I dont run nightmare, mainly because like I said I dont attack, nightmare is always getting shit but if you take a look at it in a mono black, its pretty much a 6/6 flyer thats gets stronger each turn maybe . I do believe desecration is better but then again there is a reason that card costs the same as fucking thoughtsieze!

Desecration Demon is a serious threat, for sure. I just love Nightmare in mono-black. I moved it to my sideboard to make room for Sanguine Bond, so I can try your Sanguine-Gary idea.

You probably don't have room for it in your deck, but maybe consider for sideboard: Rescue from the Underworld

Sacking a Gary that you just unearthed with the Whip to Rescue another Gary is pretty hilarious.

Just a few questions concerning card choices and quantity. Could you explain why you are only running 3x Sanguine Bond and only 1x Hero's Downfall ? I see you have two more in your maybeboard? Is it just that your meta game doesn't call for them or maybe price? Very curious to hear why :)

Also have you considered Underworld Connections in place of Dark Prophecy ? You do lose one devotion but devotion does not seem like it would be a problem in this deck and the ease and mobility of the card draw from Underworld Connections is really unmatched by any other card in black. I feel like this could really be a card that makes the deck an even higher tier. Maybe even a splash of two or three Temple of Deceit for that extra digging and turn fixing?

Price trying to get more and 3 sanguine is enough for me I never really needed 4 XD. I have considered underworld connections but I am always in need of that one extra mana, and I am still thinking of adding in some scry lands thanks for the advice will consider addding in the scry lands and underworld connections!

I dont think im going to add in the underworld connections XD its funny and cute and can win games, but I dont really need them since I have been doing exceptional without them.

Haha alright, well I guess don't fix what isn't broken! :) So would you ideally run 4x downfalls?

Also, will you be doing another fnm with this deck soon?

yes I would If I could hah, and sorry I got underwold connections mixed up with the card that brings 2 creatures back how dumb of me! I think I am going to run this again hopefully place first again.

Oh haha yah I was a little confused at first! Alright sweet I look forward to hearing about it!

Oh and one more thing! (I apologize for the double post) I don't know how many people at your lgs run control variant decks but maybe sideboarding three Duress to hopefully halt any pesky cards early game?

oooh, good addition adding that. Btw I got second which is cool but sucks I didnt nail first again :(

Dang! Can't complain that's a pretty darn good streak. How do you approach those really fast selesnya or just aggro decks in general? A deck like this seems like it may have trouble but obviously not.

Aggro, is not the problem... but selesnya aggro with the Voice of Resurgence whooped my ass. that guy went on to get first place last night. The reason why I can handle aggro is because they are scared to attack because I can just block with a newt and nuke them for 4 life and kill any creature I want. Its scares them fucks with there play style. Orzhov aggro is a lil tougher but thats why we have ratchet bombs, and worst case scenario they pull out Blood Baron and you make them sac it or pithing needle them. The trick there is use lots of control. The aggro decks I normally play against tend to lose because what will happen is they play something small like boros elite on turn one and honestly dont expect me to remove it, I remove EVERYTHING they have out because I can. Just destroy there board very early on. The reason I cant beat Selesnya aggro is simply because you remove one creature and another takes it place and a domino effect goes off, and they have enough cards to get rid of enchantments and gods.

Ah I see ya my friend runs a selesnya aggro (without the voices) and its still a pain in the ass. Do you ever run into the problem of running out of kill spells and not having your win conditons yet?

Surprisingly no, I have ran out of kill spells but I have quite a few win victorys. See sanguine bond opens so many things, I normally have 1 or 2 out. So that means a single gary, a single newt sac, a single corrupt, or a Desecration Demon just sitting there will win. I played a deck where someone was convinced that he would win because all I had out was 2 sanguine bonds and a Dark Prophecy. Before I even drew my card I just slapped down a grey merchant and said gg. You can win with most creature cards in this deck other than the witch.

How do you get past Esper Control?

I used a very similar decklist to yours at last Friday's FNM and lost the first two matches 2-0 against control decks. I lost 2-1 against Orzhov midrange round 3, got a bye round 4, and lost 2-1 against R/G Monsters round 5.

Granted, I got land screwed or otherwise had unlucky draws a lot of times, and I would have won the final round if not for stupid misplays on my part during game 3 (it was 1:30am by this point and I was too tired to think straight).

The hard control decks just stopped me from doing anything.

So far esper its just baiting them, you just play a newt and keep pinging them they will eventually just have enough and start waisting big removal, thats when you swoop in. If they are playing alot of creatures just kill them there your done. The name of the game is more control then they can have, remember you have 4 ways to control in the mainboard, and you can play very passive. Sure it sucks to have detention sphere on a desecration demon or newt, but we have gary to play since detention sphere is sorcery speed, that means we can just play it then sac it before the end of our turn before he can even react, worst case scenario corrupt for 12 damage 2 times in a row and win.

Awesome, original deck man! I usually play B/G but I've been looking around for a mono-black to play, but I didn't want to just copy a deck from the pros, and this looks like a ton of fun, so I really wanna try something like this out. Gary and sanguine blood then corrupt sounds dirty, and I'm sure the combo blows people away. Congrats on the awesome deck and congrats for rockin' with it!

@w_gra: I can attest that when you plop down a Gary with Sanguine Bond in play, opponents get very worried (or very dead, depending on your devotion).

At my last tournament, I did that while also having Dark Prophecy and Whip of Erebos on the field, so my devotion was at 9 when Gary hit. Gain 9 life and make opponent lose 18 for 5 mana? Yep, I'll have some of that, thank you!

Could you lay out all your win conditions? I would love to see that.

I wonder got Gary to hit for 50+ no joke 3 sanguined bonds and 2 darknprhopecys a whip and a desecration. Pretty funny stuff.

I think that at 21 4+ CMC cards I don't believe this could place at top 3 unless mono blue devotion, mono red devotion, and gruul monsters aren't things in your meta, but I guess luck does take place in mtg.

That being said I don't hate the deck, I do think that it could use a lot of tweaking though.

Since its budget I suggest splashing red for Dreadbore since its not that expensive.

I would add Pack Rat since its a nice early distraction from your main win-con, plus works well with Liliana of the Dark Realms .

and even though the decks partly named after it I would drop Sanguine Bond .

I would go with this mainboard:

4x Pack Rat

3x Bogbrew Witch

2x Desecration Demon

1x Erebos, God of the Dead

4x Festering Newt

4x Gray Merchant of Asphodel

2x Anger of the Gods

2x Whip of Erebos

3x Devour Flesh

2x Hero's Downfall

3x Magma Jet

3x Dreadbore

2x Liliana of the Dark Realms

2x Bubbling Cauldron

and this sideboard:

4x Dark Betrayal

3x Doom Blade

3x Pithing Needle

4x Duress

1x Anger of the Gods

maybe Slaughter Games in place of Erebos, God of the Dead and a Hero's Downfall since I didnt see you only had one.

Slaughter Games ? This deck doesn't have red, and even if it did, that card isn't that good...

Bestach you should have seen my previous comment, anyway Slaughter Games is a great card, against Azorius control it can take out Elspeth, Sun's Champion , AEtherling , Supreme Verdict , and Sphinx's Revelation , against mono blue, there goes the Master of Waves or Thassa, God of the Sea , against mono black boom! bye bye Gary and Desecration Demon .

Its use is amazing, especially if you know what your opponent is using well enough.

Buddy this is not your deck, im ok with a couple of card suggestions but you are remaking my deck, because this deck is my deck, its unique. It is not another rakdos control. Im sorry im not taking any of your advice, and you dont have to believe it placed top 3 no one does. I do play against the standard meta but you obviously did not read the description.