Introduction
This deck is part of the Pauper Decks, which are made from only common cards. The great thing about Pauper is the majority of the cards are cheap to buy, and are still strong as there are quite a lot of good common cards over Magic's history.
Key Strategy
Mono Black Aggro is a fast-paced, sacrifice-oriented deck that thrives on generating value from your creatures' deaths. The deck's strategy revolves around sacrificing creatures to draw cards, grow threats, and control the board, leading to overwhelming pressure on your opponent. This synergy between sacrifice effects and efficient creatures allows you to maintain a strong board presence while outpacing your opponent in resources.
Key Cards
Carrion Feeder and Mortician Beetle: These are your primary sacrifice outlets and beneficiaries. Carrion Feeder grows every time you sacrifice a creature, becoming a massive threat over time. Mortician Beetle functions similarly, getting larger with every sacrifice, and can quickly become a must-answer threat for your opponent.
Shambling Ghast and Nested Shambler: These creatures provide value upon dying, making them perfect fodder for your sacrifice engines. Shambling Ghast can produce treasure or weaken an opponent’s creature, while Nested Shambler can generate multiple tokens, fueling further sacrifices.
Bone Picker: This is a key creature that benefits from your sacrifice strategy. With its reduced cost after a creature has died, Bone Picker often hits the board early as a powerful 3/2 flying deathtoucher, putting immediate pressure on your opponent.
Deadly Dispute and Village Rites: These are your primary card draw engines, allowing you to convert your creatures into card advantage. Deadly Dispute also generates a treasure, helping to ramp out your threats or pay for other spells. Village Rites is a cheap and efficient way to draw two cards for just one mana.
Hunt for Specimens: This spell generates a creature while also giving you access to the learn mechanic, letting you fetch useful lesson cards like Pest Summoning or Environmental Sciences to either flood the board or fix your mana.
Defile: This removal spell is highly efficient in a mono-black deck, allowing you to deal with larger threats as the game progresses, thanks to the number of Swamps you’ll have in play.
Gameplay Strategy
The early game should focus on establishing your board with low-cost creatures like Carrion Feeder, Shambling Ghast, and Nested Shambler. Use these creatures to start growing your Mortician Beetle and Gixian Infiltrator while setting up for powerful turns where you can draw cards and grow your threats simultaneously.
As the game progresses, leverage your sacrifice outlets like Carrion Feeder and your card draw spells like Village Rites and Deadly Dispute to keep your hand full and your threats growing. Bone Picker is an excellent follow-up after a sacrifice, as it can come down for just one mana, adding a potent flying threat to your board.
Hunt for Specimens offers flexibility, providing a creature on the board while also letting you access your sideboard for specific needs. The treasures generated by Shambling Ghast or Deadly Dispute can help pay for your lessons or cast your spells ahead of curve, allowing you to keep the pressure on your opponent.
Use Defile to clear out blockers or remove key threats from your opponent, ensuring your creatures can continue to get in for damage. Over time, your board should become overwhelming as your creatures grow in size and your card advantage mounts.
Mulligan and Sideboard Tips
In your opening hand, prioritize having at least one sacrifice outlet and a creature to sacrifice. A draw spell like Deadly Dispute or Village Rites is also desirable to keep your hand full and your resources flowing.
For sideboard strategies, consider bringing in additional removal or cards that can handle specific threats or matchups. Cards like Pest Summoning from your lesson board can help you stabilize against aggressive decks, while Environmental Sciences can help you recover if you’re missing land drops.
This deck thrives on out-valuing your opponent through efficient sacrifices and drawing into more threats. By continually applying pressure and keeping your hand full, you can overwhelm opponents before they can mount a defense.
Key Cards
Cards to look for in the opening hand