Premodern Mono Black Deck Guide (2026)
Premodern Mono Black is a midrange deck: Duress, Cabal Therapy and Hypnotic Specter empty the opponent's hand, then Graveborn Muse draws extra cards. Most lists, often called Moneyball Black, add Withered Wretch, Nantuko Shade, Cursed Scroll, four Mishra's Factory and usually two Wasteland. On MTGTop8 it is the tenth most played deck since September, with 86 of 1,914 lists (4.5 percent). Svante Landgraf won the 3-City Challenge in Gdańsk (91 players) with it on September 6, another list won the New England Autumn Regional (80 players) on October 3, and at the European Championship and Eurofest Valencia its best finish was the top 16. The budget section prices Landgraf's list.
How the deck wins
- The first two turns are about their hand: Duress takes the best noncreature spell and shows you the rest, Cabal Therapy (informed by that Duress) takes every copy of the card that matters, and Dark Ritual lets a turn-one Hypnotic Specter keep the discard coming.
- From there it is attrition: Ravenous Rats has already taken a card when it trades with a creature, Withered Wretch exiles flashback cards and reanimation targets, Smother, Diabolic Edict and Snuff Out answer what resolves, and Wasteland destroys a nonbasic land while Mishra's Factory attacks and blocks as a 2/2.
- Once both players are drawing one card a turn, your cards do more with it: Graveborn Muse draws a card for each Zombie you control in each of your upkeeps (she and Withered Wretch both count) and costs that much life, Nantuko Shade gets +1/+1 for each {B} you pay, and Cursed Scroll deals 2 damage for {3} each turn and never misses while you hold exactly one card.
Core cards
- 4 Duress
- 4 Dark Ritual
- 4 Hypnotic Specter
- 4 Cabal Therapy
- 4 Withered Wretch
- 4 Ravenous Rats
- 3 Nantuko Shade
- 2 Smother
- 2 Diabolic Edict
- 2 Graveborn Muse
- 2 Cursed Scroll
- 1 Snuff Out
- 4 Mishra's Factory
- 2 Wasteland
Key cards
- Hypnotic Specter: A 2/2 flier for three: each time it deals damage to an opponent, that player discards a card at random, so an unanswered turn-one Specter often decides the game. Dark Ritual and a Swamp cast it on the first turn.
- Dark Ritual: Three mana for one card: a turn-one Hypnotic Specter, a turn-one Ravenous Rats plus Duress, a turn-two Graveborn Muse, or two more Nantuko Shade activations than the Swamp alone. It costs a card, so cast it when the extra mana puts a threat or a discard spell on the table early.
- Duress: Takes a noncreature card such as a removal spell, sweeper or combo piece before it matters, and shows you their hand, so the Cabal Therapy after it names the right card.
- Cabal Therapy: Name a nonland card and every copy in their hand is discarded; then flash it back by sacrificing a Ravenous Rats whose work is done, or a Withered Wretch that would die anyway. Against combo it takes every copy of a key piece at once, and three of four lists play four.
- Nantuko Shade: A 2/1 for two that gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each {B} you pay, in more than eight of ten lists. Late in the game each untapped Swamp adds a point of damage, and Dark Ritual adds two more for a surprise kill.
- Graveborn Muse: A 3/3 for four: in each of your upkeeps you draw a card and lose 1 life for every Zombie you control, and she counts herself, Withered Wretch and Plaguebearer. With a Wretch next to her that is two extra cards a turn for 2 life, which wins long games but adds up against Sligh and Goblins.
- Withered Wretch: A 2/2 for two in almost every main deck: for {1}, at instant speed and without tapping, it exiles a card from a graveyard, so Replenish's enchantments, Reanimator's targets and flashback cards disappear one mana at a time. It is also a Zombie for Graveborn Muse.
- Cursed Scroll: For {3} and a tap, you name a card and reveal a card at random from your hand; if it has that name, Scroll deals 2 damage to any target. It always hits with one card in hand (or a hand of identical cards) and never with an empty hand, so keep one card back, a spare land works, and it deals 2 damage in every turn you can pay {3}.
- Wasteland: Most lists play two, next to four Mishra's Factory: Wasteland destroys a nonbasic land such as Adarkar Wastes, Serra's Sanctum, Gaea's Cradle, an Urza land or Treetop Village, while the Factories attack and block as 2/2s.
Mulligan guide
Keep
- Two or three Swamps, a turn-one discard spell and a threat behind it: the standard keep.
- Dark Ritual hands: Ritual plus Specter, or Ritual plus double discard, is worth keeping almost every time.
- Against aggro, hands with removal and early blockers: Ravenous Rats and Withered Wretch trade with their one- and two-drops.
Ship
- Hands that do nothing on turns one and two: the proactive decks punish a slow start.
- One-Swamp hands leaning on Factory and Wasteland: colorless mana pays only the generic part of a cost, and Duress, Dark Ritual, Withered Wretch, Nantuko Shade and Hypnotic Specter need {B} or {B}{B}.
- Top-heavy hands without Dark Ritual to cast them early.
Mono Black plays like an aggressive deck: keep hands that take a card from them or put a creature on the table by turn two.
Play tips and sequencing
- Cast Duress before Cabal Therapy: once you have seen their hand, you know which name to choose.
- Flash back Cabal Therapy with bodies whose job is done: a Ravenous Rats that already traded its card, or a Withered Wretch facing removal anyway.
- Graveborn Muse and Phyrexian Arena cost life in every upkeep, Snuff Out's free mode costs 4 and Dystopia a growing amount, so against Sligh count your life before you pay it.
- Against control, cast one threat at a time into their open mana and keep Cursed Scroll for the long game: once it resolves, Counterspell cannot stop its activations, though Stifle can, and Disenchant, Vindicate or a Powder Keg on one counter still destroy it. Stiflenought, Landstill, Stasis and Psychatog bring Annul for it after boarding.
- Keep one card in hand once Cursed Scroll is out: a land you don't need makes every activation hit.
- Wasteland greedy lands on sight against Landstill and Enchantress (Serra's Sanctum above all); against fair decks, hold it for their splash color.
- Keep enough Swamps in play: Nantuko Shade, Knight of Stromgald and Drain Life need black mana, and Snuff Out is free only while you control a Swamp.
Matchups
- Stiflenought (favorable): Duress and Therapy strip the combo, and Smother, Diabolic Edict and Snuff Out kill a resolved Dreadnought; a Vision Charm in response saves it from all three. Keep a removal spell back for the Dreadnought. MTGDecks: 58 percent over 314 matches.
- Goblins (even): They go wide faster than one-for-one removal can handle, and Goblin Ringleader out-grinds your discard. Engineered Plague naming Goblin is the key sideboard card, together with Powder Keg and, in some lists, Plaguebearer, but most Goblins lists run Naturalize or Tranquil Domain to destroy Plague. MTGDecks: 53 percent over 177 matches.
- Sligh (unfavorable): Your removal has few good targets against one-mana creatures and burn, and Graveborn Muse or Phyrexian Arena cost you life every turn. Hypnotic Specter is their first target. After boarding Spinning Darkness and Drain Life swing races, but Sulfuric Vortex turns your lifegain off; let Ravenous Rats block. MTGDecks: 40 percent over 187 matches.
- Enchantress (unfavorable): Shroud on Argothian Enchantress blanks your targeted removal, though Diabolic Edict still works until Solitary Confinement gives them shroud, and the engine out-draws discard within a few turns. Discard on turns one and two matters most: Duress takes Enchantress's Presence or a lock piece, and Cabal Therapy can also name Argothian Enchantress, a creature Duress can't take. Elephant Grass, in about half their lists, stops your black creatures from attacking at all, and Mishra's Factory can only attack if you pay {2}. Post-board Dystopia and Gloom are real outs, and Wasteland on Serra's Sanctum buys time. MTGDecks: 40 percent over 146 matches.
- Landstill (even): Their counters trade one for one, Fact or Fiction and Standstill give them more cards, and besides Wrath of God and Swords to Plowshares most lists play Powder Keg, which on two counters destroys Ravenous Rats, Withered Wretch and Nantuko Shade at once. About half their lists play Humility, which turns your creatures into 1/1s without abilities: Hypnotic Specter loses flying and its discard, Graveborn Muse its draws. Your chances are an early Specter after a Duress, the Factory-and-Wasteland land war, and Cursed Scroll, though their main-deck Disenchant or a Powder Keg on one counter can destroy it. After boarding Gloom makes their Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God, Disenchant and Humility cost three more, while they bring Annul for Cursed Scroll and Meddling Mage. MTGDecks: 54 percent over 125 matches.
- Replenish (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Replenish or Attunement before they can use them, and main-deck Withered Wretch exiles a card from their graveyard for each {1} you pay, so keep mana open on their turn. Hypnotic Specter's random discard and Ravenous Rats, where they choose the card, can put enchantments into their graveyard for Replenish. Diabolic Edict and Smother only find targets once Opalescence animates their enchantments. After boarding Gloom makes their white spells and every Parallax Wave or Seal of Cleansing activation cost three more, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice a white permanent in each of their upkeeps. Without pressure from your creatures they can still assemble the combo through your discard. MTGDecks: 50 percent over 115 matches.
- The Rock (even): In this attrition mirror their creatures are bigger and your disruption runs deeper. Graveborn Muse and Cursed Scroll decide the topdeck war; Pernicious Deed clears your board, so don't overcommit. Snuff Out kills Ravenous Baloth or Krosan Tusker, while an edict only gets them once their Walls and Rats are gone, since they choose what to sacrifice. MTGDecks: 53 percent over 58 matches.
- Deadguy Ale (even): A resource fight: both decks open with Duress, Dark Ritual and Hypnotic Specter, and their Swords to Plowshares, Vindicate, Exalted Angel and Gerrard's Verdict, which makes you discard two cards, are the edge. Take their Phyrexian Arena with Duress or Cabal Therapy, because you cannot remove it once it resolves, and stop their Hypnotic Specter from connecting. After boarding, Gloom makes their Swords, Vindicate and Gerrard's Verdict cost three more. Disenchant, in almost half their main decks, answers Cursed Scroll. Very limited data: 50 percent over 6 matches.
- Aluren (slightly favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Aluren or Survival, Hypnotic Specter discards combo pieces at random, Wasteland hits Yavimaya Coast, City of Brass or Havenwood Battleground, and after boarding Engineered Plague naming Beast kills Cavern Harpy, though most of their sideboards have Naturalize for it. Smother kills Soul Warden or Spike Feeder before Aluren resolves. Afterwards it works best while a Cavern Harpy spell is on the stack; at any other moment Harpy, returned to hand for 1 life and recast, returns Man-o'-War to their hand before Smother resolves, and a recast Man-o'-War returns any other creature. Expect Compost after boarding and a Cabal Therapy of their own in the black lists. MTGDecks: 50 percent over 14 matches, limited data.
- Zombies (favorable): Your discard and edicts trade one-for-one with their lords, their Snuff Out and Gloom are dead against you, and Nantuko Shade blocks a lord-pumped 3/3. Rotlung Reanimator and Lord of the Undead's recursion are what they lean on, so kill Rotlung first. After boarding, Engineered Plague naming Zombie kills their Shepherd of Rot unless a lord is out and shrinks the rest of their team, but also your own Withered Wretch and Graveborn Muse; some lists bring Zombie Master, which gives their other Zombies swampwalk. No match data.
- Terrageddon (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Armageddon, Smother kills Terravore, Werebear and Wayfarer, and Withered Wretch exiles land cards and shrinks Terravore. But Terravore usually outgrows your creatures, and Armageddon from a board lead punishes Dark Ritual draws and leaves Nantuko Shade without Swamps to pump it. After boarding, Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green or white permanent, Terravore included, in each of their upkeeps. MTGDecks: 50 percent over 107 matches.
- MUD (even): Duress takes Tinker and Cabal Therapy names it, Withered Wretch exiles Goblin Welder targets, Smother kills Welder and Dark Ritual works even under Winter Orb. The lock is strong against Hypnotic Specter and Graveborn Muse, and Triskelion kills a Specter or a Wretch and still has a counter for Rats. MTGDecks (Tinker Welder): 50 percent over 14 matches, limited data.
- Full English Breakfast (even to slightly favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Survival of the Fittest, Smother kills Hermit Druid, and Withered Wretch exiles the creature cards that Volrath's Shapeshifter would copy from the top of their graveyard. Diabolic Edict rarely gets Hermit Druid, since they can sacrifice Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots or Squee instead, and their Triskelion can shoot down Hypnotic Specter and Ravenous Rats. They play Cabal Therapy too. After boarding add Engineered Plague naming Druid, Tormod's Crypt and Dystopia, and Phyrexian Furnace in some lists; they bring Pyroclasm, which kills Hypnotic Specter, Ravenous Rats, Withered Wretch and a Nantuko Shade you cannot pump. MTGDecks: 50 percent over 34 matches.
- Stasis (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Stasis and Black Vise, Dark Ritual on a fresh Swamp makes three mana under the lock, and Wasteland hits Forsaken City. Graveborn Muse, and Phyrexian Arena in some of your lists, fill your hand for their Black Vise, and Root Maze stops the Ritual on a new land. MTGDecks: 47 percent over 57 matches.
- Oath of Druids (unfavorable): Oath of Druids punishes your creatures: in each of their upkeeps in which you control more creatures, it can put a Terravore onto the battlefield for them, and Sphere of Resistance, Wasteland, Rishadan Port and land destruction slow your Dark Ritual starts. Duress and Cabal Therapy take Oath before it lands, Smother, Snuff Out and Diabolic Edict kill a Terravore, though they can answer Edict by animating a manland, and Withered Wretch exiles land cards to shrink it. Your Wasteland hits their nonbasic lands, and after boarding Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green or white permanent, such as Oath, Terravore or Sylvan Library, in each of their upkeeps. MTGDecks: 42 percent over 74 matches.
- Psychatog (favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Counterspell and Gush before they matter, Hypnotic Specter and Ravenous Rats empty the hand Psychatog needs to grow, and Withered Wretch exiles its graveyard fuel one card per mana. Smother and Diabolic Edict kill Psychatog whatever its size, since pumping does not help against them and it is usually their only creature. Their Smother and Sickening Dreams, in almost nine of ten main decks since September, kill your two-drops and Hypnotic Specter, and after boarding Annul counters Cursed Scroll, which otherwise wins the long game. MTGDecks: 58 percent over 53 matches.
- Elves (unfavorable): Game one your one-for-one removal loses to the swarm: Deranged Hermit brings four Squirrels, Gaea's Cradle makes a mana for each of their creatures, and Masticore, in most lists, shoots down Hypnotic Specter, Ravenous Rats and Withered Wretch. Snuff Out kills Masticore, which cannot regenerate from it, and Wasteland destroys Gaea's Cradle. After boarding Engineered Plague naming Elf kills their Elves with toughness 1, Deranged Hermit included, though its four Squirrels still arrive as 1/1s, and Perish destroys every green creature, Squirrels included; they answer Plague with Naturalize, Tranquil Domain or a Nantuko Vigilante turned face up, and Caller of the Claw rebuilds after a Perish. MTGDecks: 40 percent over 45 matches.
- Reanimator (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Reanimate and Exhume, and Withered Wretch, joined by Tormod's Crypt after boarding, exiles their best creature card in response. Akroma, Angel of Wrath has protection from black, so Smother and Snuff Out can't touch it once it is in play: exile it from their graveyard with Withered Wretch first, or use Diabolic Edict while it is their only creature, since Putrid Imp, in almost every list, is the creature they would rather sacrifice. Snuff Out does kill Phantom Nishoba and Verdant Force. Exhume also lets you return a creature from your graveyard, and their main-deck Sickening Dreams, in most lists since September, kills your small creatures. Limited data: 48 percent over 23 matches.
- UG Madness (even): Your discard often backfires: a Hypnotic Specter or Ravenous Rats hit can turn into a free Basking Rootwalla or an instant Arrogant Wurm. Smother, Diabolic Edict and Snuff Out still trade with their threats, though Smother cannot touch Arrogant Wurm (mana value 5) and Wild Mongrel can turn black in response to Snuff Out. Withered Wretch exiles Wonder, Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis from their graveyard, and Cursed Scroll picks off Rootwallas and Mongrels that cannot pump in response. Limited data: 57 percent over 21 matches.
- Tron (even): Duress, Cabal Therapy and Hypnotic Specter strip a deck that wants to hold its counters, Wasteland destroys an Urza land, and Cursed Scroll picks off their Soldier tokens. Once all three Urza lands are out, Decree of Justice and Stroke of Genius win the long game, and most lists also play Wrath of God and Masticore, which Snuff Out kills, so pressure them early without overcommitting. Limited data: 62 percent over 8 matches.
- Clerics (even): Both decks play Duress and Cabal Therapy, and neither side's Snuff Out can target the other's black creatures. Engineered Plague naming Cleric kills Dark Supplicant and Priest of Gix and shrinks Cabal Archon, Rotlung Reanimator and your own Withered Wretch, but while Rotlung Reanimator is out each Cleric that dies gives them a 2/2 Zombie, your Wretch included, so kill Rotlung first. Scion of Darkness, which Dark Supplicant fetches, is too big for Smother, and Diabolic Edict gets it only when it is alone. Limited data: 50 percent over 14 matches.
- The Solution (even): Diabolic Edict goes around Mother of Runes, and Cursed Scroll is colorless, so her protection does not stop it either. After boarding, Engineered Plague naming Cleric kills Mother, Gloom makes their white spells cost three more, though not a face-down Exalted Angel, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice a white permanent in each of their upkeeps. Their fliers outclass your ground creatures, and their Meddling Mage names Hypnotic Specter or Cursed Scroll. No match data.
- Dromar Control (even): Fear does not stop your black creatures from blocking Shadowmage Infiltrator, Duress and Cabal Therapy take their counters, and Smother kills Meddling Mage, a face-down Exalted Angel and Mother of Runes, though Mother survives it if she can tap to give herself protection from black. Their Vindicate answers Cursed Scroll, and a flipped Angel outclasses your creatures. Very limited data: 83 percent over 6 matches.
- White Weenie (even): Soltari Monk and White Knight have protection from black: Smother cannot target them and your black creatures cannot block them. Duress and Cabal Therapy take little from a deck of cheap creatures, so win with Diabolic Edict, Withered Wretch, Nantuko Shade and a fast Hypnotic Specter. After boarding, your Engineered Plague naming Cleric kills Mother of Runes, Soltari Priest and even Soltari Monk, Gloom makes their white spells cost three more, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice a white permanent in each of their upkeeps. Some of their lists bring Absolute Grace and Light of Day, which stops every black creature from attacking or blocking. Limited data: 47 percent over 15 matches.
- BW Control (even): Both decks discard, and the faster start matters: a turn-one Hypnotic Specter off Dark Ritual takes cards before Wrath of God matters, and Withered Wretch exiles Eternal Dragon from their graveyard. Their Gerrard's Verdict makes you discard two cards of your choice and gains them 3 life for each land among them. Don't commit Shade, Rats and Wretch into a Wrath; two threats at a time is enough, and Mishra's Factory dodges sorcery-speed sweepers. Their Dust Bowl kills the Factory, and Exalted Angel's life gain beats Cursed Scroll. After boarding, Gloom makes Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God, Vindicate and Gerrard's Verdict cost three more, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice a white permanent in each of their upkeeps, though a white Soldier token from a cycled Decree of Justice can be that permanent. MTGDecks: 51 percent over 39 matches.
- Gro-a-Tog (favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy take their counters and Gush, Smother kills Quirion Dryad, Meddling Mage and Psychatog alike, and Withered Wretch exiles their graveyard one card per mana, which leaves Psychatog fewer cards to exile, though it can still grow by discarding. Wasteland hits City of Brass and Gemstone Mine, the mana for their white and red cards. Their Fire // Ice and Swords answer Hypnotic Specter, so cast it early off Dark Ritual; on the play they have no Island for Daze yet. Most lists also play Armageddon, and Pyroclasm comes in after boarding. MTGDecks: 59 percent over 34 matches.
- Pit Rack (slightly favorable): Their Rack lock punishes a deck that spends its hand quickly, so keep a card or two once The Rack is out. Your creatures are better: Nantuko Shade and Graveborn Muse outclass Ravenous Rats and Skittering Skirge, and Withered Wretch exiles Cabal Therapy before they flash it back. Their Snuff Out cannot target your black creatures, but Smother kills Nantuko Shade, Withered Wretch or Hypnotic Specter, and Funeral Charm's +2/-1 kills Ravenous Rats or a Shade you do not pump in response. Graveborn Muse is too big for Smother, and their Diabolic Edict and Innocent Blood get it only when it is your only creature. MTGDecks: 55 percent over 33 matches.
- Rebels (even): Smother and Snuff Out kill the searchers, and Duress and Cabal Therapy take Swords to Plowshares and, in the blue lists, Counterspell or Mana Leak. But the Rebels they search for never pass through their hand, so kill the searchers before they get to tap. Mother of Runes giving protection from black and Nightwind Glider stop Smother and Snuff Out, but not Diabolic Edict or Cursed Scroll. No meaningful match data.
- Contamination (favorable): Contamination does nothing to your black mana, so your creatures decide it: Hypnotic Specter and Nantuko Shade come down before their removal, and Withered Wretch exiles Nether Spirit from their graveyard and ends its loop, though Zombie Infestation, in every list, still makes tokens to pay Contamination's upkeep. Their Innocent Blood, Smother and Powder Keg trade with your creatures. Limited data: 79 percent over 14 matches.
- Turbo Lands (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Exploration, Horn of Greed and Seismic Assault before they land, and Wasteland destroys Glacial Chasm. While Chasm is out, none of your creatures or Cursed Scroll can damage them, and Hypnotic Specter's discard needs the damage to happen. Their Seismic Assault kills Specter and Ravenous Rats. No match data.
- Fluctuator (favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Fluctuator or the kill spells, Hypnotic Specter and Ravenous Rats keep their hand small, though every creature card they discard adds mana to Songs of the Damned, and Withered Wretch exiles creature cards from their graveyard for {1} each, also in response to Songs of the Damned. Wasteland on their Polluted Mire delays the kill. After boarding they bring Gilded Light, which stops your targeted discard for a turn but not the Wretch. No match data.
- RG Zoo (unfavorable): Zoo has more threats than you have removal: Call of the Herd makes an Elephant from hand and another from the graveyard, Wasteland destroys Treetop Village even when it is not animated, and Quirion Dryad grows out of Spinning Darkness range. Their burn kills Hypnotic Specter and Ravenous Rats, and Nantuko Shade while you are tapped out, and their main-deck Naturalize, in most lists, destroys Cursed Scroll. Duress and Cabal Therapy take burn, but a discarded Call of the Herd can still be flashed back, so exile it with Withered Wretch, which also starves Grim Lavamancer. Smother kills the Dryad at any size, an Elephant token or an animated Treetop Village; Spinning Darkness and Drain Life come in. MTGDecks: 30 percent over 56 matches.
Sideboard guide
- vs Stiflenought, Landstill, Psychatog, Gro-a-Tog and Tron: Powder Keg, Gloom, Phyrexian Arena. These plans use Svante Landgraf's 75 from his win at the 3-City Challenge in Gdańsk, the reference list of the budget section. His 15: four Engineered Plague, three Dystopia, three Gloom and one each of Drain Life, Phyrexian Arena, Powder Keg, Spinning Darkness and Vendetta. Hypnotic Specter and the lands always stay. Against Stiflenought, in: Powder Keg; out: a Withered Wretch. Their graveyard rarely matters. On one fuse counter Powder Keg destroys Phyrexian Dreadnought without targeting it, and your own Cursed Scroll with it; Stifle can counter the Keg's ability and Vision Charm can phase Dreadnought out, so fire it after Duress has taken the Stifle or while they are tapped out. Against Landstill, in: all three Gloom and Phyrexian Arena; out: two Smother, a Dark Ritual and a Ravenous Rats. Gloom makes Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God, Disenchant, Humility and a cast Decree of Justice cost three more, though cycling Decree is not a spell. Cast Gloom and Arena before Standstill lands. One Smother stays for an animated Mishra's Factory or a face-down Exalted Angel, both mana value 0. Against Psychatog, in: Phyrexian Arena; out: Plaguebearer. Plaguebearer cannot target Psychatog, which is black. Against Gro-a-Tog, in: two Gloom and Phyrexian Arena; out: Plaguebearer and both Diabolic Edict. An edict hits Quirion Dryad or Meddling Mage rather than Psychatog, and Gloom taxes their Swords to Plowshares, Meddling Mage and Armageddon. Against Tron, in: all three Gloom and Phyrexian Arena; out: both Diabolic Edict and two Ravenous Rats. Their Soldier tokens absorb an edict, and they choose the card Ravenous Rats takes in a long game decided by card advantage. Gloom taxes Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God, Disenchant and a cast Decree of Justice, and Plaguebearer stays: for X=0 it destroys an Angel or Soldier token for {B}.
- vs Stasis, MUD, Fluctuator, Pit Rack and Contamination: Powder Keg, Phyrexian Arena. Powder Keg destroys every artifact and creature whose mana value equals its fuse counters, without targeting, your own included, so count before you fire it. Against Stasis and Fluctuator, in: Powder Keg; out: Plaguebearer. On one counter Keg destroys Black Vise, on two Fluctuator. Plaguebearer has no target worth its mana. Leave Phyrexian Arena out against Stasis: every extra card in your hand is more damage from Black Vise. Against MUD, in: Powder Keg; out: a Diabolic Edict. They choose which of their artifact creatures an edict takes. Keg destroys Goblin Welder on one counter and Winter Orb, Sphere of Resistance or Mind Stone on two. Plaguebearer stays, since for X=1 it kills Welder. Against Pit Rack, in: Phyrexian Arena and Powder Keg; out: Plaguebearer and a Dark Ritual. Plaguebearer has no target but an animated Mishra's Factory, and an empty hand is what The Rack punishes, so a Dark Ritual goes. Arena gives you a card in every upkeep, and Keg on one counter destroys The Rack and their Cursed Scroll, yours too. Against Contamination, in: Phyrexian Arena; out: Plaguebearer. Nether Spirit and their Zombie tokens are black, so Plaguebearer has no target but an animated Mishra's Factory.
- vs Goblins and Elves: Engineered Plague, Powder Keg, Vendetta, Spinning Darkness, Perish. Duress takes no creatures, and both decks are mostly creatures. Against Goblins, in: all four Engineered Plague, Vendetta, Spinning Darkness and Powder Keg; out: all four Duress, both Nantuko Shade and a Withered Wretch. Plague naming Goblin kills every Goblin with toughness 1, Siege-Gang Commander's tokens included, and a second copy kills the 2/2s; it does not target, so Goblin Piledriver's protection from blue doesn't matter. Vendetta kills Goblin Lackey for {B} and 1 life before it connects, and Keg on one counter destroys every creature with mana value 1. Most Goblins lists answer Plague with Naturalize or Tranquil Domain, and Goblin King's +1/+1 cancels it for their other Goblins. Against Elves, in: all four Engineered Plague, Powder Keg, Vendetta and Spinning Darkness; out: all four Duress, both Knight of Stromgald and a Diabolic Edict. Cabal Therapy can still name Survival of the Fittest, Knight's protection from white does nothing here, and an edict only takes a Llanowar Elves. Plague naming Elf kills their Elves with toughness 1 and Deranged Hermit, though its four Squirrels still arrive as 1/1s, which Plaguebearer destroys for {B} each; Vendetta kills Masticore, which cannot regenerate from it, for 4 life. Lists with Perish, about one in five sideboards, bring it too: it destroys every green creature, Squirrels included.
- vs Zombies, Clerics and Rebels: Engineered Plague, Drain Life, Gloom. Plaguebearer destroys only nonblack creatures, so it has almost nothing to do against the two black decks. Against Zombies, in: all four Engineered Plague and Drain Life; out: Plaguebearer, three Duress and a Cabal Therapy. Plague naming Zombie kills Shepherd of Rot unless a lord is out and shrinks the rest of their team, but also your Withered Wretch and Graveborn Muse, and it kills Plaguebearer. Drain Life has no color restriction, so it kills a lord and wins back the life Shepherd of Rot drains. Against Clerics, in: three Engineered Plague; out: Plaguebearer and two Duress. Plague naming Cleric kills Dark Supplicant and Priest of Gix and shrinks your own Withered Wretch, but while Rotlung Reanimator is out each Cleric that dies gives them a 2/2 Zombie, so kill Rotlung first. Bad Moon, in about half their sideboards, undoes the -1/-1. Against Rebels, in: all four Engineered Plague and all three Gloom; out: all four Duress, two Cabal Therapy and a Ravenous Rats. Plague naming Rebel kills Ramosian Sergeant and Defiant Falcon and shrinks Lin Sivvi, and Gloom makes every white spell they cast cost three more, though not their searches, which are creature abilities.
- vs Sligh, RG Zoo and UG Madness: Vendetta, Spinning Darkness, Drain Life. Vendetta destroys a nonblack creature for {B} and life equal to its toughness, 1 for Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic or Grim Lavamancer. Spinning Darkness costs no mana if you exile the top three black cards of your graveyard and deals 3 damage to a nonblack creature while you gain 3 life, and Drain Life, with X paid in black mana only, gains you life equal to the damage it deals, up to a creature's toughness. Against Sligh and RG Zoo, in: Vendetta, Spinning Darkness and Drain Life; out: two Cabal Therapy and a Graveborn Muse. Cabal Therapy names one card in a hand of different creatures and burn spells that empties fast, and Graveborn Muse costs life in every upkeep for each Zombie you control. Sulfuric Vortex, in Sligh, stops all lifegain, so take it with Duress first. Against UG Madness, in: Vendetta, Spinning Darkness and Drain Life; out: all three Ravenous Rats. A card they discard to Ravenous Rats can be a madness spell they cast at once for its madness cost. Wild Mongrel can turn black in response to Vendetta or Spinning Darkness, and Arrogant Wurm survives Spinning Darkness.
- vs White Weenie, The Solution, BW Control, Deadguy Ale and Dromar Control: Gloom, Dystopia, Engineered Plague, Phyrexian Arena. Gloom makes every white spell cost three more, Vindicate, Gerrard's Verdict, Dromar's Charm, Meddling Mage and Lightning Angel included, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green or white permanent of their choice in each of their upkeeps, without targeting. A face-down Exalted Angel is colorless: Gloom doesn't tax it and Dystopia can't take it. Knight of Stromgald stays in all five plans, since protection from white stops Swords to Plowshares and white blockers. Against White Weenie, in: three Engineered Plague, all three Gloom and two Dystopia; out: all four Duress, all three Ravenous Rats and a Cabal Therapy. Duress and Ravenous Rats take little from a hand of cheap creatures. Plague naming Cleric kills Mother of Runes, Soltari Priest and Soltari Monk without targeting, so protection doesn't save them. Against The Solution, in: all three Gloom, two Dystopia and an Engineered Plague; out: both Cursed Scroll, both Diabolic Edict and two Ravenous Rats. The Plague names Cleric for Mother of Runes. Meddling Mage names Cursed Scroll and Disenchant destroys it, and their Mother, Meddling Mage and Angels give an edict poor targets. Against BW Control, in: all three Gloom, two Dystopia and Phyrexian Arena; out: both Cursed Scroll, all three Ravenous Rats and a Smother. Exalted Angel's life gain outpaces Cursed Scroll, and they choose the card Ravenous Rats takes. Plaguebearer stays: for X=0 it destroys a face-down Exalted Angel or a Soldier token for {B}, though a white Soldier token from a cycled Decree of Justice can also be the permanent Dystopia takes. Against Deadguy Ale, in: all three Gloom and Phyrexian Arena; out: both Cursed Scroll, a Diabolic Edict and a Ravenous Rats. Their Disenchant answers Cursed Scroll, and an edict takes their worst creature. Smother stays for their Hypnotic Specter, Nantuko Shade and Withered Wretch. Against Dromar Control, in: all three Gloom and two Dystopia; out: both Diabolic Edict, both Cursed Scroll and a Ravenous Rats. Vindicate and Meddling Mage answer Cursed Scroll, and with Mother of Runes, Meddling Mage and Shadowmage Infiltrator next to Exalted Angel an edict rarely takes the creature you want.
- vs Enchantress, Replenish, Terrageddon, Oath of Druids and Turbo Lands: Dystopia, Gloom, Engineered Plague. Dystopia does not target, so shroud and protection don't help against it. Against Enchantress, in: all three Dystopia, two Gloom and two Engineered Plague; out: all three Smother, both Cursed Scroll, Plaguebearer and a Diabolic Edict. Plague naming Druid kills Argothian Enchantress, a 0/1 Human Druid, since it does not target. Smother and Plaguebearer can't target it, and Solitary Confinement turns off Cursed Scroll. One Diabolic Edict stays: it targets the player, which only Solitary Confinement stops. Against Replenish, in: all three Gloom and two Dystopia; out: both Cursed Scroll, two Smother and Plaguebearer. Gloom makes Replenish, Opalescence and every Parallax Wave and Seal of Cleansing activation cost three more, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice Opalescence or Parallax Wave. One Smother and both Diabolic Edict stay for Exalted Angel and Meddling Mage after boarding. Against Terrageddon and Oath of Druids, in: all three Dystopia; out: both Cursed Scroll and Plaguebearer. Two damage a turn for {3} doesn't stop Terravore, which grows with every land in a graveyard, and Plaguebearer needs seven mana to kill it. Dystopia makes them sacrifice one of Terravore, Oath of Druids, Sylvan Library, Nimble Mongoose or an Elephant token. Against Turbo Lands, in: all three Dystopia; out: two Smother and a Diabolic Edict. They play few creatures, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice one of Exploration, Sylvan Library or Solitary Confinement; Plaguebearer stays for an animated Treetop Village, mana value 0.
- vs Reanimator, Full English Breakfast, Aluren and The Rock: Dystopia, Engineered Plague, Tormod's Crypt. Landgraf's 15 has no Tormod's Crypt. Lists with one, about two in five sideboards, bring it against Reanimator and Full English Breakfast and exile a graveyard in response to Reanimate, Exhume or a Hermit Druid activation. Against Reanimator, in: all three Dystopia; out: all three Ravenous Rats. They choose the card Ravenous Rats takes and gladly discard a creature to reanimate. Dystopia does not target, so Akroma's protection from black doesn't help: Akroma, Phantom Nishoba and Verdant Force are white or green and go if they are the only such permanent. Against Full English Breakfast, in: all three Dystopia and two Engineered Plague; out: all three Ravenous Rats and both Cursed Scroll. They choose the card Ravenous Rats takes and gladly discard a creature to put on top of their graveyard for Volrath's Shapeshifter, and Cursed Scroll is too slow against a combo turn. Plague naming Druid kills Hermit Druid, a 1/1 Human Druid, without targeting, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice one of Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots, Survival of the Fittest or Hermit Druid; they bring Naturalize and Ray of Revelation for both. Against Aluren, in: two Engineered Plague; out: both Cursed Scroll. Cursed Scroll is too slow against a combo turn. Plague naming Beast kills Cavern Harpy, a 2/1 Harpy Beast, and returning it to hand for 1 life doesn't save it, though most Aluren sideboards have Naturalize. Against The Rock, in: all three Dystopia; out: both Knight of Stromgald and a Smother. Knight's protection from white does nothing against a black-green deck, and Ravenous Baloth and Krosan Tusker are out of Smother's range. Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green permanent, Pernicious Deed included, and Plaguebearer stays: for X=0 it destroys an animated Treetop Village or a Squirrel token for {B}.
Budget and upgrades
Typical cost: $330–$830. The reference list, the one Svante Landgraf used to win the 3-City Challenge in Gdańsk (91 players) on September 6, costs about $830 with its sideboard at the Premodern-era printings tracked here. Two Cursed Scroll are about $185, two Wasteland about $95, three Dystopia about $135, four Cabal Therapy about $80 and the sideboard Powder Keg about $70.
- The core is cheap: Hypnotic Specter about $7, Dark Ritual about $5, Withered Wretch and Smother about $3, Duress, Ravenous Rats and Diabolic Edict under $1.
- Without Cursed Scroll and Wasteland (play two more Knight of Stromgald and two more Swamps instead) and with a sideboard of Engineered Plague, Gloom, Spinning Darkness and Perish, the 75 costs about $330.
- Add Cursed Scroll first (about $92 each), then Wasteland (about $47), then Dystopia for the sideboard (about $45).
- Phyrexian Arena (about $20) is optional: about one in five lists play it in the main deck, one in three in the main deck or sideboard.
Every deck that costs under $500 with reprints is on our budget decks page, priced from a real tournament list.
