So, a little background first. This deck started simply as a Mono-black Pauper Ponza deck I found online. I thought this list made for a good base so I went browsing around and came up with a lot of ideas to give the deck some more variety. First the list, and then I'll explain my choices.
Now I'll break the deck down into the broader goals each card is aligned with.
Land Destruction
4 Rancid Earth - Potential bonus burn
3 Reap and Sow - Added versatility of possible ramp
2 Destroy the Evidence - Bonus mill
2 Demonic Hordes & 2Helldozer - Either is part of a combo in this deck. I couldn't decide on only having one or the other, because I can see how both could be better in certain circumstances. Either way, they're also beefy creatures.
Control
4 Twiddle - Very versatile for control, getting doubles of a different color of mana, also great for using on Demonic Hordes or Helldozer
4 Freed from the Real - Versatile control, or, perfect for comboing up on Demonic Hordes or Helldozer for repeated land destruction.
4 Chittering Rats - A bit of a stretch, like I said this started as a pauper deck, but this card does give a nice bit of extra grief to the opponent.
Card Advantage/Deck Dig
2 Dusk Legion Zealot - Super cheap, ala pauper, I'm far from committed to this card, just a nice quick extra draw and then possibly on the field just to tank a hit.
2 Thorn of the Black Rose - Deathtouch is always nice to have to spook your opponent from attacking. I also never heard of 'monarch' before this card, but very cool!
4 Sign in Blood - Simple, cheap, fast card advantage. Despite the extra mana cost, I might opt for Read the Bones instead for the added scry, or perhaps do a 2/2 split.
1 Barren Moor - Card draw that doubles as a potential swamp. Not married to this, would be interested to see what people think of it in this context.
Ramp/Fixing
4 Dark Ritual - There's a lot of black, so this only makes sense.
4 Rampant Growth - Ramp that can instantly fix my mana if I'm still missing that blue.
3 Reap and Sow - Already in the "Land Destruction" section, just further pointing out the dual-utility of it.
2 Peat Bog - Same with Dark Ritual, there's a lot of black, and this can really give me a nice boost early on.
4 Evolving Wilds - Obviously.
3 Opulent Palace - Same speed as Evolving Wilds, but it makes every color I need available at once.
Like I said, this started as a Pauper deck, and with a couple exception card disqualifying it, it still is largely pauper. I'm not looking to spend hundreds in upgrades to it, but I'd certainly like any feedback or pointers on where this deck could possibly be improved upon or otherwise enhanced.
Sideboard recommendations would be appreciated as well. I've not really had much use for sideboards, as my friends and I play MtG very casually, but having a good sideboard would be nice anyways.
Funny enough, as-is, this deck costs less than $25, so I'll be buying all the cards I've listed, but I'm still 110% interested in improving upon it down the line!
P.S. The new Guilds of Ravnica set includes the card Unmoored Ego, which I think would be perfect for this deck! I'm definitely getting a playset when it becomes available. Thoughts?
2 Dusk Legion Zealot
4 Chittering Rats
2 Thorn of the Black Rose
2 Demonic Hordes
2 Helldozer
Spells (29)
4 Dark Ritual
4 Twiddle
4 Rampant Growth
4 Sign in Blood
4 Freed from the Real
4 Rancid Earth
3 Reap and Sow
2 Destroy the Evidence
1 Barren Moor
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Forest
2 Island
3 Opulent Palace
2 Peat Bog
5 Swamp
Now I'll break the deck down into the broader goals each card is aligned with.
Land Destruction
4 Rancid Earth - Potential bonus burn
3 Reap and Sow - Added versatility of possible ramp
2 Destroy the Evidence - Bonus mill
2 Demonic Hordes & 2Helldozer - Either is part of a combo in this deck. I couldn't decide on only having one or the other, because I can see how both could be better in certain circumstances. Either way, they're also beefy creatures.
Control
4 Twiddle - Very versatile for control, getting doubles of a different color of mana, also great for using on Demonic Hordes or Helldozer
4 Freed from the Real - Versatile control, or, perfect for comboing up on Demonic Hordes or Helldozer for repeated land destruction.
4 Chittering Rats - A bit of a stretch, like I said this started as a pauper deck, but this card does give a nice bit of extra grief to the opponent.
Card Advantage/Deck Dig
2 Dusk Legion Zealot - Super cheap, ala pauper, I'm far from committed to this card, just a nice quick extra draw and then possibly on the field just to tank a hit.
2 Thorn of the Black Rose - Deathtouch is always nice to have to spook your opponent from attacking. I also never heard of 'monarch' before this card, but very cool!
4 Sign in Blood - Simple, cheap, fast card advantage. Despite the extra mana cost, I might opt for Read the Bones instead for the added scry, or perhaps do a 2/2 split.
1 Barren Moor - Card draw that doubles as a potential swamp. Not married to this, would be interested to see what people think of it in this context.
Ramp/Fixing
4 Dark Ritual - There's a lot of black, so this only makes sense.
4 Rampant Growth - Ramp that can instantly fix my mana if I'm still missing that blue.
3 Reap and Sow - Already in the "Land Destruction" section, just further pointing out the dual-utility of it.
2 Peat Bog - Same with Dark Ritual, there's a lot of black, and this can really give me a nice boost early on.
4 Evolving Wilds - Obviously.
3 Opulent Palace - Same speed as Evolving Wilds, but it makes every color I need available at once.
Like I said, this started as a Pauper deck, and with a couple exception card disqualifying it, it still is largely pauper. I'm not looking to spend hundreds in upgrades to it, but I'd certainly like any feedback or pointers on where this deck could possibly be improved upon or otherwise enhanced.
Sideboard recommendations would be appreciated as well. I've not really had much use for sideboards, as my friends and I play MtG very casually, but having a good sideboard would be nice anyways.
Funny enough, as-is, this deck costs less than $25, so I'll be buying all the cards I've listed, but I'm still 110% interested in improving upon it down the line!
P.S. The new Guilds of Ravnica set includes the card Unmoored Ego, which I think would be perfect for this deck! I'm definitely getting a playset when it becomes available. Thoughts?