Mono Black Budget Aristocrats

Commander / EDH* Mono-Black

DreadedEvil

Creature (59)

• 1x Abyssal Gatekeeper
• 1x Apprentice Necromancer
• 1x Ayara, First of Locthwain
• 1x Basal Thrull
• 1x Basilica Screecher
• 1x Big Game Hunter
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Blood Pet
• 1x Bloodthrone Vampire
• 1x Bogbrew Witch
• 1x Bone Shredder
• 1x Bottle Gnomes
• 1x Cadaver Imp
• 1x Cauldron Familiar
• 1x Crypt Rats
• 1x Daring Fiendbonder
• 1x Deathgreeter
• 1x Dockside Chef
• 1x Doom Weaver
• 1x Doomed Dissenter
• 1x Dunland Crebain
• 1x Dusk Legion Zealot
• 1x Dutiful Attendant
• 1x Elvish Doomsayer
• 1x Festering Mummy
• 1x Festering Newt
• 1x Fume Spitter
• 1x Gleaming Barrier
• 1x Grim Haruspex
• 1x Heap Doll
• 1x Henrika Domnathi  ^Flip
• 1x Leaden Myr
• 1x Marionette Master
• 1x Midnight Assassin
• 1x Mindless Automaton
• 1x Morbid Opportunist
• 1x Nadier's Nightblade
• 1x Necropede
• 1x Necroskitter
• 1x Nested Shambler
• 1x Novice Occultist
• 1x Ornithopter of Paradise
• 1x Orzhov Enforcer
• 1x Pilgrim's Eye
• 1x Serrated Scorpion
• 1x Shambling Ghast
• 1x Skittering Surveyor
• 1x Skullport Merchant
• 1x Skyscanner
• 1x Sling-Gang Lieutenant
• 1x Stinkweed Imp
• 1x Tattered Mummy
• 1x Thoughtpicker Witch
• 1x Triskelion
• 1x Vault Skirge
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Walking Atlas
• 1x Weaponcraft Enthusiast
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Agent of the Iron Throne
• 1x Bastion of Remembrance
• 1x Blight Mound
• 1x Dark Privilege
• 1x Fallen Ideal
• 1x Gift of Doom
• 1x Skeletal Grimace
• 1x Vampiric Rites

Artifact (4)

• 1x Bubbling Cauldron
• 1x Desecrated Tomb
• 1x Mirror Shield
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots

Land (36)

• 36x Swamp

Instant (1)

• 1x Thrilling Encore

Commander (1)

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Feed the Swarm
• 1x Living Death

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Sideboard

Creature (8)

• 1x Burglar Rat
• 1x Elderfang Disciple
• 1x Elvish Doomsayer
• 1x Fell Specter
• 1x Needle Specter
• 1x Nezumi Informant
• 1x Virus Beetle
• 1x Yarok's Fenlurker

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Mind Slash

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Maybeboard

Creature (6)

• 1x Braids, Arisen Nightmare
• 1x Canoptek Scarab Swarm
• 1x Corrosive Mentor
• 1x Drivnod, Carnage Dominus
• 1x Pawn of Ulamog
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer

Artifact (6)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Darksteel Plate
• 1x Meekstone
• 1x Mithril Coat
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x The Golden Throne

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Black Market
• 1x Grave Pact
• 1x Phyrexian Arena

Land (1)

• 1x Cabal Stronghold

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Shirei Shizo's Caretaker, aiming for a $50ish budget. Lots of creatures with low power, lots of death triggers and etb effects to capitalize on the commander ability.

One important thing to note is that if Shirei leaves the battlefield in any way, the rest of the ability does not resolve. Doing a board wipe and then recasting Shirei will not return any of the cards that died in the wipe. The same Shirei that was on the board when they died must remain on the board for the return to work.

The Commander's ability is vital to the deck, so the deck needs a lot of Commander protection options, and a decent amount of ramp so that when those commander protections fail, you can get the deck back online quickly.

It's an Aristocrats theme, so the goal is to sacrifice creatures for beneficial effects and get them back and do it again and again. To capitalize on this strategy, you will want to get some free instant speed sac outlets. This is not a deck designed to win regularly with combat damage.

The Commander's ability only works on creatures with 1 or less power, so a lot of the deck ends up being fairly low costed creatures. With that being the case, card draw is even more useful than usual because you will probably be able to play more cards than others on each turn. So there is a significant amount of card draw options in the deck. When those options include a sacrifice effect, all the better.

While the deck isn't made to win with combat damage, frequently on your turn you won't have much reason to not attack with all your little creatures before sacrificing them anyways. Fallen Ideal is a great sac outlet in this deck which does give the option to win with commander damage when playing against a Lifegain deck.

Using the side board for a selection of cards that can be used to include a discard strategy if the deck feels too weak.

Using maybe board for high value cards that push the budget, will see which ones can be used after the rest of the deck is made.

Date added	1 year
Last updated	1 year
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	1 - 0 Mythic Rares 13 - 1 Rares 24 - 3 Uncommons 37 - 5 Commons
Cards	111
Avg. CMC	2.59
Tokens	Bat 1/1 B, Goblin 1/1 R, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Morph 2/2 C, Orc Army, Pest 1/1 BG, Servo 1/1 C, Spirit 1/1 WB, Squirrel 1/1 G, Treasure, Zombie 2/2 B