This is originally based on the $25 budget deck by Strictly Better MTG.
Found here: https://decks.tcgplayer.com/magic/standard/sbmtg-dev/budget-w-b-vampires/1293301
I've made some personal tweaks.
Strategy.
The basic plan is to go wide early, and then use that creature count to close out the game with life loss/drain effects. It's fairly easy to pilot.
Workhorse Cards.
Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle - Mavren Fein on its own can help you go wide. By playing it before you get to attack with impunity, you guarantee you generate at least one token. This works best when your opponent is tapped out, or has used some removal recently, as Fein can often become a target of removal.
Adanto Vanguard - Adanto is great for getting around one of the biggest counters to the deck, board wipes. Paying the 4 life can help you get around them, and leave you with a board presence. Adanto is also a great aggressive card, than can kill bigger creatures and live or be a resilient creature to fuel Mavren Fein, who's tokens in turn pay back the life over time. Added bonus of capping the damage a creature without trample can do to you to 4.
Duskborne Skymarcher &
Skymarch Bloodletter
- These fliers are great for chipping away at your opponent, and against decks that don't handle fliers well, they allow Mavren Fein another outlet to generate tokens. Also the +1/+1 from Duskborne can be beneficial more often then you expect.
Finishers.
Bishop of the Bloodstained - Dropping or top decking one of these late can potentially just end the game. It isn't uncommon to drop this and cause your opponent to lose 5 life.
Sanctum Seeker - Sanctum Seeker is fantastic at keeping you healthy, and keeping your opponent under duress. The fact that it drains your opponent prior to swing damage means that you could finish your opponent off by simply declaring an attack.
Vicious Conquistador &
Skymarch Bloodletter
- These will not often finish the game, but their on attack and ETB effects can often make or break the game on the last few turns.
Side Board Tips.
The sideboard consists of the following:
Duress - A standard black answer to non creatures. Good cards to replace: Vicious Conquistador
Fragmentize - Solid answer to vehicle decks or Cast Out / Ixalan's Binding. Good cards to replace: Duskborne Skymarcher
Fatal Push - If you need more spot removal. Good cards to replace: Bishop of the Bloodstained
Bloodcrazed Paladin - If you need an "answer" to board-wipes. Good cards to replace: Bishop of the Bloodstained
Bishop of the Bloodstained - If you have no trouble going wide, but need a little push to finish the game. Good cards to replace: Vanquisher's Banner
Bishop of Rebirth
- When you need more recursion. Good cards to replace: Bishop of the Bloodstained
Ixalan's Binding - Our best answer to God-Pharaoh's Gift and combo decks that like to get multiples of the same thing on the board. Good cards to replace: Bishop of the Bloodstained
