Most of my posts have been about opening packs or discussing Commander/EDH decks. I do have one 60-card deck that I rather like, though. I may have discussed it long ago on the old chain, but I have been refining it, so let's take a look at the current form it has taken.
Swamp (20)
My deck just uses black spells and a couple artifacts, so our foundation is a lot of Basic Land — Swamp cards chosen from various sets because I like the variety of art. I should check for any remaining duplicates and add a few of the newer cards if they are needed.
Piranha Marsh (4)
These special land cards from the first Zendikar set add some utility. They enter tapped, but they also hurt a chosen opponent when they enter. Not so great early game, but very handy in the late game when my mana base is already set up.
Geth's Verdict (2)
These two Instant spells are from the New Phyrexia set, and while I like the cost of just two black to force an opponent to sacrifice a creature, this is the card with the least benefit to the deck. I am tempted to swap them for Triskaidekaphobia just for giggles, or round out a full playset of the following card, despite the doubled CMC.
Fate Unraveler (2)
An Enchantment Creature is an odd blend of card types from the Born of the Gods and its Greek mythology influences, but it's a Hag, so it fits my witchcraft theme here, too. She also hurts opponents at least once per turn just by existing on the battlefield. She's no slouch at 3/4, so she's difficult to kill, too. I may still try to pick up two more, as noted above.
Vile Rebirth (4)
from the Magic 2014 Core Set, we find this bog-standard (heh...) common instant spell costs just one black mana to exile a creature card from any graveyard and create a 2/2 black zombie creature token.
Grave robbers digging down cautiously listen for anything digging up.
Disentomb (4)
The previous card is mostly for targeting an opponent's graveyard, but this one lets me pull creatures from my own graveyard and return them to my hand. Recycling isn't just green, it's also black...
Sinister Possession (4)
Dragon's Maze had a bad reputation, and packs are not valuable to collectors and investors, but this little Enchantment — Aura is quite useful. For just one black, you force an opponent choose whether attacking or blocking is really such a good idea. Delightfully malevolent, if I do say so myself.
Hierophant's Chalice (4)
The newest card in this deck is from the Ixalan set, and this is the first of two Artifact cards in this deck. For 3 generic mana, you get a mana rock that hurts an opponent and heals you. It was the perfect addition to this deck. Note that we have 20 basic lands, 4 lands that enter tapped, and now these 4 mana sources. This should fix the issues I used to have in getting the core synergy of this deck on the table and working together.
Bogbrew Witch, Festering Newt, and Bubbling Cauldron (4 of each)
This is the heart of this deck: a Core Set 2014 combo where one element lets me tutor the rest of the pieces of the set, another damages an opponent's creatures, and the last hurt opponents while healing myself. Remember Disentomb from earlier? Yeah, it is there specifically so I can recycle the newts!
Of course, this combo is also the biggest weakness in this deck. The witch is CMC 4, and it costs 2 mana to trigger her ability. The newt and the cauldron both indicate the synergy of these three cards. If an opponent sees it being built, they may have ways to stop it before it can trigger, and they probably have time to address it before it goes off.
Pulse Tracker (4)
I find it hard to believe this was a common-rarity card. A one-drop 1/1 that also pings each opponent whenever it attacks? NICE! It was only available in Worldwake or a special Duel Deck.
This is a moderately good casual deck, not a cutthroat competitive deck. It really shines if you want to introduce a new player to the game, though, because it includes all the basic card types, demonstrates both triggered and activated effects, and introduces synergy between different cards. There are ways to search your library, interact with graveyards, and target an opponent's creatures directly. It has a little bit of everything, and can present a decent threat.
I use Ultra Pro card sleeves on this deck because I got a nice set on clearance, and I store it in an Ultra Pro deck box because I got it in a blind bag of Magic goodies from my local game shop. It keeps my cards safe, and while this is no high-dollar deck, I like the protection. The Golgari symbol is a bit out of place since the deck has no green, but the art suits it, I think.
What would you add and remove to make it better? Do you like this kind of deck, or this kind of post? Comment below!
