Mono-Black Sacrifice: Ikoria

Standard* Arena Aristocrats Competitive Mono-Black Post Rotation

pistolpeteiii

Creature (30)

• 4x Cauldron Familiar
• 4x Gutterbones
• 4x Serrated Scorpion
• 4x Whisper Squad
• 2x Burglar Rat
• 4x Fiend Artisan
• 4x Orzhov Enforcer
• 4x Priest of Forgotten Gods

Land (21)

• 3x Castle Locthwain
• 18x Swamp

Artifact (3)

• 3x Witch's Oven

Instant (3)

• 3x Heartless Act

Sorcery (3)

• 3x Call of the Death-Dweller

Companion (1)

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Sideboard

Sorcery (10)

• 4x Duress
• 1x Spark Harvest
• 2x Epic Downfall
• 2x Legion's End
• 1x The Elderspell

Creature (1)

• 1x Lurrus of the Dream-Den

Instant (4)

• 4x Noxious Grasp

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Mono-Black Aristocrats Style deck for Ikoria Standard

Thanks for checking out my deck, feel free to leave any suggestions or an upvote if you liked the list!

Deckbuilding Process

With the current state of 2 color mana in standard, I found that my build of a Lurrus of the Dream-Den companion deck was always missing mana sources on time. Cruel Celebrant proved very effective in that shell, however I don't believe that it is powerful enough to justify splashing white with the limited mana options we have available. My next iteration of this build however would splash instead to utilize Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger and Dreadhorde Butcher, as they seem to be the missing pieces to give this deck a more aggressive slant.

In an effort to save some wildcards on Arena, I choose to stick to for now. I have subbed in Burglar Rat and Orzhov Enforcer in place of the cards, but those would be the first creatures to consider cutting in a fully optimized variation of the build. Orzhov Enforcer did work in staving off attacks from Cavalier Fires and Gyruda combo builds though, so finding room for a few copies in the final iteration may prove beneficial.

The sideboard is still a work in progress, and I'd love any and all feedback!

Noteworthy Inclusions

• Lurrus of the Dream-Den is the stand-out inclusion for this deck archetype's shift in how it is constructed. Typically run as a midrange style build utilizing Midnight Reaper and Mayhem Devil, this deck has to shift in order to utilize him as a companion. The downsides for losing those cards is not too severe, as Lurrus himself proves an alternate form of card advantage. With the focus more on utilizing and recurring Priest of Forgotten Gods, the devil does not need to be present for the deck to have reach into the mid-late game. Overall the added benefit of an 8th card in your starting hand is amazing, and he fits perfectly in an aristocrats shell.

• Priest of Forgotten Gods is the main engine for this deck. Getting her out on T2 every game is ideal, and keeping her alive is the fastest way to win with this deck. Playing your companion on T5 along with reanimating a Priest is a powerful play pattern, along with reanimating a Priest in conjunction with any 1 Mana sacrifice fodder by using Call of the Death-Dweller.

• Fiend Artisan is both an amazing way to fetch for Priest on T3, as well as a beat-stick that grows as the game progresses. It is a removal magnet, so make sure to use its Pod ability whenever possible to force the opponent to have multiple forms of removal.

Splashing Red

In order to convert this to a build, I plan to make the following changes. (Additionally the manabase would be altered to contain ample red sources)

Add: + Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger (2) + Dreadhorde Butcher (4) + Claim the Firstborn (4)

Cut: - Burglar Rat (2) - Orzhov Enforcer (4) - Heartless Act (3) - Call of the Death-Dweller (1)

Date added	4 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Standard legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 11 - 4 Rares 13 - 6 Uncommons 14 - 5 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	1.59
Tokens	Companion Zone, Food, Spirit 1/1 WB
Folders	Black