With the unbanning of Smuggler's Copter, Mono-Black Aggro is back! A version of this deck was the Tier Zero (not joking!) deck of Pioneer in the first couple of months of Pioneer's existence. Then Smuggler's Copter was banned and the deck just faded away. However, now that the Copter is back, so is the deck!
It has been a 2 or 3 months since I have played as my lgs basically stopped putting any effort toward Pioneer (and all 60 card formats) and went all-in on Commander. Thus, Pioneer died. This is a list I was running right after Thunder Junction released.
The interactions between Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, Smuggler's Copter, Rankle, Master of Pranks, and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse are hilarious! The card advantage is great, then with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse out all of that card drawing turns to life gain. It's back breaking! If I could afford an additional 2x Sheoldred, the Apocalypse I would definitely add them to this deck.
I think it's a pretty decent list that can do some damage in Pioneer, but I have made a couple of choices because I just like a couple of cards:
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I think the actual number of Gifted Aetherborn should be 3x, not 4x. I just love the card, so I do 4x. Many would argue this is a creature that could just be cut completely in favor of a couple more Faerie Dreamthief or some removal, or maybe (if you have a lot of $$$) an additional 2x Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
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Rankle, Master of Pranks is not a popular choice, but that card can close out games in a hurry. Haste is HUGE. Again, just my personal preference.
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I love Night Market Lookout, but a lot of people don't. Incidental lifegain when it taps, it's great for crewing Smuggler's Copter, and it's just a solid 1 drop.
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Murderous Rider is also not a staple in Pioneer Mono-Black. I like the flexibility of removal and a creature (with lifelink). Again, my personal preference.
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In the sideboard, I have Tainted Remedy because my local meta has someone who occasionally runs a life gain deck, and because someone else decided to play the Amalia Combo deck once in a while. This card shuts both down quickly.
Otherwise, I won our Pioneer night 4 or 5 times in a row with this list.
Have fun!
