'll now be taking a much more in-depth look at each of these roles, as well as showcasing the relevant cards in the color. It's my hope that this will make it relatively easy to extract useful information from this guide, since it should provide you with a fairly good idea on where to turn to get relevant card choices for your decks. 4a. Persistent Cards This sections aims to highlight cards that have resilient, repeatable and/or constant effects. In multiplayer, they are invaluable tools for many reasons. First of all, it's important not to look at resilient cards with the frame of mind: "If I were to lose my permanent, I could pay to keep it/get it back." That's a duel mindset. Rather, you should be thinking to yourself "Since I can protect/reuse this, who would bother depleting resources to temporarily hinder it?" Remember, multiplayer Magic is about taking on many other players. Wasting valuable cards and resources to briefly shut down a threat is neither efficient nor effective. Thus, resilient cards tend to stick around much longer than they probably should. With respect to repeatable and/or constant effects, they bring inevitability to your decks. While cheap and efficient single-shot effects are what you typically see used in duels, they aren't nearly as effective in big, Chaos battles. As discussed earlier, I think of duels as being "sprints" and multiplayer games as being "marathons." You need to be in it for the long haul or you'll just fall by the wayside halfway through. Repeatable and/or constant effects help you go the distance, and that's what you'll need to eventually take down the table. With that in mind, let's take a look at classic examples of persistent Black cards: Persistent Cards: 4b. Destructive Cards These are the face-smashers; the cards that pound everyone into the ground and gain you a massive advantage in one fell swoop. Any powerful, temporary, global effect fits into this category, with the "single-shot" attribute being their most distinguishing factor. These are not the kinds of cards that are used to gain you small, incremental advantages over time. Rather, they're trying to immediately bash the table to bits. While their temporary nature doesn't make them ideal when it comes to winning marathons, you're still probably going to have to rely on them to shore up some of your decks' weaknesses. They're a "necessary evil" in that sense. While some of these cards leave you relatively unscathed, a fair number of them wail on you equally as hard as they beat on everyone else. Building around the latter effects should be an important consideration when constructing your decks, since you don't want accidentally become the agent of your own demise. While the volatile nature of these cards makes them somewhat risky, since you can't rely on them to help you out more than once, it's offset by the fact that they provide you with access to some of the strongest effects in the game. Multiplayer, as is self-evident, necessitates that you challenge a great number of foes. It would be arrogant-if-not-stupid to think that you wouldn't find yourself behind at some point in your games, and so cards like these are a great way to keep the other players in check when you find yourself on the back-foot. If peoples' armies, life totals, mana bases, etc. start to get out of hand then these are the kinds of cards that can level the playing field or even swing things back into your favor. Every color has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to destructive effects, so you'll just have to make due with what you have available to you. Let's take a look at some of the most prominent choices: Destructive Cards: 4c. Scaling Cards In this section, I'll highlight cards that scale directly off of having more players around. That is, the more players that are in the game, the more powerful that they become. The two types of scaling cards are the "true scalers" which benefit from having more players around and "semi-scalers" which benefit from having many more targets to choose from. An easy way to think about it is that Subversion (a true scaler) will drain more life every circuit in a 10 player game than it would in a 5 player game, but something like Beacon of Unrest (a semi-scaler) will only ever revive a single creature. You'll always appreciate having a bunch of awesome targets to choose from, but the card doesn't become wildly stronger or anything. These are prime examples of cards that are (generally) useless in duels that have suddenly become incredibly powerful due to the increased number of players in the game. If anyone started to read this guide in order to find the true multiplayer cards that are deliberately designed to be played in big Chaos games, then look no further. These are some of the first cards that you should be looking to invest in, especially if you're just starting to build up a collection of powerful, flexible, multiplayer cards. They'll always be relevant threats, regardless of the number of foes you'll be facing. Keeping all of that into consideration, let's take a look at what we have to work with: Scaling Cards: 4d. Defensive Cards As the name suggests, these cards ward-off other players, encouraging them to direct their attention elsewhere. Their purpose is to keep you alive for as long as possible by using whatever means necessary. This all stems back to coming prepared to go the distance and completing the marathon, which often entails protecting your own personal space from any would-be delinquents. While many of these cards may seem marginal at first (often times being 1-for-1 trades), it's important to remember the mental aspects of multiplayer. Making the "you gain nothing from attacking me" argument to 4 people, even if it's implicit, essentially makes your defensive cards 4-for-1 trades should they successfully stave off any would-be attackers. The fact that death and/or retaliation is assured goes a long way to protecting you, and shouldn't be underestimated. As you will soon see, the cards listed below range in terms of mana cost and level of protection that they offer. Picking the ones that will work best for your decks should be based off of a combination of their weaknesses and your own personal metagame. That is, try to pick the ones that will protect your deck when it's at its most vulnerable stage of development, given what you expect the other players to be doing at that time. With that general guideline in mind, you should have plenty of options to mull over: Defensive Cards: 4d. Trap Cards Trap cards punish your opponents for making uninformed decisions, unaware of the impending consequences of their ill-timed actions. Their distinguishing factor is that they typically abuse some sort of instant-speed effect to catch them off-guard and promptly discipline them for their ignorance. A select-few can only come out at sorcery-speed, however the overwhelming majority of them can "get" people at any time. While these cards will rarely-if-ever have a devastating effect on the board, their primary use is to put your opponents off-balance. You're not using these cards because you expect them to win you games; you're using them so that people will stop screwing with you when you appear to be defenseless. The idea is to let them know that you are never open, no matter how little you may appear to have on your side of the table. It's assumed that you're not to be trifled with, since there's no telling what could all be lurking in your hand. This should hopefully set you up later in games to bluff a defense, which means that the effects of trap cards tend to span far beyond the game at hand. Keep in mind that psychological warfare can be an important factor when it comes to consistently winning games in a multiplayer setting, and so every little edge that you can acquire helps. A word of caution though; I wouldn't rely on having your opponents "play scared" against you on a regular basis. Don't assume that just because you blew someone out once that you'll never have to put early-game defense in your decks ever again. If you fail to deliver on your promises too often then you'll quickly become known as the person who "cried wolf." That being said, it'll still sometimes be the best shot that you'll have at winning. Anyways, let's take a look at what awaits our unwitting foes: Trap Cards: Last edited by Cz; 04-26-2013 at 10:03 AM.
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05-19-2011, 03:37 PM	#2
Cz Very Tall Mage Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 3,545 Blog Entries: 57	5. Additional Card Choices Let's face it; I've only started the list of the playable Black cards. Just because a card doesn't meet one of the arbitrary requirements that I've previously established, that doesn't outright prevent it from being an amazing card to field in a multiplayer setting. I mean, I'm not exactly going to call Ancestral Recall a bad card because it "doesn't scale" or whatever. An amazing card is always going to be worth playing, regardless of the number of opponents that you're facing down. I'm not going to list every playable card in the color here or anything, just ones that I could see myself playing in some decks. I'm still trying to keep you on the right track when it comes to building your decks after all. So, after some reflection, I came up with: Choices choices choices: 6. Artifacts and Lands Each color has its own various strengths and weaknesses, and so one of the best ways to enhance what it already does well or shore up areas where it struggles is to turn to colorless solutions such as artifacts and lands. At the end of the day, even though these types of cards could care less about the color(s) of the deck that they're in, it's still very easy to associate certain artifacts and lands to certain colors. The point here is that I'm not trying to create a blanket list of powerful multiplayer artifacts or anything, but rather to showcase the ones that naturally pair with the color. Everything listed will serve an important role in one way or another, and will hopefully shed light on some powerful synergies and strategies that you may not have previously considered. Keep in mind that many of these cards may not be multiplayer cards in the traditional sense, but they bring such a high degree of consistency and/or power to decks that I feel compelled to mention them anyways. The available options include: Artifacts and Lands: 7. Other Colors As much as I'd like to think that a color can stand on its own, there exist many Gold cards that are tailored for multiplayer play that can often times provide it with some much needed support. Because Gold cards are harder to cast relative to mono-colored ones, you typically get more bang for your buck when you field them. As such these gems will not only enhance the tactics you've already become familiar with, but will likely upgrade the power level of your decks to the next threshold. This is all too important in multiplayer, where you'll constantly be barraged by a horde of powerful threats all barreling down at you from you stiff opposition. It's difficult to express a general use for these kinds of cards, and so I can't give a much more specific description of what Gold cards will bring to your decks. The best advice that I can give you is to simply peruse the list as you build decks of the corresponding colors. You just may find a diamond in the rough. Relevant Gold cards, in my mind, include: Gold Cards: 8. Synergies and Strategies Now that we've gone over the most prominent multiplayer card choices, it's high time we start piecing some of this information together to start building decks. The goal of this section will be to discuss general synergies that can be applied to various decks/deck types rather than discussing specific combos or interactions in great detail. In multiplayer games more-so than in duels, the sum of the parts has to be greater than the whole. It's the only realistic way to win the game given the incredible opposition that players are likely to be facing. I'm going to be taking simple, easy-to-understand concepts, and start incorporating what I've been discussing into them. That is, I will show you how to put a multiplayer spin on a strategy that you already know and love. Full decklists will come later, since I'm still trying to drive home the idea of thinking about things from a multiplayer perspective at this point in time. You need a solid plan to defeat a large number of opponents, and that won't come intuitively to everyone at first. Discard Effects: Removal Effects: Drain Effects: Prison Effects: Mill Effects: Last edited by Cz; 12-06-2012 at 03:06 PM.
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05-19-2011, 03:48 PM	#4
Umaro Immortal One Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 6,414	YEEEEEES!!! It is soooo nice to see you over here. The God Father of black Multiplayer! (skyshroud7) __________________
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05-19-2011, 04:02 PM	#5
ljossberir Resident Planeswalker Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New York Posts: 4,967	What an awesome list. Not sure what else to say, but good job! __________________ EPIC WORLD: Hollis, the Negotiator
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05-20-2011, 06:31 AM	#6
Hammer Deck Engineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 3,318	First of all, a wonderful comprehensive post here, thank you. Some comments: Exsanguinate, while powerful, is a really lame and I would say unfair card to run in multiplayer. Sure, that is where it was designed to shine but some people (myself included) will not run it. It's the same reason many playgroups ban Kokusho. Maybe in a 3 player game I could justify it, but otherwise I would not call it a 'staple' for mono black. Also, I consider phyrexian arena a staple for MBC decks myself. Whether 1on1 duels or multiplayer, it is the engine that makes MBC tick. Edit: I also don't see cabal coffers mentioned in your staples, which is usually reason #1 to run a MBC deck in the first place. Last edited by Hammer; 05-20-2011 at 06:43 AM.
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05-20-2011, 07:39 AM	#7
Umaro Immortal One Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 6,414	Article 3 touches on cabal coffers. As far as exsanguate, alot of tich's post is def pushing the envelope and being the best you can be. __________________ Last edited by Umaro; 05-20-2011 at 07:47 AM.
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05-20-2011, 08:49 PM	#10
krichaiushii Wizard Mentor Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: alabama Posts: 582 Blog Entries: 1	My (albeit limited) experience in MP games shows that there is always one or more players running life-gaining cards, so Exsanguinate is a fine means to counter them. Besides, as so many black cards are powered by life, picking up a handful here and there is no bad thing. Comments by Tich (and others) led to my picking up enough copies of Exsanguinate to keep at least 2 copies in each of my regularly played black-based MP decks. With 4 in the BR deck featuring X-spells and Black Market. There, it just becomes silly. Cheers! __________________ A shout out to Gaming Grounds in Kent, Ohio and Gamers N Geeks in Mobile, Alabama. Visit www.zombiehunters.org for all your self-improvement needs. http://shtfschool.com/ - why prepping is important.
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05-25-2011, 01:40 PM	#12
Umaro Immortal One Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 6,414	Hey tich do you play any other colors that deep to make that you could do this for all colors? I am going to link to this in the sticky. __________________
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05-25-2011, 05:27 PM	#13
Cz Very Tall Mage Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 3,545 Blog Entries: 57	It's been something I've been contemplating, but at the same time it feels like a lot of work. I haven't really made up my mind yet. __________________ I blog about various multiplayer related themes and topics. I'm always happy to read comments and criticisms about what I write, and wouldn't mind talking about subjects that people want to hear about. If anyone has an idea that they'd like me to explore, feel free to shoot me a PM.
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05-26-2011, 08:54 PM	#14
CadaverousBl00m It's filthy work, planting them Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,256 Blog Entries: 14	I'll definitely port the Artifact guide over from the WotC forums when I get a chance to tidy it up. Maybe the Budget Duals thread, too? Not sure how I'm going to maintain them between two forums, though. __________________ Cube. Multiplayer. Combining the two most awesome formats of all time! The Multiplayer / EDH Cube Thread 2012 Multiplayer Cube Power Rankings Constructing the Optimal MP Cube from the Power Rankings Results Cube: the Gittening (My Multiplayer Cube) The Kitchen-Table Pricewatch Blog Guide To Multiplayer Artifice Budget Duals and Fetches in Multiplayer
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06-16-2011, 08:38 AM	#15
krichaiushii Wizard Mentor Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: alabama Posts: 582 Blog Entries: 1	The WotC forums have guides of a similar nature for all colors, though none are as complete, thorough, or up-to-date as Tich's. I am the author of the red one, for example, and it needs Scars block and the Commander cards, as well as reformatting - now I know to NEVER use MS Word when writing for a forum - and more work. The point is that each of the color guides is started and could be used as a start point for ambitious Magickers. Cheers! __________________ A shout out to Gaming Grounds in Kent, Ohio and Gamers N Geeks in Mobile, Alabama. Visit www.zombiehunters.org for all your self-improvement needs. http://shtfschool.com/ - why prepping is important.
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