Mono black anti ally?
Deck Help forum
Posted on Aug. 21, 2013, 12:45 p.m. by worn_chaos789
Ok so I've been building a mono black anti ally deck for some time now. However, being a novice deck builder, I'm having a hard time with creatures. I try to keep them low cost, since allies are fast, and I don't want to be overwhelmed too early on. however, I don't know whether I should focus on offense or defense during actual play time. I have a hard time balancing between keeping my defense strong while also dishing out damage myself. I have a tendency to attack all at once (All flying, he can't block) but then I leave myself wide open. Any tips for balancing?
worn_chaos789 says... #3
I actually do have a few copies of Doom Blade in my deck, as well as a few copies of Murder to achieve roughly the same effect (as I don't have 4 copies of Doom Blade . I also bought 4 copies of Necrotic Plague and Spreading Plague , but unfortunately I misread the cards ability and decided against them, since he does have a few black allies and I rock a mono black deck. I also have 4 copies of Torpor Orb in there to level the playing field a bit. I do have Duress and Mind Rot but I haven't added them into the deck quite yet as I'm not sure about the effects of discard abilities quite yet. I've never used them, and it seems to me like they might not be as effective as I'd like them to be. Maybe I'll throw them in and give em a shot.
August 21, 2013 12:59 p.m.
MindAblaze! has a point. Allies are very much a deck based around building fast. Kill spells and early discard will do the trick well.
There are some other options to consider, too. Field-wipes are good plays - they clear everything that your opponent has accumulated thus far, and if they've been overplaying their hand, it can leave them topdecking. Budget-friendly options are sparse, sadly - Damnation if you're willing to spend, Black Sun's Zenith if you're not.
Torpor Orb is also a killer pick against allies. It pretty much forces your opponent to play with vanilla creatures, which is a huge advantage.
August 21, 2013 1:04 p.m.
Oh - just saw your comment about Torpor Orb. Strike that!
August 21, 2013 1:04 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #7
Yeah, Gatekeeper of Malakir is value-city. The only reason I didn't suggest board-wipes is they're kind of expensive ($ or manawise) in black. Damnation while awesome, isn't cheap, and Black Sun's Zenith can be pretty slow if you're trying to race a growing...Kazandu Blademaster for example. You're getting much more value out of mass removal than spot removal against allies though.
Massacre Wurm seems like it could be fun, but the -2/-2 may not be that relevant by that point.
August 21, 2013 1:30 p.m.
worn_chaos789 says... #8
That's my biggest issues with board wipes. Any board wipes that clear all creatures indefinitely are expensive mana wise. And any board wipes that aren't expensive usually only destroy creatures with X/X and that can be a problem when dealing with a growing ally. If Torpor Orb was on the field, clear spells would be amazing since allies wouldn't be able to thrive off of one another. But until it is, clear spells are all but effective unless I'm willing to pay an arm and a leg for em lol So my plan is to stick with spot removal, smaller creatures bumped up with Bad Moon and Torpor Orb to keep him from getting to powerful. Even a Festering Newt would be a force to be reckoned with with 4 Bad Moon s out. And if any one his creatures do manage to get out of hand, I have a few Stab Wound s in there to make them a hindrance for him. Overall, I think the deck should do well. If it doesn't, and I get decimated AGAIN, maybe I should rethink maybe working with a different color or try rebuilding it one more time.
August 21, 2013 1:49 p.m.
worn_chaos789 says... #10
I actually do have a copy of that. But only the 1. I'll have to swing by my local shop and see if they have a few more I can buy. Until then, I'm gonna see how well the deck does as is.
MindAblaze says... #2
Your deck is composed to play against an ally deck primarily?
Odds are, depending on the composition of the ally deck, that your best bet is to simply run lots of removal and discard in your early slots. Don't let it get rolling. Doom Blade , Victim of Night and Dismember all do the job, and stuff like Mind Rot and Despise will keep those creatures off the battlefield.
Then finish your opponent off with whatever fatty you feel aligned with. Something like Bloodgift Demon is great because it refills your hand at a minimal life loss.
August 21, 2013 12:52 p.m.