I am currently tinkering with a few ideas here and there.
Mono Black seems quite nice to play with. With Lilianna comming back in INS as a nice discardoutlet (not to mention the sacrificing a creature), I want to build a monoblack deck:

Currently I have the following cards

Creatures:
4x Phyrexian Obliterator
4x Reassembling Skeleton
4x Skinrender
4x Cemetary Reaper
4x Vengeful Pharaoh

Spells:
4x Smallpox
4x Despise
4x Go for the Throat
4x Black Sun's Zenith
4x Dismember
4x Geth's Verdict

Land:
4x Inkmoth Nexus
16x Swamps

Cards which can be considered:
Doomblade - Additional Removal.
Grave Titan - works nicely creatuing zombie tokens, but I am worried that it is to steep with CC cost
Call to the Grave - would work quite nicely with my zombie army, though I am worried that this CC of 5 might be too steep.
Grasp of Darkness - nice removal card
Gruesome Encore - if they discard/sacrifice a good creature it'll be mine until end of turn.
Rathet Bomb - pretty much mass token removal (or small creatures)
Hand of Praetors - Zombie and gives infect bonus
Contagious Nim - Zombie and infect
Phyrexian Crusader - Zombie and infect
Zombie Infestation - Discard reassembling skeleton/vengeful pharaoh to your graveyard and get an zombie token.

Vampire Nighthawk is notably missing from your list of creatures to consider (and it's definitely worth playing), and Lashwrithe is really good here. Obliterator and Lashwrithe are basically your reasons for going monoblack. Phyrexian Crusader is definitely worth it as the protections are definitely relevant, especially against red decks.

Inquisition of Kozilek is the best discard in standard right now, and you should definitely play four of them.

Reassembling Skeleton is just too small and not worth it. Against removal, Lashwrithe + protection creatures + Grave Titan should be your answers. Against control, you just want discard. The reanimator theme is rather weak, and I'd just scrap it completely. I'd just concentrate on playing creatures and removing theirs.

I would consider starting with something like this:

4 Skinrender
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Phyrexian Crusader
2 Grave Titan

4 Lashwrithe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Dismember
3 Go for the Throat
3 Doom Blade

quote:

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Originally posted by yakusoku:
Smallpox and Geth's Verdict are really not so great now with Squadron Hawk, Chandra's Phoenix, Grave Titan, etc. in the format. Targetted removal is much better.

Vampire Nighthawk is notably missing from your list of creatures to consider (and it's definitely worth playing), and Lashwrithe is really good here. Obliterator and Lashwrithe are basically your reasons for going monoblack. Phyrexian Crusader is definitely worth it as the protections are definitely relevant, especially against red decks.

Inquisition of Kozilek is the best discard in standard right now, and you should definitely play four of them.

Reassembling Skeleton is just too small and not worth it. Against removal, Lashwrithe + protection creatures + Grave Titan should be your answers. Against control, you just want discard. The reanimator theme is rather weak, and I'd just scrap it completely. I'd just concentrate on playing creatures and removing theirs.

I would consider starting with something like this:

4 Skinrender
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Phyrexian Crusader
2 Grave Titan

4 Lashwrithe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Dismember
3 Go for the Throat
3 Doom Blade

4 Inkmoth Nexus
20 Swamp

---

I find that Vault Skirge is another great beater when he's wearing a lashwrithe. At first I had no faith in him, afterall he's just a 1/1 flyer lifelinker, but he's actually really good IMHO.

quote:

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Originally posted by psilence6k:
I find that Vault Skirge is another great beater when he's wearing a lashwrithe. At first I had no faith in him, afterall he's just a 1/1 flyer lifelinker, but he's actually really good IMHO.

I think Gatekeeper > Phyrexian Crusader as well, even with all the hawks / G-Titans.

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I actually had those thoughts as well just a few moments ago as I was thinking about the last monoblack deck I played. I beat him two weeks ago and lost to him last week. The Gatekeeper is better than Crusader, but I'd consider Crusader in the side for mono-red. The 2/2 body is way better than instant speed for Geth's Verdict right now. Vault Skirge is really good considering it dodges non-Dismember black removal. I got my opponent down to 1 life, but lacked the burn to finish him off when he played and equipped Lashwrithe to it.

3 GftT and 3 DB was my just throwing numbers out there, but I've found that GftT is usually much worse, except when facing down Deceiver Exarch protected by Spellskite. Otherwise, GftT doesn't kill most creatures in Tempered Steel, Spellskite, Vault Skirge (although Doom Blade doesn't touch this, either), Wurmcoil Engine, and probably a few more I'm forgetting.

With that in mind, this would be my quick update:

4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vault Skirge
4 Skinrender

4 Lashwrithe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Dismember
4 Doom Blade

quote:

---

Originally posted by yakusoku:
I actually had those thoughts as well just a few moments ago as I was thinking about the last monoblack deck I played. I beat him two weeks ago and lost to him last week. The Gatekeeper is better than Crusader, but I'd consider Crusader in the side for mono-red. The 2/2 body is way better than instant speed for Geth's Verdict right now. Vault Skirge is really good considering it dodges non-Dismember black removal. I got my opponent down to 1 life, but lacked the burn to finish him off when he played and equipped Lashwrithe to it.

3 GftT and 3 DB was my just throwing numbers out there, but I've found that GftT is usually much worse, except when facing down Deceiver Exarch protected by Spellskite. Otherwise, GftT doesn't kill most creatures in Tempered Steel, Spellskite, Vault Skirge (although Doom Blade doesn't touch this, either), Wurmcoil Engine, and probably a few more I'm forgetting.

With that in mind, this would be my quick update:

4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vault Skirge
4 Skinrender

4 Lashwrithe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Dismember
4 Doom Blade

4 Inkmoth Nexus
20 Swamp

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by yakusoku:
I actually had those thoughts as well just a few moments ago as I was thinking about the last monoblack deck I played. I beat him two weeks ago and lost to him last week. The Gatekeeper is better than Crusader, but I'd consider Crusader in the side for mono-red. The 2/2 body is way better than instant speed for Geth's Verdict right now. Vault Skirge is really good considering it dodges non-Dismember black removal. I got my opponent down to 1 life, but lacked the burn to finish him off when he played and equipped Lashwrithe to it.

3 GftT and 3 DB was my just throwing numbers out there, but I've found that GftT is usually much worse, except when facing down Deceiver Exarch protected by Spellskite. Otherwise, GftT doesn't kill most creatures in Tempered Steel, Spellskite, Vault Skirge (although Doom Blade doesn't touch this, either), Wurmcoil Engine, and probably a few more I'm forgetting.

With that in mind, this would be my quick update:

4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vault Skirge
4 Skinrender

4 Lashwrithe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Dismember
4 Doom Blade

4 Inkmoth Nexus
20 Swamp

---

-1 Skinrender
-1 Doom Blade/Inkmoth/whatever else

+2 Swamp

As pointed out above, if you miss BBB or BBBB, it'll hurt. And if you're running Inkmoths, then you def need to make up for it.

How's your Sideboard looking?

4x vampire nighthawk
4x phyrexian obliterator
2x grave titan
2x wurmcoil engine

4x sign in blood
4x distress
4x go for the throat
3x dismember
4x despise
1x sorin's vengence
4x lashwrithe

4x marsh flats
20x swamps

Side
3x skinrender
3x black sun's zenith
1x mind sludge
4x surgical extraction
4x contaminated ground