MBC : tier 1 deck or not ?
By Frédéric Meurin on Monday 21 August 2006, 14:43 - On the web - Permalink
I playtested some decks this saturday, and had the chance to discuss about the top PEZ decks, and more specifically about Mono black ones.
The discussion was mainly about the top decks as they are listed on the left-most column of this site.
We basically disagreed about the presence in such high spheres of MBC and MBA.
The main thing is, even if MBC (or MBA) is not so hot on paper, it's damn good. Last tourney I went proved it, with 3 MBC/MBA decks on the field, and three of them in top 4, while some others had dark splashes.
It's harder to distinguish MBC from MBA, since MBC players have understood that pure aggro decks (Elf-anything, mainly) are faster than they can manage, and they now meddle with creatures. Controling ones...
Anyway, a lot of players claim that black has the most spoiled commons, and I tend to think they're right.
Let's just make a list : Sinkhole, Duress, Hymn to tourach, Dark ritual, Order of the ebon hand. You want some more ? Diabolic edict, Pestilence, Blood of innoncents, Drain life, Paralyze. And I forget a lot.
You can easily build a deck out of pure destruction. Add 4 Stripmine and you slow anything. 4 Mishra's factory, and you can laugh at CoP:B (Circle of Protection : Black for non-geek readers - by the way, Rune of protection is better as it can cycle...). Do you need to mass destroy creatures ? Use Enginered Plague, or better, Evincar's Justice. Do you need to ruin any combo based deck ? Duress on turn 1, Hymn to Tourach on turn 2, Hypnotic Specter on turn 3.
I can only see Burn being able to race out a sufficiently aggro build of Mono black, and even yet, the pilot, build and luck can change it all. Last tourney in Paris was won by a Black Hand deck against a Burn one. I guess a lucky starting hand helps but that doesn't explain it all.
And the question is : what can be done against Mono Black ?
Please add your contribution !
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Last reviewed : 21 January 2007
Last reviewed : 25 September 2006
Last reviewed : 16 August 2006
Affinity
Goblin Sligh
White winnie
Stompy
Phantom Cloak
Goblin storm
Elf-ball / Elf-Clamp
Mono black
Psychatog
Tortured existence / Reanimator
Ritual agony
Life
ProsTides
Kobold-Clamp
IsoBurn/Burn
Satin doll
IsoMUC
UG Tempo
Comments
Answer : the only deck which can provide a challenge to these kind of decks is white. And since WW is weak, only Life has to be tested yet.