We've got Mono-Black on the block today.
I got nothing to say that we don't already know about the darkest part of the color pie. In EDH, it's one of the strongest colors, mostly due to tutelage, and perhaps the most dangerous, depending on how far you're willing to go.
So let's count down the nasties.
20. Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Honestly, I'm not so up on Drana, but she's on the list because she is useful. She's removal, and a flying 4/4 when you need one.
Not to mention her art is super sexy. Very austentacious.
That's probably the only reason that you'd pick her over some of the other, better Commanders who are slightly more 1-punch-combo functional or helpful with removal.
19. Chainer, Dementia Master
Chainer has the unique power to meta-reanimate creatures in any graveyard, which seems pretty sweet, until he dies, and none of them can come back.
His strategy is pretty obvious, but the deck is pretty straightforward and fun, if you're willing to lose a lot of life in the process to reanimate.
18. Cao Cao, Lord of Wei
The Cao Cao art has always secretly scared me, but I try not to think about his Rasputin beard, which is the trigger (Remember that man haunts my dreams).
Cao-Squared is a very simple man with a basic tap ability. Mind Rot on a stick.
For this list, it seems fortune favors the Portal 3 Kingdoms, because I am partial to these cards, even though the Lord of Wei is somewhat uncompetitive.
Still, I like me a creature that can disrupt my opponent's plans. He's come in handy when I have played him, and I've enjoyed his company when he's been in my deck.
17. Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
With the recent addition of Liliana of the Dark Realms, Ob Nixilis hasn't felt this super-charged since his planeswalking days.
I like the Oh-Bee-Nix because you get to play stuff most people put in serious decks, like real fetch lands, Terrain Generator, Solemn Simulacrum, and Walking Atlas. Just kidding about the last one- but you can still play it.
You also get to play a bunch of land, which has always been an enticing quality of deckbuilding for me.
16. Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
Shirei is very much a funny, gimmicky deck that your opponents will hopefully give you some mercy points for.
By no means is this deck good, but you get to do fun stuff in multiplayer if everyone wants to durdle and let Shirei stay unchecked.
Creatures like Bottle Gnomes and Blood Artist are pretty commonplace in this deck, as they allow you to manipulate and whittle your opponents down because you're probably never going to attack.
This is one of the strangest decks I've ever seen or looked at, even played, but I kinda like it because I've got a pretty good sense of humor about it.
That's what you've gotta have if you wanna play Shirei.
15. Ashling, the Extinguisher
Ashling was a deck I played for a while, mostly because I love the art and the fact that I could get a 4/4 for four that had removal implications if he went unblocked.
That said, I think Ashling is actually a pretty good "blank-face" General that really doesn't reveal or show what's in your deck before you're ready to cast it.
Though probably not spectacular, I could see what would be exciting and neat about playing this card as a general.
14. Commander Greven il-Vec
If you were to ask me, "Uncle Landdrops, what's cool about this guy?"
I'd respond with my own question.
"Do you know what's cooler than being cool?"
If you answered "Ice Cold!" well, you've been listening to too much OutKast, because the real answer is this.
YOUR COMMANDER IS AN ACTUAL COMMANDER! Imagine that hot shit! Finally! Someone who's actually qualified to interview for an opening you've got as leader of your deck!
And talk about decorations! This warrior's a no-nonsense 7/5 with fear before fear was fear, and if his flavor text is any indication, he's a force to be reckoned with.
I'm really up on this card, probably underrating here on the list due to the fun durdly stuff that I like, but he's a perfect card for any black deck that likes damaging opponents for not playing black. Commander Greven il-Vec is here, and ready to smash whenever you ask. That's service you can't buy.
13. Volrath the Fallen
Some time ago I played Volrath as a General, and found it to be quite the 1-hit-combo when you'd basically Falcon-Punch your opponent, discarding Pathrazer of Ulamog and other high-cost Eldrazi to pump Volrath, and then get it back on top of the library with Volrath's Stronghold.
If you saw the fight last Saturday, this deck's kinda like Juan Manuel Marquez.
This deck is really pretty sweet, and gets to function slightly atypical to the Black Reanimator, because you now have a why to effectively discard your creatures for value even if they don't get to the battlefield.
12. Marrow-Gnawer
Marrow-Gnawer is the original gangsta of the Relentless Rats EDH, which I'm super excited to see in action some day.
As a creature, he's far from impressive- but his abilities are sweet.
There's totally ways to break him, but just because you should doesn't mean you have to.
Playing Rats seems good enough. Also, who likes excuses to play Coat of Arms? You know I do!
11. Mirri the Cursed
Mirri's probably a lot better than advertised, and definitely a nice refreshing card to play because she has so much ability.
And like some of the other Beatstick Black Generals, this one loves Lashwrithe and Nightmare Lash to go along with Flying, First Strike, and HASTE.
Also creature type- Vampire Cat. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will. Unique, fresh, and a threat all unto its own. You don't even need to know what else is in the deck to know it's gonna be trouble.
10. Geth, Lord of the Vault
Geth is by no means an original pick here, but having played him and seen him abuse other people, I can't deny his need to be ranked up in the top half of my list.
Zombie tribal is a thing. Stealing other people's stuff is a thing, and the fact that he can mill you to get more stuff makes Black/Artifact a sweet little deck with many different ways to interact.
So even if you're not looking to build around him, Geth is still good going into your deck. The Intimidate also makes him a beater.
Geth's Good. Just beware that people do know what's up with him.
9. Akuta, Born of Ash
Akuta is not for the faint of heart, but I'd recommend him to experienced EDH-ers lookin' for a sweet challenge.
Sure, Akuta isn't the best or the strongest by any means, but he's got HASTE. Hot, nasty, badass haste.
And, when coupled with discard, personal card draw engines, and a few pieces of good equipment, Akuta becomes a monster that can come at your opponents like a- well, flaming cockroach out of hell. At least, that's what his art looks like.
Also, you get hum the intro to Heart's smash hit "Barracuda," when he comes into play, so there's that to look forward to. Ba-da-dum da-da-dum da-da-dum da-da-derr-nerrr... Oohh, There's A-ku-ta!
8. Horobi, Death's Wail
Horobi is a deck that gets played a lot in my group, and though it has some really obvious mono-B staples in it, there's still plenty of room for surprising gems.
Obviously, the first all-star of this deck is Cauldron of Souls, which creates repeatable Plague Winds with Horobi. Talk about Wrathful!
Nefashu, Desert, and the new Staff of Nin also make Horobi a pretty sweet card to cast.
The dude is also a 4/4 Flyer for four, so chances are General Damage can win you the game. So even if you think the art is bad, this card is worth playing. For the record, I think the art is awesome, and this deck is definitely something you should play if you're interested in Mono-Black.
7. Balthor the Defiled
Balthor's another card I'm really excited about. I love the art and the flavor.
I know Balthor actually has some neat combos also, and enables a nice Zombie-Tribal deck if you're into the whole Walking Dead thing.
Though I find him rather sad because his best quality is suicide so that your Zombie horde may live, I've never had problems with abusing my Commander for utility before, so I won't stop now.
6. Greel, Mind Raker
Greel is a rather unique choice here, and I honestly don't get why I've put it in the Top 10.
However, I'm kind of excited about using Greel as the "Troll Toll" discard outlet for big annoying dudes in your hand while you get to force your opponent to pitch more.
It's all about value-leveraging, cause going to combat will certainly not work here.
I can also see Greel getting past the removal for a turn so you can start wrecking hands in multiplayer.
Other fun options include naming this deck, "The Wheel of Greel," and giving your opponents a random chance to survive. Usually I'm not that generous, but it sounds cool.
If you make The Wheel of Greel in real life, do send me a link and I'll be happy to make you a sweet Twister-style cardboard Spinner and send it to you.
5. Yukora, the Prisoner
I won't BS you and tell you this card is good, because it isn't- especially when Yukora gives your opponent extra incentive to remove it from doing what it should be doing, which is battling.
However, with cards like Grave Pact and Butcher of Malakir, Yukora can get some staying power in the late game, and that seems pretty exciting when you get to leverage Grave Pact as something other than just, "Hey opponent, I'm gonna Attrition you to death."
Another thing that excites me about Yukora is the art, cause every time I see this monster I think of Frieza.
So, yeah, I'm convinced there's a way to make Yukora work- early game beatdowns with equipment, coupled with late-game insurance policies guaranteed to make your opponents wait until they're backed into a corner before they get him off the table.
Totally general material for the inspired player who wants a challenge because he or she is disenchanted with seeing other mono-black generals get too much love. Free Yukora is all's I gots to say.
4. Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
The most common Portal 3 Kingdoms creature before Sun Quan to see play was Xiahou Dun, mostly because he got a Judge Foil printing.
I'd be excited to play this guy because he's a rarity since I stay away from the competitive circuits, and I go bonkers for anything with Horsemanship.
A 3/2 isn't the greatest, but sometimes you gotta make the "sacrifice," and to me, Xiahou Dun is totally worth it.
3. Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
Endrek Sahr is one of my favorites because, in my opinion, he has one of the best post-comma titles in the History of Magic: The Gathering.
Master Breeder. Yep. Endrek Sahr is someone to look up to, kids. So get inspired.
Though a little weak on the P/T side, Endrek Sahr more than makes up for it with his loyal army of Thrulls, which is also a wonderfully refreshing token to see after everyone gets sick of saprolings, wolves, bats, and Bitterblossom Faeries.
The exciting component to this deck is that you get to abuse sac-outlets, which I love to do. He's also a non-damage threat, so most people will actually disregard him where they might find other mono-Black generals a threat to kill them. A little expensive, but good if you've got the itch for tokens and fun.
2. Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Honestly, there's nothing that I can find to hate about Korlash. As far as flavor, he's awesome and a descendant of Dakkon Blackblade, for those Magic History buffs. The FutureSight border is gorgeous, and he's a functional creature that rewards you for basic Swamps, and has regenerate.
Korlash is a masterpiece, and can really work well with any strategy. If you want to suit him up, he loves Nightmare Lash and Lashwrithe, his Swamp-rewarding counterparts, as well as Inquisitor's Flail, which can help him end games quick if that's your game.
Korlash can also go mono-black Zombie-tribal, which seems pretty good if you want to surprise people who are onto the combos with Balthor the Defiled.
I actually run this deck myself, so putting him #2 might seem a like Yo-Yo Ma's cousin, Lil' Nepatiz, is in the house- but I don't have to be the only believer. Try him yourself, and be instantly pleased with the results.
1. Infernal Kirin
Infernal Kirin is number one on my list because it seems like a pretty exciting deck for people of multiple interests.
Spirit tribal is actually pretty viable if you like to bash dudes. If you like engines and card information, the Infernal Kirin deck seems well equipped to wreak havoc after he's cast, and your cheap chump spirits like Bloodghast and Nether Traitor get to find nice abuse with sac-outlets and the like.
You can check out my sample build here.
Infernal Kirin EDH
Alright. Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow's all about Red, so I know it'll be kinda like pulling teeth, but get excited, cause it'll be fun to see what I think about my least favorite color in the pie.
As I've said, would love to see some comments up in this bitch. Give me your thoughts, dreams, whatever. I'll write back.
Turn's to you.
-UL
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