In general I would describe myself as a blue/white player with a fascination for green.  My wife once noted that I love wildlife, but hate nature.  Nature is dirty and dangerous, but flora and fauna are interesting and compelling - I just don't want to experience the negative aspects of nature personally.  For instance, on a hike in the Smoky Mountains, my wife and I saw a bear cub.  You may think it is wonderful to see a roly-poly, fluffy bear cub, but if you are on a trail in the middle of a forest on the mountains well removed from civilization, the first thought upon seeing a bear cub alone is, "Where is mommy bear?"

If that isn't the first question that springs to mind in that situation, then your own personal safety needs to rise on higher on your priority list.  Getting between a mother bear and her cub is a sure method of experiencing the full onslaught of a pissed off bear directed at you.

Now, in a zoo or aquarium (and I don't mean a roadside mom and pop place that should be shut down for animal cruelty), I will watch all sorts of animals and be amazed at their power and grace.  I simply like my environment controlled.

Rather consistently, my predilections run towards attempting to control the game in full measure.  That means I want to be able to deal with Creatures, Enchantments, Sorceries, Instants, and Planeswalkers.  I can be exceedingly patient and have no problem taking a very long road to victory.

So, while my fondness for the wildlife represented by green drives me to try a or deck, I tend to stay away from mono-black concepts because there are simply too many things beyond black's ability to control alone.  Just because something doesn't come naturally doesn't mean it should be completely avoided.  So I opened up a spoiler of the cards available online, and began searching for options that would intrigue in a mono-black deck.

The format of choice for this experiment is Classic Tribal Wars and the options that I found the most intriguing were Zombies, Vampires, and Warriors.  Zombies are one of the classic tribes in all of Magic and a powerful option in Classic Tribal Wars.  Captivating Vampire from Magic 2011 is an intriguing card that acts as both a tribal lord and as a control mechanism.  Warriors seemed like a cheap option given that there were intriguing Zombie Warriors and Vampire Warriors that I was considering for use in the first two decks, and reuse of cards is a surefire method of reducing the average cost of your decks.  Just as a warning, the Warrior deck only ended up reusing one creature and evolved into its own identity.

As this was an opportunity at exploration, I wanted to examine what Black does best.  More than any other color, Black is the color of creature destruction.  While Red has a plethora of direct damage and White can seek balance and enforcement of the law, neither color comes close to Black for pure death-dealing.  Black is so robust in its approach to killing creatures, that it has no less than four viable alternatives that continue to show up in nearly every block for eliminating creatures:

Destruction
Damage
Forced Sacrifice
Toughness Reduction

So with tribes chosen and a plethora of destructive options available, I started the process of building and testing my mono-black decks.

My construction of a Vampire deck took root during Flippers_Giraffe's first Coalition League when I managed to cobble to together a decent vampire theme around week 3.  Week 3 is when I opened a Worldwake pack and added a Bloodhusk Ritualist and an Anowon, the Ruin Sage with a couple of other vampires to my deck.  Both Vampires are powerful in their own right, but I adored the repetitive, one-sided nature of Anowon's triggered effect.  Combined with the new Vampire lord in Magic 2011, I had the start of a deck which could handle a wide variety of opponents.
	Overall, I attempted to keep the average mana cost of the creatures (2.7 converted mana cost (CMC)) and spells (2.125 CMC) minimal.  Tribal can be a very rapid format and there are quite a few decks that need answers early, to this end I knew I wanted to include a low-cost vampire.  Guul Draz Assassin is an excellent option and is able to handle a variety of opposing creatures and even the most popular lords in the format such as Lord of Atlantis and Elvish Archdruid.  Also, I was aiming more towards the control aspect than the blitz aspect that was prominent among the Zendikar-block and Magic 2010, making Vampire Lacerator and Guul Draz Vampire less desirable inclusions. Gatekeeper of Malakir and Captivating Vampire are both 3-drops that provide mechanisms for creature control, albeit as a late game and rather unlikely option for Captivating Vampire.  Bloodhusk Ritualist can also be played as early as turn 3, but I will often hold him until I can kick him two or three times for his discard effect if board position permits. For four mana and higher casting costs, the deck only has four creatures: two Mirri the Cursed and two Anowon, the Ruin Sage.  Mirri provides a nice combat option, especially with backup from Guul Draz Assassin.  Anowon, the Ruin Sage can quickly change the complexion of a game as an opponent methodically decimates his own army while my army remains unaffected.
I also wanted the deck to leverage the Vampire-specific non-creature spells that now support the tribe.  The first option is Blade of the Bloodchief which provides an alternative to Guul Draz Assassin to cast on turn 1. The Blade can very quickly build up the power and toughness of an army of Vampires when it is shunted from one Vampire to another while using various effects to decimate an opponent's board.  In more than one game, I have ended up with three or more vampires with a handful of +1/+1 counters each. Feast of Blood and Urge to Feed provide more creature control options.  Feast of Blood, like most black creature destruction spells, has a limitation.  Unlike most options such as Terror, Doom Blade, and Eyeblight's Ending, the limitation is under my control rather than impacted by my opponent's deck choice.  The downside of Feast is that it is a sorcery instead of an instant.  Feast of Blood also provides a touch of life gain to help stabilize if necessary.  Urge to Feed is a typical -3/-3 targeted spell, with a mana cost that is virtually identical for this deck to Last Gasp, but it can provide the opportunity for free permanent pumps to my Vampires.  As a combat trick, Urge to Feed can completely turn a game around if played during combat.
Sign in Blood provides much needed card draw while Aphetto Dredging can recover deceased Vampires to rebuild a hand late in the game.  Aphetto Dredging also can help counter the impact of facing a discard heavy deck. Swamps provide the primary mana source, but they are augmented by a few other lands.  Barren Moor provides cycling for mid to late game when a spell is more valuable than another land.  Bojuka Bog provides an option to decimate a graveyard and eliminate that resource for opposing players trying to utilize it.  Desert comes into play untapped but only provides , but Desert works well in conjunction with Guul Draz Assassin and Urge to Feed to eliminate opposing attackers.  Karakas is simply good enough in thwarting enemy Legends as well as protecting my own that it warrants inclusion in any Tribal deck that includes white spells or is mono-colored (losing out on one source of colored mana should not significantly impact a mono-colored deck).  I wouldn't necessarily include a copy in a Jund deck any time soon.

Vampires - Classic Tribal Wars
Lands (24)    13x Swamp      3x Barren Moor      3x Bojuka Bog      1x Karakas      4x Desert	Creatures (20)    4x Guul Draz Assassin    4x Gatekeeper of Malakir    4x Bloodhusk Ritualist    4x Captivating Vampire    2x Mirri the Cursed    2x Anowon, the Ruin Sage	Non-Creatures (16)    2x Blade of the Bloodchief    4x Sign in Blood    4x Feast of Blood    4x Urge to Feed    2x Aphetto Dredging

As of August 30, 2010 the total purchase price for this deck is $13.25 on www.mtgotraders.com.

This deck features death by sacrifice (Gatekeeper of Malakir and Anowon, the Ruin Sage), destruction Feast of Blood, and toughness reduction (Urge to Feed and Guul Draz Assassin) for a veritable smorgasbord of creature decimation.  Sounds like fun, let's take it for a spin.

Duel #1

I elect to go first and keep a hand that requires hitting a second source of black mana early or having a very rough game.

I open with Swamp and Guul Draz Assassin while my opponent hits a Forest and a Llanowar Elves.  I draw and play a Barren Moor and cast my second Guul Draz Assassin while my adversary counters with a Forest and a plethora of elves: Heritage Druid, Nettle Sentinel, Elvish Archdruid.  The Archdruid could allow my opponent to empty his hand and still be open for an attack.

Since I cannot level a Guul Draz Assassin sufficiently to kill the Elvish Archdruid, I lay down a Swamp and cast Urge to Feed and tap both of my vampires for the +1/+1 tokens.   After my opponent drops a Forest, Arbor Elf, Elvish Visionary, and another Heritage Druid, the battlefield is very lopsided.

To open turn 4, I play a Desert and a kicked Gatekeeper of Malakir, leaving the Desert untapped.  That gives me three 2/2 creatures and my opponent only having two spells to cast next turn.  On my adversary’s next turn, he cycles Gempalm Strider and has a plethora of Elves larger than my Vampires on the table, but the 4/4 Nettle Sentinel is still tapped.  Tapping the Llanowar Elves, my opponent remedies this issue and casts an Essence Warden.  I am attacked by Heritage Druid, Arbor Elf, Nettle Sentinel, Heritage Druid for 13 damage which I decided to soak rather than losing a Vampire on a suicidal blocking assignment.

I open turn 5 with Mirri the Cursed and all that separates me from a loss in this game is a good draw by my opponent.  He, however, draws and casts a Nettle Sentinel before passing the turn.  I drop a Swamp and level one of my Guul Draz Assassins twice, leaving a black mana open.  My opponent draws and plays a Forest before attacking with two Nettle Sentinel, Essence Warden, two Heritage Druid, Arbor Elf, and Llanowar Elves.  I block to minimize damage and take two after eliminating an unblocked creature with the leveled-up Assassin.

I open turn 6 with a Captivating Vampire and pass the turn.  Sitting at 3 life I cannot be overly aggressive in case my opponent still has a bomb that could win the game.  My foe draws and plays a Forest and notes that the amount of land he has drawn is excessive.  I end his turn by stealing the Essence Warden.  I then play another Captivating Vampire, assassinate an Arbor Elf and attack with Captivating Vampire, Mirri the Cursed, Essence Warden, Gatekeeper of Malakir, and Guul Draz Assassin for what would be 20 damage had my opponent not conceded from the game.

Overall, I am happy with this outcome.  Elves is one of my least favorite matchups (pingers with deathtouch is also very annoying - why the heck did Wizards make Deathtouch work on non-combat damage anyways?), but the deck worked reasonably well even considering the slight mana flood of my opponent.

Duel #2

My opposition wins the die roll, elects to play, and then mulligans to 6 cards.  I keep my original seven and we get underway.

He opens with a Forest and Viridian Acolyte while I drop a tapped Barren Moor  Next, Selesnya Sanctuary sends the Forest back to my opponent’s hand and I am attacked for 1.  I drop a Desert and a Guul Draz Assassin.

On turn 3, a Forest and Imperious Perfect enter play and I take 2 damage from an attacking Viridian Acolyte.  I drop a Swamp and pass the turn.  My opponent plays another Forest followed by a Wolf-Skull Shaman, gaining a 1/1 Elf Warrior token creature.  That could be problematic, but if I can get my Assassin leveled enough, I can keep the wolf pack from growing too large.  My foe attacks with his 2/2 Viridian Acolyte and I block with my 1/1 Guul Draz Assassin.  Urge to Feed removes the Imperious Perfect and I tap the Assassin for the +1/+1 counter, sending the Acolyte to the graveyard. 

I then spend my turn playing a Desert and a Blade of the Bloodchief.  I equip the Blade to my only creature and pass the play to my adversary. The Wolf-Skull Shaman gives my opponent a 2/2 wolf when he reveals Elvish Harbinger.  He then plays a Plains and the Harbinger, placing a Wren's Run Packmaster on the top of his deck.  At the end of his turn, I use Urge to Feed to remove the Wolf-Skull Shaman, and between tapping with the Urge to Feed and the Blade of the Bloodchief, the Guul Draz Assassin is now 4/4.  I play a Karakas and level my Guul Draz Assassin twice.

My opponent plays a Forest and Wren's Run Packmaster, championing the Elvish Harbinger, and then using the Packmaster’s ability to summon forth a wolf.  My opponent attacks for 2 with the other Wolf and I refuse to block.  I play a Bojuka Bog and cast a second Guul Draz Assassin.  On turn 7, my adversary drops a Plains, enchants a Forest with a Fertile Ground, and brings two more Wolf tokens into play.  He then attacks with one Elf Warrior and two Wolf tokens.  My larger Guul Draz Assassin blocks the Elf Warrior token and then assassinates one Wolf token, triggering the ability of the Blade of the Bloodchief.  The Elf Warrior dies in combat and my two Desert eliminate the final Wolf token generating four more +1/+1 tokens for the Assassin.  My opponent is sitting at an unblemished 20 life while I have been dropped to 13 life.

On my seventh turn, I level my puny Guul Draz Assassin and cast a third one before passing the turn.  Two more Wolf Tokens enter play for my opponent and my level 2 Assassin kills one of them to gain two more +1/+1 tokens.  After the turn passes to me, I play a Barren Moor and level my second Assassin to level 2 and equip him with the Blade of the Bloodchief.  While I would love to cycle the Barren Moor for a better card, I need the mana to keep my Assassins growing and eliminating opposing wolves.

With the Assassins on my side primed to take out Wolf tokens as fast as my opponent can make them, he shifts gears and casts a new Wren's Run Packmaster sending the Elvish Harbinger back into play.  This allows my foe to place Tolsimir Wolfblood on the top of his deck.  He then creates a new Wolf token and attacks with three 2/2 wolves.  Two wolves die to Assassins, but one gets in for 2 points of damage.  I spend turn nine playing a Swamp and leveling up my third Guul Draz Assassin to level 2.  I know Tolsimir Wolfblood is coming and with Karakas, I can bounce him or I can leave mana open to kill him at the cost taking some more damage or I can continually bounce him back to my opponent’s hand.

Tolsimir Wolfblood enters the battlefield on my enemy’s side and the Wren's Run Packmaster poops out two more Wolf tokens, now 3/3.  He then attacks with two wolf tokens. 

I use two Assassins to eliminate the Legendary lord and then use the two Desert to kill one of the wolves after being knocked to 7 life.  I spend turn 10 kicking a Bloodhusk Ritualist into play forcing the discard of a Luminescent Rain, emptying my opponent's hand.  I then use one Assassin to kill of the opposing Elvish Harbinger.

A Forest and three more wolves enter play to begin turn 11.  I am attacked by two wolves and both die to Guul Draz Assassins and generating more +1/+1 tokens for my Blade of the Bloodchief equipped assassin.  On turn 11, I cast Captivating Vampire and pass the turn.  My opponent responds with a Forest and generates 3 more Wolf Tokens before conceding the duel.

As you can see from the board before play the Captivating Vampire, I do not think I made the correct decision on the final turn.  I cannot afford to tap all five Vampires to steal a single creature as the opponent's board is too filled and my life total too low to head down this route.  Instead, I should have moved the Blade of the Bloodchief to my Bloodhusk Ritualist, used Feast of Blood to kill the Wren's Run Packmaster, the championed Packmaster would have had to exile himself upon returning to play, then I could kill the remaining three wolves with my Guul Draz Assassins, and finally attacked with 10/10 Ritualist.

So enough about Vampires, let's move on to the other stereotypical black tribe.

Zombie decks have been around for a long time and have at times been very competitive.  They are also relatively cheap, making it a common tribe to run across in the Casual room.  My desire to play zombies started with one Zombie, Korlash, Heir to Blackblade.  My original build include four copies of Korlash plus playsets of the four Zombie lords.  It did not perform particularly well because that left me with twelve Zombies costing 3 mana and eight Zombies costing 4 mana.  Bringing out your first creature on turn 3 is workable against most decks, but turn 4 or later, as happened too often, is not a viable path to success.
Wanting to reduce the converted mana cost of my creatures, I dropped Undead Warchief and his cost for the more affordable Stromgald Crusader.  With the potential for land accumulation via Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, the Crusader's pump ability is relevant and his ability to gain flying makes him a solid answer to Moat, particularly when considering his inherent protection from white. The other Lords (Cemetery Reaper, Death Baron, Lord of the Undead) make the final cut.  Each lord provides an effective ability in addition the typical +1/+1 bonus. I also run a single copy of Gempalm Polluter for its damage dealing when it is cycled.  With Lord of the Undead, a single copy can be reused as needed. Gempalm Polluter is not the only singleton in the deck.  I included Infest, Nameless Inversion, Kitesail, Loxodon Warhammer, and Beseech the Queen as one-ofs.  Infest provides an answer to weenie swarms such as Elves and Goblins.  Nameless Inversion can kill opposing creatures or pump my own and is recyclable with Lord of the Undead.  Kitesail and Loxodon Warhammer provide reusable answers to a wide variety of situations.  I also considered Surestrike Trident and Viridian Longbow as equipment options and may replace the Kitesail with the Longbow given that deathtouch is provided to all Zombies by Death Baron.
	Beseech the Queen simply provides a search card to get the various singleton cards into my hand at the necessary time.  Vampiric Tutor is arguably a better option, but I designed this deck while adhering to the current banned list for the Tribal Apocalypse tournament. Korlash, Heir to Blackblade is a driving force of the deck.  Because of his ability, the deck runs almost solely on Swamps.  Fortunately, Shadowmoor provided a cycle of lands which provide basic land types in addition to having an ability.  Leechridden Swamp is a Swamp, and thus searchable by Korlash's grandeur ability.  Although it enters the battlefield tapped, this cost is meaningless when it is brought into play by the black Legend.  In addition, Leechridden Swamp is a colorless source of damage, making it hard for many decks to counter.  After two uses of grandeur (which can be off of the same Korlash, Heir to Blackblade with a Lord of the Undead in play), this deck can reliably deal four damage a turn with Leechridden Swamp Besides Leechridden Swamp and Stromgald Crusader, the deck includes Tendrils of Corruption and Corrupt to maximize the plethora of Swamps that can build up on my side of the board.  In the end, the ability to get ten or twelve Swamps into play gives this Zombie deck the ability to transform from an attack deck into a stall deck and deliver the killing blow with a combination of Corrupt and Leechridden Swamp.
With all of the potential for life gain from Tendrils of Corruption and Corrupt, I choose Phyrexian Arena over Sign in Blood to provide card draw.  Getting a single copy in play allows me to draw twice as many cards as an opponent and with Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, I can thin my deck to ensure that the cards drawn are spells.  When stuck, Gempalm Polluter can act as a draw engine as well.  Karakas and Urborg round out the lands providing protection for Korlash and prevention of swampwalk and first strike.

Korlash Zombies - Classic Tribal Wars
Lands (23)    17x Swamp      4x Leechridden Swamp      1x Karakas      1x Urborg	Creatures (21)    4x Stromgald Crusader    4x Cemetery Reaper    4x Death Baron    4x Lord of the Undead    4x Korlash, Heir to Blackblade    1x Gempalm Polluter	Non-Creatures (16)    1x Infest    1x Beseech the Queen    4x Corrupt    4x Tendrils of Corruption    3x Phyrexian Arena    1x Nameless Inversion    1x Kitesail    1x Loxodon Warhammer

As of August 30, 2010 the total purchase price for this deck is $29.60 on www.mtgotraders.com.

It took a few iterations and practice games to get the deck to this list, so let's see how it plays out in duel rather than in solitaire.  This deck features death by toughness reduction (Nameless Inversion and Infest) and damage dealing (Tendrils of Corruption and Corrupt).  Deathtouch also impacts the destructiveness of the deck's creatures in combat.  Overall, this deck has a significantly less potential for destruction than the Vampire deck, but the creatures can be far more threatening.

Duel #1

On the play, I choose to keep a hand that has virtually everything I could want.  My opponent also kept their initial hand.

I open with a Swamp and my opponent opens with a Forest.  I drop another Swamp on turn 2 and cast Stromgald Crusader.  My opponent drops a Taiga and casts a Chalice of the Void set to 1.  I assuming he is guessing.  Given what I have played, my deck should be either Knights or Zombies and I am showing mono-black, none of this data, in my opinion, warrants the Chalice set to 1.

On turn 3, I play the Karakas followed by a Lord of the Undead before attacking for 3 with Stromgald Crusader.  My opponent puts a Wooded Foothills into play, uses it to search for another Taiga, and then casts Wirewood Savage.  I attack with both of my creatures, but my adversary declines to take the bait and block.  Opposing ongoing card draw by an opponent, I use Nameless Inversion to eliminate his Wirewood Savage.  Another Wooded Foothills allows my opponent to get yet another Taiga, which allows him to cast Canopy Crawler amplified by revealing two Beasts.

I use turn 5 to play a Swamp and Death Baron before attacking with my Lord of the Undead and Stromgald Crusader.  My opponent blocks the Crusader, and both creatures perish.  At first I thought this an odd move, but already down to 10 life, my opponent had to remove the evasive creature more than the lord.  Down to 7 life, my opponent cast another Canopy Crawler amplified to 4/4.

On turn 6, I draw Korlash, Heir to Blackblade and have a choice to make.

I decide to play Lord of the Undead over Korlash and pass the turn back. Arguably, I could have attacked with the Lord of the Undead and kept up the pressure on my opponent, but I probably played it a bit too safe.  My opponent stabilized the board and his life total by playing a Ravenous Baloth on his next turn.  I drew a second Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, played one, and used the other for Grandeur, placing two Leechridden Swamp into play.

My opponent brought out an Ember Beast and returned the turn to me.  I cycled a Gempalm Polluter dropping my opponent to 3 life.  I attack with everything except the Death Baron.  My opponent divies up his creatures to block and sacrifices the Ember Beast blocking Korlash for the four life.  Canopy Crawler, Ravenous Baloth, and both of my Lord of the Undead find their way to the graveyard.

My foe casts a Krosan Warchief and passes the turn without enough mana open to pay its regeneration cost.  I stupidly forget to use the Leechridden Swamp ability.

I play a Swamp, attack with both my creatures, and then use Corrupt to end the game.

Duel #2

On the draw, I decide to keep my opening seven.  My opponent also kept his opening hand.

Turn 1 sees an Urza's Power Plant and Expedition Map come out for my opponent while only a Swamp makes it into play for me.  During the next turn, my adversary drops an Urza's Mine while I follow with a Swamp.  At the end of my second turn, the Expedition Map is sacrificed to move an Urza's Tower from my opponent’s library to his hand.

Turn 3 sees the Urzatron completed with Urza's Tower.  With seven mana available, my opponent quickly spews Power Conduit, Steel Overseer, and Energy Chamber onto the battlefield.  I respond with a Swamp and a Cemetery Reaper.  On turn 4, the enemy bulks up Steel Overseer with a +1/+1 token from Energy Chamber before playing Urza's Mine and another Steel Overseer.  I fail to draw another land, but cast Death Baron and attack with my Cemetery Reaper.  My opponent chooses not to block, but does use Steel Overseer to grow his creatures before I pass the turn.

Energy Chamber bulks up a Steel Overseer and then my opponent plays a Deserted Temple and a Power Conduit.  Before ending his turn, I am attacked by both Steel Overseers.  I cast a Cemetery Reaper and attack with my Death Baron and original Cemetery Reaper, putting the life totals at 14 for me and 9 for my adversary.

A Steel Overseer receives another +1/+1 token from Energy Chamber and my opponent plays a Cloudpost.  I being turn 6 casting a Lord of the Undead and attack with both of my Cemetery Reaper.

My opponent chooses to block both and uses the Steel Overseer ability on both of his creatures to pump them high enough to ensure mutual destruction.

My opponent casts an Epochrasite on turn 7.  I immediately attack with my two surviving Zombies and Epochrasite blocks the Death Baron.  Still unable to hit a fourth land, I choose to increase my chances and play Phyrexian Arena.  My foe can only play an Energy Chamber and a Deserted Temple before I end the game on turn 8. 

Overall, the deck has performed very well.  Losses typically come from facing forty-eight Elves before the start of my third turn or getting stuck on two mana, in which case I have longed for Sign in Blood over Phyrexian Arena, but overall the deck has performed well.  Death Baron has been a star in multiple games, but each of the Zombie lords has shined with their secondary ability.  The deck has won without Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, with him flying over Goblins on a Kitesail, and with him enabling a ten point Corrupt.

Now on to the last tribe of the article...

When I initially envisioned building a Warrior deck, I planned to take elements from the Vampire deck and the Zombie deck and then supplement them with a few more warriors.  Gatekeeper of Malakir and Korlash, Heir to Blackblade ended up as the only warriors to make the final cut of the Vampire and Zombie decks, respectively.  Of these two, only Gatekeeper of Malakir persisted and made the cut for the Warriors deck.
	There are forty-four Warriors that can be cast using only  mana.  The selection of my creatures for this deck first started with elimination.  I knew I wanted to stick to reasonably priced Warriors, eliminating the ten Warriors with casting cost greater than 4 CMC.  I also eliminated ten Warriors that required another creature type to achieve their full effectiveness.  Next, I eliminated seven Warriors that dealt damage to their controller, required another color of mana to pay ability costs, interacted with artifacts, or required non-Black spells.  After eliminating the Warriors that required leveling or had detrimental side effects, I was down to eleven options: Ashenmoor Gouger Fleshbag Marauder Gatekeeper of Malakir Korlash, Heir to Blackblade Nezumi Cutthroat Ogre Marauder Reassembling Skeleton Ruthless Cullblade Sickle Ripper Smoldering Butcher Viscera Dragger
Ruthless Cullblade is not good enough in the early game and there are not going to be enough weenies in the deck to pump its stats early enough to matter.  Nezumi Cutthroat simply isn't good enough given the other options.  Sickle Ripper and Smoldering Butcher would be acceptable in a deck that provided them first strike or regeneration, but that was not a path I saw this deck taking.  Korlash, Heir to Blackblade didn't quite fit the direction the deck was shaping. Gatekeeper of Malakir and Fleshbag Marauder provided similar effects that should help empty my opponent's board and Reassembling Skeleton provided a straightforward combo with Fleshbag Marauder while also providing a continuous block if needed.  That left two spots for with three options left.  Viscera Dragger offered draw and a single reuse, Ashenmoor Gouger offered a big body at a low cost, and Ogre Marauder called for a creature sacrifice, but at the opponent's discretion.  In the end, I went with Viscera Dragger for its cycling and synergy with Fleshbag Marauder and Ashenmoor Gouger to keep a quick clock on an opponent.
The first non-creature to earn its way into the deck was Obsidian Battle-Axe.  With the ever-returning Reassembling Skeleton, and the ability to give my creatures haste, especially Gatekeeper of Malakir and Fleshbag Marauder who can clear out potential blockers, the Battle-Axe provided beef and flexibility. The next quick inclusion in the deck was card draw in the form of Sign in Blood.  Coupled with Viscera Dragger and Barren Moor, this should provide the deck with ample card draw to keep generating threats. Now came the point to add in more creature destruction.  As certain decks can produce sufficient enough token creatures to avoid a meaningful sacrifice, the deck needed targeted kill cards.  Sudden Death avoids regeneration, counterspells, and invulnerability.  Contagion continued the toughness reduction angle, could be cast without mana, and could be used to kill two creatures.  In addition, the -2/-1 counters were permanent allowing the instant to be used to reduce the effectiveness of multiple creatures permanently.  Finally, early playtesting of this deck showed a propensity of getting with a couple of damage of eliminating an opponent and falling short.  I decided to rectify this situation by including Aeolipile in the deck to provide damage that avoided protection from black and could go straight at my adversary.
In addition to running basic Swamps and the previously mentioned Barren Moor, I ran single copy of Karakas.  Only Sign in Blood and Ashenmoor Gouger could be impact by drawing the Karakas over a Swamp.

Warriors - Classic Tribal Wars
Lands (23)    18x Swamp      4x Barren Moor      1x Karakas	Creatures (20)    4x Reassembling Skeleton    4x Gatekeeper of Malakir    4x Ashenmoor Gouger    4x Fleshbag Marauder    4x Viscera Dragger	Non-Creatures (17)    3x Obsidian Battle-Axe    4x Contagion    3x Aeolipile    3x Sudden Death    4x Sign in Blood

As of August 30, 2010 the total purchase price for this deck is $9.34 on www.mtgotraders.com.

Filled with forced sacrifices, damage dealing, and toughness reduction, I was ready to see how much devastation I could inflict on opposing armies.

Duel #1

On the initiative, I keep a hand with two Swamp that clearly needs a third land to operate effectively.  One cycler increases my chances to draw into a land and Contagion can help curb a fast start by my opponent.  It is an average hand, but not worth throwing back to the shuffler.

We each sped the first two turns playing lands, two Swamps for me and a Krosan Verge and Secluded Steppe for my foe.  I also cycle the Viscera Dragger.  On turn 3, I play Sign in Blood and lay down a third Swamp.  My opponent simply drops a Forest and passes the turn to me.  With the flow of the game on the slow side, and my hand only containing creatures that force sacrifices, I play a Barren Moor and Obsidian Battle-Axe.

My opponent uses the Krosan Verge to get two Temple Garden into play.  He then spends his fourth turn playing a Secluded Steppe.  I use my fifth turn to cast another Obsidian Battle-Axe, play a Swamp, and cast another Sign in Blood.  Before the start of his fifth turn, my opponent cycles two Tranquil Thicket.  He then plays a Plains and passes his turn.

Still looking for a threat that would not be a waste to cast, I play a Swamp and draw two cards from a Sign in Blood and finally cast a Reassembling Skeleton that is immediately equipped by both Axes to make 5/3.  When I attack with it, my opponent goes into high speed and casts Qasali Ambusher and Seht's Tiger gaining my adversary protection from black.  He uses his turn to cast a Temple Garden and a Glorious Anthem before attack with both cats.  Between his attack and my card drawing, I am down to 7 life.

At the top of turn 7, I draw an Aeolipile leaving me with in a precarious position with a lot of options.

My opponent does not have sufficient mana to cast another (Seht’s Tiger), so I take the opportunity to kick both Gatekeeper of Malakir into play, wiping my opponent’s board and equip each Gatekeeper with an Axe.  I attack with both Gatekeeper of Malakir and leave the Skeleton behind as a blocker.  My adversary plays Qasali Ambusher for free and then convokes a Devouring Light to exile one Gatekeeper of Malakir.

The Qasali Ambusher attacks on my opponent’s next turn and I chump block with the Reassembling Skeleton.  My opponent then casts Spirit of the Hearth.

Fortunately I used my Gatekeeper of Malakir last turn, and I spend turn eight casting both Fleshbag Marauder, wiping out my opponent’s board and attacking with a double Obsidian Battle-Axe equipped Marauder which is exiled with a Swords to Plowshares, leaving the live totals at his 16 to my 14.

My opponent draws and passes the turn while I play Karakas, an Ashenmoor Gouger which is quickly toting two Battle-Axes, and an Aeolipile.  I attack for 8 and have two mana open to resurrect the Reassembling Skeleton at the end of my opponent’s turn.  My opponent uses his turn to play a Plains and reconstruct the Skeleton as planned, equipping him with one Axe.

I open turn 10 with a Swamp and then attack with my two creatures.  My opponent responds with a Qasali Ambusher which block the Gouger.  He then casts a Fleetfoot Panther.

I use a Contagion and the Aeolipile to take out the Qasali Ambusher forcing the Fleetfoot Panther to return itself to my opponent’s hand and the attack drops my opponent to -1.

Duel #2

I win the die roll, elect to go first, and keep my opening hand.

I open with a Swamp and my foe opens with a Marsh Flats.  I spend turn two dropping another Swamp and an Aeolipile while my opponent plays a Dragonskull Summit.  Turn 3 sees a Swamp and an Ashenmoor Gouger enter play on my side.  Before the end of my turn, my opponent sacrifices the Marsh Flats for a Blood Crypt.

After playing a Godless Shrine my opponent casts a Blood Knight.  I use my turn to draw two cards from a Sign in Blood, drop an Urborg, attack with the Gouger, and cast a Reassembling Skeleton.  My opponent plays a Tainted Field and a Lightmine Field before passing the turn back to me.  As a side note, I have come to seriously dislike Lightmine Field.  It is annoying card and typically accompanies a plethora of protection white creatures in Classic Tribal.  It is painful to play around for many decks, but not broken by any means.

I spend turn 5 laying down a Swamp and casting Fleshbag Marauder which eliminates my Skeleton and my opponent’s Knight.  I then attack for four with my Gouger, leaving the life totals at my 18 to his 11.  A Tainted Field and Fumiko the Lowblood enter play for my opponent.  I play a Swamp and because I do not feel like losing my creatures to Lightmine Field, I have to choose between Sudden Death and Aeolipile to eliminate the opposing Knight.  Since I still have visions of using Aeolipile directly to the dome of my foe, I use the Sudden Death to clear my opponent’s side of the battlefield before attacking with Ashenmoor Gouger.  My opponent replays his turn five, dropping Tainted Field and Fumiko the Lowblood.  He also casts an Order of the Ebon Hand.  I use Aeolipile to eliminate Fumiko.

On turn 7, I play a Swamp and cast Obsidian Battle-Axe which I equip to Ashenmoor Gouger.  I attack for 6 and knock my opponent down to 1 life.  My foe attacks with Order of the Ebon Hand which I block with Fleshbag Marauder.  He gives the Order first strike and I use Urborg to take it away.  He spends another to give the Order first strike and I have accomplished my goal of consuming some of his mana.  After the attack, he casts a Stillmoon Cavalier.  

Stuck, I draw a card and pass the turn.  He responds with a Powerstone Minefield and a Godless Shrine while I bring my Reassembling Skeleton back to the battlefield. I draw and cast a Sign in Blood to kick off turn 9.

The two cards give me everything I need to win.  I play the Swamp, exile a Reassembling Skeleton to cast Contagion to eliminate the opposing Order of the Ebon Hand, then kick Gatekeeper of Malakir into play, forcing the sacrifice of the Stillmoon Cavalier, and attack with the Ashenmoor Gouger, whose 5 toughness stands up adequately to the Lightmine Field and Powerstone Minefield.

The mixture of methods of dealing death in this deck provides opportunities to deal with most situations that are likely show up in Classic Tribal Wars.  The Obsidian Battle-Axe shines in its ability to make anything into a meaningful threat.  Contagion's accessibility in the early turns of the game or while tapped out late in a game provides substantial opportunities to catch an opponent off guard or slow down a quick opponent.

Overall, I have enjoyed dipping my toe into the rather murky depths of swamps, mires, and bogs.  At some point in the future, I will probably take a look at Black Spirits ine a deck filled with global annilihation such as Damnation, Mutilate, or even Nevinyrral's Disk.

After experiencing the various methods of eliminating opposing creatures, I like forced sacrifice but that needs to be accompanied by several other sources of targeted creature destruction of meaningless tokens of weaker creatures survive.  The toughness reduction method of killing opposing creatues is one of the best options, but it does have issues with high toughness creatures.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on these decks or with your own mono-black creation.

good luck & enjoy the game