My favourite card: Grand Abolisher
When I started first playing magic I was playing the WB M11 intro deck. I was having a blast with it, however I began to remove more and more of the black, until it became mono white. I had named it 'Control the Battlefield', and it was a blast. Though I remember the day that I cracked the Abolisher and was able to put it into my deck. It was glorious. I only had the one. However it would stymie my friends' plans and help me hold the fort down till I could start swinging in with my finishers.
The card really help drive my interest for magic. I will always have fond memories of playing it.
Also Geth's Throne has very nice combos with Ichor Wellspring giving you both card draw and hitting your opponent for counters.
I'm reworking my deck a bit and can get back to you in a day or so with my own decklist.
Use deck thinners like Evolving Wilds and Terramorphic Expanse, to help keep your land base costs down. Dual lands are always costly. Trade for them if you can't afford to buy them. Once Scars rotates out hopefully the dual lands from that set will drop in price.
I'm currently playing a mono-blue version of this, but I like what you're getting at. There is Jace's Archivist which can foul up their plans on turn 4. Also Jace's Erasure is brilliant. It'll force them to mill when you draw. I'd stay away from the surgical style mill and focus on raw milling.
You want to look at Thought Scour as a 4 of. Mill two and cantrip. Help pull up another mill or something. I'd say go as far getting 3 Traumatize because it packs so much punch. You want it out.
Jace Beleren's ultimate is very handy late game if you can pull it off. Even more so if you can get Traumatize to resolve in the same turn.
Lastly, you can't be running with so many shock and tapped lands. You want to be able to mill off the draw. Run basic Swamps and Islands, and fetches. Anything which shocks you or comes in tapped leaves your opponent cards to draw with. Which gets you killed.
Currently I'm looking at...
4x Ravenous Rats
4x Liliana's Specter
2x Hypnotic Specter
3x Blazing Specter
4x Bloodchief Ascension
4x Liliana's Caress
2x Megrim
3x Blightning
3x Burning Inquiry
2x Mindcrank
Would the 1 CMC zombie from Innistrad (or DKA? Not sure.) help speed up the Ascension? Also should both Pyretic Ritual and Dark Ritual be included for one-time ramp? (umm how do you properly phrase that?)
Thanks again for all the help.
Dark Ritual - should have been an auto 3 include. I probably won't need it every time.
Also am I stuck using Diabolic Tutor to tutor with?
I feel like a non-creature route would be...
3x Smallpox
3x Diabolic Tutor
3x Dark Ritual
3x Despise
4x Horrifying Revelation
4x Geth's Verdict
4x Distress
4x Sign in Blood
4x Liliana's Caress
4x Mind Rot
4x Darkness
This leaves me with 36 Cards... I think 24 Land is overkill with Dark Ritual, it could probably be reduced to 20. I like the feel of the non-creature route. Though I do really like the idea though of having a body with discard. Is there something similar to Mindcrank that instead of top decking, discards?
I really appreciate the help so far. Cheers =D
3x Black Knight
3x Liliana's Specter
3x Entomber Exarch
3x Despise
4x Horrifying Revelation
4x Geth's Verdict
4x Distress
4x Sign in Blood
4x Liliana's Caress
4x Mind Rot
This is where I'm currently starting from. It needs work, but I'm not sure where to take it. Things I like are.. Geth's Verdict, for its removal and ping; Sign in Blood, keeps my opponent's hand full and pings; Liliana's Specter, evasion, discard and beats/chump block.
I'd like to keep it as budget as possible, all and any help is appreciated.
Cheers!
Edit: So I'd like to keep it mono black. More for the theme and feel. Also playing a turn two Geth's Verdict is easiest done with mono black.
This feels awkward... Anyways been playing Magic for nearly two years, got started with a friend's weenie all-gold-background beater deck. It was good times and I think I actually won a few games with it!
Mostly I play casually, but I do head out to the odd draft to shake it up.
Erm, no idea what I was supposed to be writing, but hopefully this works.
Cheers,
June_yah