Lifebane in my testing is worth a couple spots in the main.
What brings me back, and I can't go through all 40+ pages but what do people think of maybe running Ashiok in the deck maybe as a 1-2 of? Just asking because I pulled a 2nd one last night in my prize packs and got to thinking about my BlackDevo build.
I splashed blue for 3 ashioks and far // away but i often felt i got flooded with 3 drops with the specters and connections. i would probably prefer more removals in the space of ashioks
The main reason I like Putrefy over additional 2cmc removal is that it's never dead whereas the others often are. Hero's Downfall #4 might be correct; the split is a hedge that Abrupt Decay will often be relevant against the planeswalkers I'd like to Downfall.
Lifebane has never been bad for me mainboard. Worst case he's either unblockable or trades with an attacker while giving me information. He does get sided out in matchups where he won't hit, but I think he pulls generalist duties well.
The only fast deck I've seen that concerns me is RDW; nobody seems to be playing it around here though.
This is fair enough - I do see a bit of RDW in my meta (my partner runs it, among others, so it's right there at home for me to test with), so I prefer to have more and faster removal (I now side out a UC, so it used to be a 4H'sD/3AD/2UP/2DF split). And yeah, Abrupt Decay will take out Ashiok or Domri (and Ajani, but I haven't seen anyone play it yet!). I really want to play Putrefy, so I think I'll compromise with something like this:
I don't quite want to go with Lifebane Zombie just yet, probably because I'll cut the slower removal for it anyway (and a Specter, of course). I'll toy around with having two in main and one in side, putting more removal in the SB to compensate if I need it.
For the splash green lists, does Deathrite Shaman warrant consideration? It seems that, with pitching cards to Pack Rat, Mono-Bg can make the most of this very powerful eternal staple in standard. It also gives the deck a second option on one to Thoughtseize. I've had many instances where two life / two damage can make an impact.
So some decks run a one-of Nykthos, which I'm not a big fan of. To me, there isn't enough advantage to potential giant pools of mana to run a colorless land.
BUT...what about a singleton Chromatic Lantern? Not only is it "ramp", but all those cards exiled with Nightveil Specter? Now totally playable. Mutavault doesn't get in the way of Nightveil Specter. Any splash you make for green, blue, or otherwise is suddenly a lot better.
I'm going to try it, I'll let you know how it goes.
So some decks run a one-of Nykthos, which I'm not a big fan of. To me, there isn't enough advantage to potential giant pools of mana to run a colorless land.
BUT...what about a singleton Chromatic Lantern? Not only is it "ramp", but all those cards exiled with Nightveil Specter? Now totally playable. Mutavault doesn't get in the way of Nightveil Specter. Any splash you make for green, blue, or otherwise is suddenly a lot better.
I'm going to try it, I'll let you know how it goes.
The problem with Chromatic Lantern is that it doesn't really help do anything. It's taking up a spot that we need for other cards. Playing Nykthos doesn't hurt us much; we get a Legendary Land that can set up some amazing plays that anyone who's played this deck can testify to at the cost of a little bit less consistency.
The decks mana is consistent enough that the colorless mana doesn't conflict with the Nightveil Specter's mana cost. Most decks run 4-5 colorless lands, and the chances of us having three B by turn 3 is significant, and almost guaranteed by turn 4.
Chromatic does absolutely nothing to help the deck accomplish what it needs to do. The ramp is negligible, Specter card-steal being a guaranteed cast isn't too important considering the current meta (all of the black in the meta, we should be casting spells often off of it), and having a singleton will actually do less than just a guildgate would for a splash in terms of consistency.
I'm not trying to be rude, I just think you shouldn't waste your time on it.
Four Pack Rats should work pretty well. We now know that it's a lot better than just land-flooding protection, so by all means give it a go. I was thinking of piloting a version with three Pack Rats and no Erebos mainboard - I feel he's only really great in the mirror, you run the risk of him being a pretty dead drop if you don't have enough devotion, and with all our UCs we have better draw options almost all of the time. I'll keep two in sideboard.
Also, on BG, I was also thinking more about Fade into Antiquity, and i'm not sure about it now. We can grind out the mirror with our own Ereboses, destroy UC with Abrupt Decay, and destroy Whips AND UC with Golgari Charm, so we have a better than even chance there generally. Against mono-blue, with our removal, we can play around Thassa, or even lay Pithing Needle to turn off the unblockable ability. Not sure about the other Gods, any thoughts?
i like you list a lot but i cant imagine not running 4 underworld connections in the main deck. maybe cut the devour flesh from the main deck and run it ?
EDIT* how have you guys fared against mono blue devotion ? they seem to wreck me unless i draw all of my removal not sure what to do other then just get lucky against them
Funny, I mentioned an unlisted aggro version and was lOl'd at. Mr. E shows up with aggro list, and people lost their socks!
So, I ask, why is doing 4 damage turn 2 a bad thing for your deck?
I wouldn't say that. You posted an unlisted aggro version, but said absolutely nothing on it and expected everyone else to do the discussion for you.
My opinion on Mono-Black Aggro is very uninformed, I'll admit. I just feel like the deck is outclassed by the traditional RDW style decks out there. I mean, Fanatic of Mogis is an aggressively costed Gray Merchant that can close games out very fast. RDW can already do 4+ damage on turn 2.
The reason "doing 4 damage turn 2" is a "bad thing" for this deck (Mono-Black Devotion) is it takes away a lot of the game plan that this deck revolves around. We don't need to end games fast. We have a very tuned list that can deal with almost every deck in the meta. An aggro version is pretty much an entirely different deck at this point, because the amount of development and discussion that has gone into this list has made it very solid.
i like you list a lot but i cant imagine not running 4 underworld connections in the main deck. maybe cut the devour flesh from the main deck and run it ?
Totally! It's basically a concession to the faster decks in my meta, swapping Devour Flesh for UC (I like having two DF in the list, it lets us kill a lone Blood Baron and technically has no target restrictions like Ultimate Price or Doom Blade) would work fine.
The reason "doing 4 damage turn 2" is a "bad thing" for this deck (Mono-Black Devotion) is it takes away a lot of the game plan that this deck revolves around. We don't need to end games fast. We have a very tuned list that can deal with almost every deck in the meta. An aggro version is pretty much an entirely different deck at this point, because the amount of development and discussion that has gone into this list has made it very solid.
Turn one: Cackler
Turn 2: shredfreak
Turn 3: remove a blocker/drop Dark Prophesy/Underworld Connections/etc
4: DD or LR
5: Gary
How is this bad?
Week after week, I won. And I play online, so the vast majority of my winnings go to IRL folks.
Turn one: Cackler
Turn 2: shredfreak
Turn 3: remove a blocker/drop Dark Prophesy/Underworld Connections/etc
4: DD or LR
5: Gary
How is this bad?
Week after week, I won. And I play online, so the vast majority of my winnings go to IRL folks.
T1: Cackler
T2: BTE, BTE, Firefist Striker, swing for 2.
T3: Chandra's Phoenix. If Firefist is not dead, ignore a blocker. Swing for up to ten!
T4: Fanatic of Moglis. If all of the above creatures are alive, they take nine damage and are now dead. If they aren't, you can still swing for ten again, then fourteen next turn, and that's after you play any other haste creatures or burn spells.
RDW has tons of haste creatures, can spew out several creatures on T2 with Burning-Tree Emissary which also makes it harder to slow down, has reach in the form of burn, and can bring back Chandra's Phoenix over and over again with that burn (or Chandra, Pyromaster). What can you do that RDW can't? Given an exact same situation, where do you succeed where RDW fails?
T1: Cackler
T2: BTE, BTE, Firefist Striker, swing for 2.
T3: Chandra's Phoenix. If Firefist is not dead, ignore a blocker. Swing for up to ten!
T4: Fanatic of Moglis. If all of the above creatures are alive, they take nine damage and are now dead. If they aren't, you can still swing for ten again, then fourteen next turn, and that's after you play any other haste creatures or burn spells.
RDW has tons of haste creatures, can spew out several creatures on T2 with Burning-Tree Emissary which also makes it harder to slow down, has reach in the form of burn, and can bring back Chandra's Phoenix over and over again with that burn (or Chandra, Pyromaster). What can you do that RDW can't? Given an exact same situation, where do you succeed where RDW fails?
You're comparing apples to oranges - and I haven't even seen the guys aggro black devotion list!!!
His critters have black, don't need red mana sources. The rdw scenario you give doesn't have a removal option. If one did remove something, say T3, at best rdw could use lightning strike, which won't help vs DD will it? Black Devotion aggro, however, could use Devour Flesh as one of several options.
What else could - let's call it BDW (Black Deck Wins) - do that RDW can't? Draw. The primary failing of RDW is it shoots its load and then it's done. BDW has draw. BDW had Whip, which is a form of card advantage, making all your critters a one time Chandra's Phoenix and helping you reuse your Gray Sage.
So discuss the virtues and failings of BDW on its own merits, not on the merits of RDW. You're just being constipated in the head.
The reason "doing 4 damage turn 2" is a "bad thing" for this deck (Mono-Black Devotion) is it takes away a lot of the game plan that this deck revolves around. We don't need to end games fast. We have a very tuned list that can deal with almost every deck in the meta. An aggro version is pretty much an entirely different deck at this point, because the amount of development and discussion that has gone into this list has made it very solid.
Here's the thing: This is the "Black Devotion" thread. Until it earns it's own forum space, where there can be discussion threads started, such as "Black Devotion Aggro", then there is no "This deck" discussion going on in this thread: ie, no "one" deck owns this thread. Discussion of variants of Black Devotion belong here until/if such time as the mods open up its own forum space and variants can be separated into their own threads.
So his discussion of aggro variants belongs here. Your version of Black Devotion isn't exclusive. It may - or may not - prove to be a better deck, but discussion is not limited to just the version the most work fine tuning has gone into.
post a list and we'll talk about it. No list, no point talking. We can list 60 creatures and 101 possibilities without listing down the deck and what's the point? so many ifs when we don't even know what the deck consists off
Why post a list?
You mean to tell me forums are so amazing? Please. Black Devotion, lol but most the talk includes a splash, debating the colors of the splash, etc.
I'll keep my hybrid cards and win through curve, thank you.
What about being hit by removal? It's not very far-fetched to see two of Cackler, Shred-Freak or DD biting it to Devour Flesh or Far//Away or something, or even getting countered. Esper Control is very much a thing, and MBD packs plenty of kill spells too.
A deck that A) needs to have as much devotion on the board as possible, and B) needs to keep as much of it as possible when T5 rolls around, seems very open to disruption. MBD can afford to take its time with Thoughtseize to ruin an opponent's answers, and a bunch of kill spells to keep the board relatively open for whatever it does put down. But if you're running mostly threats and less removal, how are you going to answer a bigger creature that you don't have a Doom Blade in hand for? How much draw do you have to keep you in the match? What creatures besides the mentioned do you run, and how many, and why did you choose them and not similar ones?
We can't tell without a decklist, can we? And what's the point of discussing it at all if you're not going to tell us what's in it?
And what's wrong with discussing splash? It's still built around Gray Merchant and Black Devotion. Or should we have a new Primer thread for every splash variant?
Turn one: Cackler
Turn 2: shredfreak
Turn 3: remove a blocker/drop Dark Prophesy/Underworld Connections/etc
4: DD or LR
5: Gary
How is this bad?
Week after week, I won. And I play online, so the vast majority of my winnings go to IRL folks.
My biggest problem with this "aggro" list of yours is that you're playing two 3CMC do-nothing enchantment on the most vital turn.
So yeah, you drop Cackler then Shredfreak. Wow, they've taken 4 damage!!!! So you go to turn 3 and drop an enchantment that does close to nothing, and your opponent uses any removal spell in response to you casting it. Whoops. Now you have two power on board on turn 3 in an aggro deck. So then on their turn 3, they get a land and a big dude, or maybe the just have more removal in hand. You've got a cackler/shredfreak on board, you hit them for two (two!) damage, or maybe even none at all because they have mana. Then you drop a DD or LR, scary. One of those gets removed. Then you drop a Gary... for five. So now your opponent is at 9 hp, and your deck is dead in the water.
Look, Prophecy and Underworld Connections are good cards. That really isn't up for debate. But just because cards are good doesn't mean you can jam them in every list. You're giving up threat density so you can draw 2-3 cards a game for aggro. You'd do so much better playing any of the multiple black three drops in Standard. Hell, even a Specter would be great, and it would actually do damage.
Until I see a Black Devotion Aggro list that doesn't have Dark Prophecy or Underworld Connections in it, I won't be taking it seriously.
You're comparing apples to oranges - and I haven't even seen the guys aggro black devotion list!!!
His critters have black, don't need red mana sources. The rdw scenario you give doesn't have a removal option. If one did remove something, say T3, at best rdw could use lightning strike, which won't help vs DD will it? Black Devotion aggro, however, could use Devour Flesh as one of several options.
What else could - let's call it BDW (Black Deck Wins) - do that RDW can't? Draw. The primary failing of RDW is it shoots its load and then it's done. BDW has draw. BDW had Whip, which is a form of card advantage, making all your critters a one time Chandra's Phoenix and helping you reuse your Gray Sage.
So discuss the virtues and failings of BDW on its own merits, not on the merits of RDW. You're just being constipated in the head.
This isn't apples to oranges. When you're playing an aggro deck, you need to have the tools to close a game out fast, consistently. Durdling around and drawing cards does not make an aggro deck. Yeah, cool, it's different from RDW. But if you're trying to model it after RDW, maybe it should be more like RDW instead of whatever is being described here.
My biggest problem with this "aggro" list of yours is that you're playing two 3CMC do-nothing enchantment on the most vital turn.
So yeah, you drop Cackler then Shredfreak. Wow, they've taken 4 damage!!!! So you go to turn 3 and drop an enchantment that does close to nothing, and your opponent uses any removal spell in response to you casting it. Whoops. Now you have two power on board on turn 3 in an aggro deck. So then on their turn 3, they get a land and a big dude, or maybe the just have more removal in hand. You've got a cackler/shredfreak on board, you hit them for two (two!) damage, or maybe even none at all because they have mana. Then you drop a DD or LR, scary. One of those gets removed. Then you drop a Gary... for five. So now your opponent is at 9 hp, and your deck is dead in the water.
Look, Prophecy and Underworld Connections are good cards. That really isn't up for debate. But just because cards are good doesn't mean you can jam them in every list. You're giving up threat density so you can draw 2-3 cards a game for aggro. You'd do so much better playing any of the multiple black three drops in Standard. Hell, even a Specter would be great, and it would actually do damage.
Until I see a Black Devotion Aggro list that doesn't have Dark Prophecy or Underworld Connections in it, I won't be taking it seriously.
This isn't apples to oranges. When you're playing an aggro deck, you need to have the tools to close a game out fast, consistently. Durdling around and drawing cards does not make an aggro deck. Yeah, cool, it's different from RDW. But if you're trying to model it after RDW, maybe it should be more like RDW instead of whatever is being described here.
I think you're looking at it in entirely the wrong way. You are right in that black is not as fast as RDW. But the deck doesn't need to be built as an "all-in" type of deck. If you play a black aggro deck vs. control without some type of card draw, you're pretty much going to punt the matchup. Throw a Dark Prophecy down vs. control and all of a sudden you have 3 devotion and all of their removal becomes a cantrip. Yeah, sure, you have less board presence, but you weren't going to T3 win anyway.
That being said, the weakness to black aggro is reach. You don't have the burn that red does, so without some type of card advantage you're going to get blown out if you don't win right away.
I went 7-3 at the Indianapolis Open yesterday with Brad Nelson's list.
Lost the first two rounds to two mirrors. Close games but I could have sided better (I'm bad) and I was rusty in not playing the game in over a year except for one FMN four months ago. Kept bad hands and didn't draw into lands. Also I think this list didn't really account for the heavy black meta- doom blade was pretty useless. As long as neither player got mana screwed or anything, it basically came down to who got Erebos.
Easy round 3 vs G/B midrange. Then I beat two esper controls and three blue devotions, also seemed like easy matchups. Lost to a U/B control because he just got more card advantage. I didn't get to resolve an underworld connections. I also beat a B/W midrange. Just had to keep the board clear and devour flesh when he played a Baron, or get Erebos and 5 devotion.
Luckily I didn't get any red matchups. I'm curious how this does against the G/R decks in the top 8. Seems fine against Esper, but that might just be the decks' pilots since the top two decks were Esper.
I went 7-3 at the Indianapolis Open yesterday with Brad Nelson's list.
Lost the first two rounds to two mirrors. Close games but I could have sided better (I'm bad) and I was rusty in not playing the game in over a year except for one FMN four months ago. Kept bad hands and didn't draw into lands. Also I think this list didn't really account for the heavy black meta- doom blade was pretty useless. As long as neither player got mana screwed or anything, it basically came down to who got Erebos.
Easy round 3 vs G/B midrange. Then I beat two esper controls and three blue devotions, also seemed like easy matchups. Lost to a U/B control because he just got more card advantage. I didn't get to resolve an underworld connections. I also beat a B/W midrange. Just had to keep the board clear and devour flesh when he played a Baron, or get Erebos and 5 devotion.
Luckily I didn't get any red matchups. I'm curious how this does against the G/R decks in the top 8. Seems fine against Esper, but that might just be the decks' pilots since the top two decks were Esper.
With your point about Doom Blade, you're right: if you look at the top 8 lists, people have been opting for more Ultimate Price and Devour Flesh over the standard 2+ Doom Blades.
I splashed blue for 3 ashioks and far // away but i often felt i got flooded with 3 drops with the specters and connections. i would probably prefer more removals in the space of ashioks
This is fair enough - I do see a bit of RDW in my meta (my partner runs it, among others, so it's right there at home for me to test with), so I prefer to have more and faster removal (I now side out a UC, so it used to be a 4H'sD/3AD/2UP/2DF split). And yeah, Abrupt Decay will take out Ashiok or Domri (and Ajani, but I haven't seen anyone play it yet!). I really want to play Putrefy, so I think I'll compromise with something like this:
11 Swamp
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Golgari Guildgate
2 Temple of Mystery
3 Mutavault
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
//Instants
1 Devour Flesh
2 Ultimate Price
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Hero's Downfall
2 Putrefy
4 Thoughtseize
//Enchantments
3 Underworld Connections
2 Whip of Erebos
//Creatures
2 Pack Rat
4 Nightveil Specter
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
3 Lifebane Zombie
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
2 Duress
1 Devour Flesh
1 Golgari Charm
2 Fade into Antiquity
2 Gaze of Granite
1 Underworld Connections
2 Pithing Needle
I don't quite want to go with Lifebane Zombie just yet, probably because I'll cut the slower removal for it anyway (and a Specter, of course). I'll toy around with having two in main and one in side, putting more removal in the SB to compensate if I need it.
BUT...what about a singleton Chromatic Lantern? Not only is it "ramp", but all those cards exiled with Nightveil Specter? Now totally playable. Mutavault doesn't get in the way of Nightveil Specter. Any splash you make for green, blue, or otherwise is suddenly a lot better.
I'm going to try it, I'll let you know how it goes.
The problem with Chromatic Lantern is that it doesn't really help do anything. It's taking up a spot that we need for other cards. Playing Nykthos doesn't hurt us much; we get a Legendary Land that can set up some amazing plays that anyone who's played this deck can testify to at the cost of a little bit less consistency.
The decks mana is consistent enough that the colorless mana doesn't conflict with the Nightveil Specter's mana cost. Most decks run 4-5 colorless lands, and the chances of us having three B by turn 3 is significant, and almost guaranteed by turn 4.
Chromatic does absolutely nothing to help the deck accomplish what it needs to do. The ramp is negligible, Specter card-steal being a guaranteed cast isn't too important considering the current meta (all of the black in the meta, we should be casting spells often off of it), and having a singleton will actually do less than just a guildgate would for a splash in terms of consistency.
I'm not trying to be rude, I just think you shouldn't waste your time on it.
It has been overperforming like a boss. I'm currently running 3 main.... with one in the SB.
What do you think about 4 packrats main? I won't be able to play for awhile since I'm about to PCS to another duty station....
So, I ask, why is doing 4 damage turn 2 a bad thing for your deck?
Also, on BG, I was also thinking more about Fade into Antiquity, and i'm not sure about it now. We can grind out the mirror with our own Ereboses, destroy UC with Abrupt Decay, and destroy Whips AND UC with Golgari Charm, so we have a better than even chance there generally. Against mono-blue, with our removal, we can play around Thassa, or even lay Pithing Needle to turn off the unblockable ability. Not sure about the other Gods, any thoughts?
i like you list a lot but i cant imagine not running 4 underworld connections in the main deck. maybe cut the devour flesh from the main deck and run it ?
EDIT* how have you guys fared against mono blue devotion ? they seem to wreck me unless i draw all of my removal not sure what to do other then just get lucky against them
I wouldn't say that. You posted an unlisted aggro version, but said absolutely nothing on it and expected everyone else to do the discussion for you.
My opinion on Mono-Black Aggro is very uninformed, I'll admit. I just feel like the deck is outclassed by the traditional RDW style decks out there. I mean, Fanatic of Mogis is an aggressively costed Gray Merchant that can close games out very fast. RDW can already do 4+ damage on turn 2.
The reason "doing 4 damage turn 2" is a "bad thing" for this deck (Mono-Black Devotion) is it takes away a lot of the game plan that this deck revolves around. We don't need to end games fast. We have a very tuned list that can deal with almost every deck in the meta. An aggro version is pretty much an entirely different deck at this point, because the amount of development and discussion that has gone into this list has made it very solid.
Totally! It's basically a concession to the faster decks in my meta, swapping Devour Flesh for UC (I like having two DF in the list, it lets us kill a lone Blood Baron and technically has no target restrictions like Ultimate Price or Doom Blade) would work fine.
Turn one: Cackler
Turn 2: shredfreak
Turn 3: remove a blocker/drop Dark Prophesy/Underworld Connections/etc
4: DD or LR
5: Gary
How is this bad?
Week after week, I won. And I play online, so the vast majority of my winnings go to IRL folks.
T1: Cackler
T2: BTE, BTE, Firefist Striker, swing for 2.
T3: Chandra's Phoenix. If Firefist is not dead, ignore a blocker. Swing for up to ten!
T4: Fanatic of Moglis. If all of the above creatures are alive, they take nine damage and are now dead. If they aren't, you can still swing for ten again, then fourteen next turn, and that's after you play any other haste creatures or burn spells.
RDW has tons of haste creatures, can spew out several creatures on T2 with Burning-Tree Emissary which also makes it harder to slow down, has reach in the form of burn, and can bring back Chandra's Phoenix over and over again with that burn (or Chandra, Pyromaster). What can you do that RDW can't? Given an exact same situation, where do you succeed where RDW fails?
You're comparing apples to oranges - and I haven't even seen the guys aggro black devotion list!!!
His critters have black, don't need red mana sources. The rdw scenario you give doesn't have a removal option. If one did remove something, say T3, at best rdw could use lightning strike, which won't help vs DD will it? Black Devotion aggro, however, could use Devour Flesh as one of several options.
What else could - let's call it BDW (Black Deck Wins) - do that RDW can't? Draw. The primary failing of RDW is it shoots its load and then it's done. BDW has draw. BDW had Whip, which is a form of card advantage, making all your critters a one time Chandra's Phoenix and helping you reuse your Gray Sage.
So discuss the virtues and failings of BDW on its own merits, not on the merits of RDW. You're just being constipated in the head.
Here's the thing: This is the "Black Devotion" thread. Until it earns it's own forum space, where there can be discussion threads started, such as "Black Devotion Aggro", then there is no "This deck" discussion going on in this thread: ie, no "one" deck owns this thread. Discussion of variants of Black Devotion belong here until/if such time as the mods open up its own forum space and variants can be separated into their own threads.
So his discussion of aggro variants belongs here. Your version of Black Devotion isn't exclusive. It may - or may not - prove to be a better deck, but discussion is not limited to just the version the most work fine tuning has gone into.
.
You mean to tell me forums are so amazing? Please. Black Devotion, lol but most the talk includes a splash, debating the colors of the splash, etc.
I'll keep my hybrid cards and win through curve, thank you.
What about being hit by removal? It's not very far-fetched to see two of Cackler, Shred-Freak or DD biting it to Devour Flesh or Far//Away or something, or even getting countered. Esper Control is very much a thing, and MBD packs plenty of kill spells too.
A deck that A) needs to have as much devotion on the board as possible, and B) needs to keep as much of it as possible when T5 rolls around, seems very open to disruption. MBD can afford to take its time with Thoughtseize to ruin an opponent's answers, and a bunch of kill spells to keep the board relatively open for whatever it does put down. But if you're running mostly threats and less removal, how are you going to answer a bigger creature that you don't have a Doom Blade in hand for? How much draw do you have to keep you in the match? What creatures besides the mentioned do you run, and how many, and why did you choose them and not similar ones?
We can't tell without a decklist, can we? And what's the point of discussing it at all if you're not going to tell us what's in it?
And what's wrong with discussing splash? It's still built around Gray Merchant and Black Devotion. Or should we have a new Primer thread for every splash variant?
My biggest problem with this "aggro" list of yours is that you're playing two 3CMC do-nothing enchantment on the most vital turn.
So yeah, you drop Cackler then Shredfreak. Wow, they've taken 4 damage!!!! So you go to turn 3 and drop an enchantment that does close to nothing, and your opponent uses any removal spell in response to you casting it. Whoops. Now you have two power on board on turn 3 in an aggro deck. So then on their turn 3, they get a land and a big dude, or maybe the just have more removal in hand. You've got a cackler/shredfreak on board, you hit them for two (two!) damage, or maybe even none at all because they have mana. Then you drop a DD or LR, scary. One of those gets removed. Then you drop a Gary... for five. So now your opponent is at 9 hp, and your deck is dead in the water.
Look, Prophecy and Underworld Connections are good cards. That really isn't up for debate. But just because cards are good doesn't mean you can jam them in every list. You're giving up threat density so you can draw 2-3 cards a game for aggro. You'd do so much better playing any of the multiple black three drops in Standard. Hell, even a Specter would be great, and it would actually do damage.
Until I see a Black Devotion Aggro list that doesn't have Dark Prophecy or Underworld Connections in it, I won't be taking it seriously.
This isn't apples to oranges. When you're playing an aggro deck, you need to have the tools to close a game out fast, consistently. Durdling around and drawing cards does not make an aggro deck. Yeah, cool, it's different from RDW. But if you're trying to model it after RDW, maybe it should be more like RDW instead of whatever is being described here.
I think you're looking at it in entirely the wrong way. You are right in that black is not as fast as RDW. But the deck doesn't need to be built as an "all-in" type of deck. If you play a black aggro deck vs. control without some type of card draw, you're pretty much going to punt the matchup. Throw a Dark Prophecy down vs. control and all of a sudden you have 3 devotion and all of their removal becomes a cantrip. Yeah, sure, you have less board presence, but you weren't going to T3 win anyway.
That being said, the weakness to black aggro is reach. You don't have the burn that red does, so without some type of card advantage you're going to get blown out if you don't win right away.
Lost the first two rounds to two mirrors. Close games but I could have sided better (I'm bad) and I was rusty in not playing the game in over a year except for one FMN four months ago. Kept bad hands and didn't draw into lands. Also I think this list didn't really account for the heavy black meta- doom blade was pretty useless. As long as neither player got mana screwed or anything, it basically came down to who got Erebos.
Easy round 3 vs G/B midrange. Then I beat two esper controls and three blue devotions, also seemed like easy matchups. Lost to a U/B control because he just got more card advantage. I didn't get to resolve an underworld connections. I also beat a B/W midrange. Just had to keep the board clear and devour flesh when he played a Baron, or get Erebos and 5 devotion.
Luckily I didn't get any red matchups. I'm curious how this does against the G/R decks in the top 8. Seems fine against Esper, but that might just be the decks' pilots since the top two decks were Esper.
With your point about Doom Blade, you're right: if you look at the top 8 lists, people have been opting for more Ultimate Price and Devour Flesh over the standard 2+ Doom Blades.