I did ad temporal because of you though, but I like seeing cabal being added in :D

Wisps is the best in my opinion due to the cantrip (sue me, I'm a sucker for card draw). Deathmantle is good too IF you get to 4 and can keep it open. Easier said than done with shades imo.

I'm also a sucker for cantrips. There isn't any draw power in this deck as it is, so that's about as multi-purpose as it gets.

Eh, I didn't voice my tone properly. I was saying that Adaptive Automaton is actually underwhelming, and that its main purpose in this deck is to fill the void that is the "I only have 3 mana, and I didn't get a mana ramp yet" problem you can reasonably often run into. Everything in this deck is basically a 4-drop (Nantuko Shade is the exception), so you can get trapped with an promising hand of 3 swamps and an unlucky draw into no additional lands.

I think you might not have this problem because of Dark Ritual and Cabal Coffers which were both illegal in my playtest. Therefore, I do NOT recommend Adaptive Automaton .

Well then. I guess I won't be using it. o.0

I like Adaptive Automaton , but I can agree with it being not much more than a body. If I were to run more 2-drops, such as Nakaya Shade or Demonic Tutor , do you think Adaptive Automaton would be any more worth it? I'm of the opinion that he doesn't fit well into here because this isn't an aggro deck so much as a mid-range.

I think with Dark Ritual and Cabal Coffers , the problem of the "pretty much all creature cards are 4-drops" ceases to be a problem. If I'm wrong, I think this is better fixed by adding even more mana-acceleration cards like Bubbling Muck than putting in the aggro-oriented Adaptive Automaton .

Genju of the Fens is an interesting option of a third-turn body in absence of mana-cards. It's not a Shade, unfortunately, but it has the shade's iconic pump, and the only card you currently use that is dependent on creature type is Cover of Darkness .

Else, I think the best thing would be Demonic Tutor for that. The 2-drop will get you the Nantuko Shade for next turn, or else a Swamp if you weren't sitting at 3 swamps. A consistently stable early-game is important to me because most of my friends play aggro, and these choices don't sacrifice longevity of your deck for early-game safety.

I think I'll have Bubbling Muck as a sideboard card whenever I get around to making a real sideboard.

I like Genju of the Fens , but would prefer to not risk my lands to a killspell. I can't afford that until about turn 6.

I adore Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor . Cost is an issue, though, so I'm gonna be Ebaying until I can get a few.

Opinions of Expedition Map vs Wayfarer's Bauble ?

Expedition Map vs Wayfarer's Bauble is simple the Map puts the land in your hand the Bauble puts it directly into play allowing you to possibly play 2 lands in one turn. The Bauble is better

But what about if I want a Cabal Coffers REALLY badly?

Map > Bauble for pulling what you need in my experience. Especially with Coffers being so important to your creatures. Just my 2 cents, but I would personally much rather top deck Map most of the time over having an extra basic land.

Map > Bauble. Bauble stops shining once the mid game is happening, while being able to get another Cabal Coffers out is valuable all game long.

It depends on what you need. If you need a specific land, then the Expedition Map is better if you need acceleration then the Wayfarer's Bauble is the way to go. As stated, almost every creature you have is a 4 drop. Being able to play those creatures a turn quicker is a pretty big deal.

Thoughts on Doubling Cube and Caged Sun ? (Not one or the other, just if they're worth using & your reasoning.)

Slots. Which cards would you be taking out in order to put in Doubling Cube or Caged Sun ?

I don't think Doubling Cube is worth it. The 2 cost seems like it might be reasonable because you can put it down early and then activate it after a Crypt Ghast has been fielded. But if you have no Ghast and no Nirkana Revenant down, you need to have at least 7 Swamps in order to justify the ability. Furthermore, since everything's about getting more mana out of the Swamps you already have, I don't see a reason to keep piling on these effects, especially from such a late-game-only doubler.

I think Caged Sun suffers almost the same problem. As I said with Adaptive Automaton , +1/+1 effects feel almost negligible because the pump ability of shades is where you get your mass from, so it's a 6-drop Crypt Ghast that works with other colors (and you have a mono-black deck) and doesn't die to creature removal. Nirkana Revenant is a much better 6-drop Crypt Ghast that can kill things.

At most, I think maybe some Caged Sun in the sideboard if your opponent has creature board wipes, the only justification I can come up with.

Thanks for the input, Grunni. Pretty sure we're on the same wavelength.

While we're at it, I was considering dropping in Aphotic Wisps . There isn't any drawpower in a deck that could use it, not to mention the fear aspect.

I've also thought of Nim Deathmantle in passing. Would be worth the mana risk? I don't think it would due to the shades being shades.

I run a deck almost identical to this with 2x Liliana of the Dark Realms and 4x Exsanguinate . Exsanguinate is a game winner itself especially in multiplayer it gives u life and kills them. With it and the ramp I am also able to cast a Griselbrand , Grave Titan , Pestilence Demon .

I had considered Exsanguinate , but only for multiplayer. A playset would be sideboarded, excellent as it is.

Excellent use of the mana, but this is meant to be tribal shades. That's what the original gimmick was.

Cool +1

Cool deck, pal! I'd suggest Sorin Markov , as he can enter the battlefield and take one life's to 10!

budget?

Atleast with Exsanguinate if you are playing multiplayer or two headed giant, etc its each opponent and gives you a ton of life and damages all opponents getting you closer to victory or win con.

My apologies, Backfire96. The budget hub never should've been there, especially once the Urborg lands were added.

If you want your creatures to be huge and swinging through there is a great standard card called Door of Destinies that works very well with tribal decks

+1 if that was a Dr. Horrible reference. Also, because tribal decks are fun.