Hey guys, here's a mono black ramp deck I was working on. I only spent about a half an hour throwing this together, so it's a rough list but it works surprisingly well and it's extremely satisfying to play.
No interest? I updated my list and been having some success with it. I got rid of all the sign in blood, pyyrexian arena, beseech the queen, ect. basically anything that didn't do something the turn it landed and instead added more removal and discard. Now with 6 discard spells and and 7 removal (9 if you count consume spirit since it can be played for 'x' early game before any ramp combo), and more in the SB, it's much easier to survive and combo out.
With heartless out and enough lands and mana multipliers, extra multipliers and ramp basically become overpowered rituals once they're played. With a Grieslbrand out, you just chain rituals together, extort what you can, draw a bunch of cards and unload your hand and cast a bunch of fatties and discard to neuter your opponent and win. Cards like Grisiel and Sorin's Vengeance can come out as early as t4 in a lot of games with a bunch of discard/removal in between.
some impressions: sorin's vengance seems way too win-more. You probably want more interaction. My gut is that lilana/dismember/IoK/devour flesh/slaughter pact will serve you much better. Though if you want to WIN-NOW with grislbrand the card you are looking for is soul spike
also you could probably drop 1x grisbrand for a black tutor, increasing ambition would be the first one I would try.
I also hate that extraplanar lense costs 3, and your gameplan needs you to drop that on turn 3 (this makes you especially vulnerable to turn 4 creature combos like splinterwin) I would up your slaughter pact count to compensate
some impressions: sorin's vengance seems way too win-more. You probably want more interaction. My gut is that lilana/dismember/IoK/devour flesh/slaughter pact will serve you much better. Though if you want to WIN-NOW with grislbrand the card you are looking for is soul spike
also you could probably drop 1x grisbrand for a black tutor, increasing ambition would be the first one I would try.
I also hate that extraplanar lense costs 3, and your gameplan needs you to drop that on turn 3 (this makes you especially vulnerable to turn 4 creature combos like splinterwin) I would up your slaughter pact count to compensate
I like it against aggro decks, surviving to t4-5 against aggro and casting a Vengeance or a huge consume spirit is awesome. the +10 life is really important in a deck that doesn't really run creatures it can block with and buys a lot of time.
As for the tutor, I used to run some beseech the queens but I didn't really like them since they didn't really do anything till the turn I could cast whatever I fetched. I increased the number of Griselbrands and liked it much more since it'd just let me draw a bunch of rituals in addition to discard and burn to cast them right away.
edit: actually idk about soulspike, I feel like they wouldn't be to good to have without a Griselbrand on the field.
What about Abyssal Persecutor? If you have a way to get it off the field after you stabilize, it can work as a great staller.
Idk about Persecutor, I feel like it doesn't fit in the deck very well. It's a strong beater, but not anything else. I could see Persecutor being in a less 'all in strategy' build though, maybe with Vampire Nighthawk for a more mid range style.
I'm trying to see what Wurmcoils are like in place of the Vengeances and Consume Spirits since they're a good threat, work well with Heartless Summoning and stall the game well with the tokens and lifelink.
I realized Vengeance can be a little awkward at times at 7 cmc. It's awkward when the swamps are producing multiples of 2-3 mana. It means you'd need 4 swamps with one multiplier out for a total of 8 mana as opposed to 3 swamps for 6 mana for wurmcoil or 3 swamps with 2 multipliers out for 9 mana as opposed to 2 swamps for 6 mana for wurmcoil.
I normally play tron, so when I remembered wurmcoil, I also remembered a ton of other fat bombs that aren't black too.
I'm on my phone and i cant think of a better name, but It's not a combo in the trafitional sense of winning the turn it goes off, but with grisel and heartless/mana multipliers, more ramp spells you draw basically become efficient rituals that let you dump most of your hand of discard, removal, wurmcoils, burn/lifegain to counteract lifeloss and draw more cards, more grisels, ect. And grisel can come out pretty early but he's not needed to win. A 15/15 Nirkana has won me plenty of games
Since you're ramping, why not just go with Diabolic Tutor?
Or since you're drawing tonnes of cards, why not Infernal Tutor?
I'd rather just play more win conditions than something to tutor for them. Cards like diabolic tutor are also not good before you have a lot of mana and sometimes don't do much the turn they're played. I could probably see tutors as copies of grisel though in an all in build with soulspikes instead of wurmcoils. Something like 4-5 tutors/infernal, 4 grisel, 4 soulspike and maybe some burn/lifegain spells. I just think that discard/removal are more valuable to survive the early game better and have a chance against combo.
I'm on my phone and i cant think of a better name, but It's not a combo in the trafitional sense of winning the turn it goes off, but with grisel and heartless/mana multipliers, more ramp spells you draw basically become efficient rituals that let you dump most of your hand of discard, removal, wurmcoils, burn/lifegain to counteract lifeloss and draw more cards, more grisels, ect. And grisel can come out pretty early but he's not needed to win. A 15/15 Nirkana has won me plenty of games
updated list:
4 Nirkana Revenant
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Griselbrand
Spells
4 Heartless Summoning
4 Thoughtseize
2 Consume Spirit
2 Sorin's Vengeance
2 Disfigure
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Extraplanar Lens
Lands
23 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Slaughter Pact
2 Extirpate
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Murder
2 Duress
2 Damnation
2 Wrench Mind
2 Pithing Needle
Here's some other big fun cards that can played
Lim-Dul the Necromancer
Lord of the Void
Myojin of Night's Reach
Phage the Untouchable
Rune-Scarred Demon
Scion of Darkness
Army of the Damned
Wit's End
Skithyrix, the Blight Dragon
Exsanguinate
4 Nirkana Revenant
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Griselbrand
Spells
4 Heartless Summoning
4 Thoughtseize
2 Consume Spirit
2 Sorin's Vengeance
2 Disfigure
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Extraplanar Lens
Lands
23 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Slaughter Pact
2 Extirpate
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Murder
2 Duress
2 Damnation
2 Wrench Mind
2 Pithing Needle
With heartless out and enough lands and mana multipliers, extra multipliers and ramp basically become overpowered rituals once they're played. With a Grieslbrand out, you just chain rituals together, extort what you can, draw a bunch of cards and unload your hand and cast a bunch of fatties and discard to neuter your opponent and win. Cards like Grisiel and Sorin's Vengeance can come out as early as t4 in a lot of games with a bunch of discard/removal in between.
also you could probably drop 1x grisbrand for a black tutor, increasing ambition would be the first one I would try.
I also hate that extraplanar lense costs 3, and your gameplan needs you to drop that on turn 3 (this makes you especially vulnerable to turn 4 creature combos like splinterwin) I would up your slaughter pact count to compensate
I like it against aggro decks, surviving to t4-5 against aggro and casting a Vengeance or a huge consume spirit is awesome. the +10 life is really important in a deck that doesn't really run creatures it can block with and buys a lot of time.
As for the tutor, I used to run some beseech the queens but I didn't really like them since they didn't really do anything till the turn I could cast whatever I fetched. I increased the number of Griselbrands and liked it much more since it'd just let me draw a bunch of rituals in addition to discard and burn to cast them right away.
edit: actually idk about soulspike, I feel like they wouldn't be to good to have without a Griselbrand on the field.
in that case drop the sorin's vengance for a 1x increasing ambition/diabolic revalation with 1x elixer of imortality.EDIT: I am coming around on 'em though the fact they cant hit creatures is frustrating
Idk about Persecutor, I feel like it doesn't fit in the deck very well. It's a strong beater, but not anything else. I could see Persecutor being in a less 'all in strategy' build though, maybe with Vampire Nighthawk for a more mid range style.
4 Nirkana Revenant
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Griselbrand
4 Wurmcoil Engine
Spells
4 Heartless Summoning
4 Thoughtseize
4 Victim of Night
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Disfigure
4 Extraplanar Lens
Lands
24 Snow-Covered Swamp
2 Slaughter Pact
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Duress
2 Pithing Needle
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Memoricide
2 Infest
I'm trying to see what Wurmcoils are like in place of the Vengeances and Consume Spirits since they're a good threat, work well with Heartless Summoning and stall the game well with the tokens and lifelink.
I realized Vengeance can be a little awkward at times at 7 cmc. It's awkward when the swamps are producing multiples of 2-3 mana. It means you'd need 4 swamps with one multiplier out for a total of 8 mana as opposed to 3 swamps for 6 mana for wurmcoil or 3 swamps with 2 multipliers out for 9 mana as opposed to 2 swamps for 6 mana for wurmcoil.
I normally play tron, so when I remembered wurmcoil, I also remembered a ton of other fat bombs that aren't black too.
There's Sundering Titan, [CARD]Karn Liberated
[/CARD], Platinum Angel, and all the eldrazi too.
Reprint Opt for Modern!!
FREE DIG THOROUGH TIME!
PLAY MORE ROUGE DECKS!
I'm on my phone and i cant think of a better name, but It's not a combo in the trafitional sense of winning the turn it goes off, but with grisel and heartless/mana multipliers, more ramp spells you draw basically become efficient rituals that let you dump most of your hand of discard, removal, wurmcoils, burn/lifegain to counteract lifeloss and draw more cards, more grisels, ect. And grisel can come out pretty early but he's not needed to win. A 15/15 Nirkana has won me plenty of games
Since you're ramping, why not just go with Diabolic Tutor?
Or since you're drawing tonnes of cards, why not Infernal Tutor?
I'd rather just play more win conditions than something to tutor for them. Cards like diabolic tutor are also not good before you have a lot of mana and sometimes don't do much the turn they're played. I could probably see tutors as copies of grisel though in an all in build with soulspikes instead of wurmcoils. Something like 4-5 tutors/infernal, 4 grisel, 4 soulspike and maybe some burn/lifegain spells. I just think that discard/removal are more valuable to survive the early game better and have a chance against combo.
Reprint Opt for Modern!!
FREE DIG THOROUGH TIME!
PLAY MORE ROUGE DECKS!