Mono Black Aggro isn’t an archetype that is widely played in the Pauper format, but it does pop up from time to time and it can be a ton of fun. Burn however, is a very popular deck and shows up a lot. However, most Pauper players (including myself) forget how much reach mono black decks actually have!
Today we will look at a list that was part of the 5-0 dump from 7/14/2021 and was piloted by Jesuisnul. It has a lot of synergy, tons of reach and really looks like a blast to play. Let’s just get right into the list and not waste anymore of your time!
Serrated Scorpion
– Although it isn’t the biggest creature in the world, when it dies, it gains you 2 life and deals 2 damage. That is pretty significant when trying to burn your opponent out. It is also a 1 drop and any amount of damage that it sneaks in will add up over time.
Night Market Lookout
– Although it is just a 1/1, it also drains your opponent for 1 life and gains you 1 life whenever it attacks. This creature can chip away at your opponents life total rather quickly. It is also a Rogue, which we will talk about why that is important a bit later.
Changeling Outcast
– Being a Changeling is quite significant for this deck and we will see why a little later, but more importantly, it is unblockable, making it easy to chip in for damage turn after turn. Those points will add up over time.
Guul Draz Vampire
– While this creature isn’t anything special at first, it becomes much better once you get your opponent to 10. You are a burn deck, so getting your opponent to 10 life should be quick and easy. Once you do, this is a 3 power creature that will be unblockable against a good number of opponents, which should finish the game quickly. However, it will only have 2 toughness, so it does die to a simple Lightning Bolt
, but even if it only gets 1 swing in, that is a huge amount of damage.
Perilous Myr
– Not the biggest creature, but when it dies, it deals 2 damage to any target. This makes it a great blocker against any aggro deck and a good creature to use Village Rites
with.
Dusk Legion Zealot
– I am not a big fan of this creature honestly. It draws you a card when in enters the battlefield and it is a creature that can get in damage, but I feel like in the long run it just doesn’t do enough. I would rather them be something else, but that is just my opinion.
Village Rites – A very important card to the deck in my opinion. You will run out of gas quickly and Village Rites helps keep the gas flowing. It also combos very well with Scorpion and Perilous Myr, giving you even more card advantage.
Bump in the Night
– A perfect card for this deck. It is a Lava Spike
with Flashback. I wish you could play 5 of this card.
Sign in Blood
– A staple for any Mono Black archetype. It can either be card draw, or it can sometimes finish the game for you. I would personally rather play 4 copies of this and 0 copies of Zealot. Again, that is just my opinion.
Sovereign's Bite
– Another great spell for this deck. This one makes you opponent lose 3 life and gains you 3 life as well. The only tiny downside is that it costs 2 mana.
Tyrant’s Choice
– It costs 2 mana and makes your opponent lose 4 life. It is basically a better Flame Rift
and it doesn’t get much better than that.
Morsel Theft
– Although this costs 4 mana, it has the keyword Prowl. This means when you deal combat damage with a Rogue creature, it only costs 2. It drains your opponent for 3 and gains you 3 life, that is already good, but if you cast it for its Prowl cost, it also draws you a card and that is a really good amount of card advantage for you.
The Manabase
The manabase isn’t too special here. We have 2 Barren Moor
to help you feel like you are playing a 58 card deck. We then see 2 Rakdos Carnarium
to help you cast Bump in the Night for its Flashback cost and to help you keep land light hands. The rest of the manabase are just basic swamps. I personally wouldn’t make any changes because there are no fancy lands to play that would help you any further in my opinion.
The Sideboard
Crypt Rats
– Ah yes, old faithful Crypt Rats. Not only is it a board wipe spell, but it also has the potential to burn your opponent for a lot of damage as well. Just be careful, as the Rats will hurt you as well.
Echoing Decay
– For all those pesky tokens you will come up against.
Geth's Verdict
– There are a decent number of matchups where an Edict effect is needed. This one is perfect for this deck because it also makes your opponent lose a life.
Nihil Spellbomb
– Decent graveyard hate and draws you a card in the process.
Trespasser's Curse
– Against token decks and Storm, this is an extremely powerful card to have at the ready. Sometimes it alone can win you the game.
Unexpected Fangs
– I don’t think this is a great card for the sideboard of this deck, as non of your creatures are big enough to really take advantage of having Lifelink. I would rather this be something else, but that is just my opinion. Another copy of Crypt Rats and a second copy of Nihill Spellbomb
is where I would start.
Choking Sands
– Everyone loves Tron, am I right?
Bladebrand
– This is an absurd card to use with Perilous Myr against other aggro decks. Once you give the Myr Deathtouch, it will kill the creature it is blocking and it will kill whatever creature you target its trigger with. It can also be good with Scorpion and it draws a card as well.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
I can tell you with the utmost certainty, that no matter which version you choose or how you choose to build it, some form of Mono Black Control/Aggro will always be played.
I honestly like this deck. I like that it has card draw, I like the creatures it plays and I like that a good amount of the burn you have also gains you life at the same time.
Is this better than Mono Red Burn? In the grand scheme of things, I do not think so. Mono Red Burn is faster and a bit more powerful. There is just no way to replace cards such as Lightning Bolt, Fireblast
or Searing Blaze
in MBB.
However, I can see certain metas where MBB can be better than Mono Red Burn. For example if Circle of Protection: Red
is very popular or if you want to play around Hydroblast
. Though I would still learn towards Mono Red Burn personally.
Do I think you should play this deck? For the leagues I think it is a fine choice. I think it has game against almost any archetype and will bring some positive ev in the long run. In the challenges however, I think I would stick to Mono Red Burn. However, I think this deck is powerful enough that possibly in the future, this could become a contender for the challenges, so don’t lose hope!
However, with all this being said, as always, do remember my words are not gospel. I will always encourage you to try a deck that I bring you despite my personal feelings. Remember that results will vary and always remember to practice!
Would you like to compete in a free Pauper tournament with some great prizes? Head on over to Gatherling.com on Tuesday nights at 8pm EDT and play in our weekly Pauper Classic Tuesday's event! Join the chat #PCT to chat with us and feel free to find most of the competitors on Discord!
Thank you so much for reading. Best of luck to you in your next tournament and I’ll catch you all next time!
