Everyone has their own idea of the “perfect” deck. Always consistent with the right draw and land, always fast and so reliable. A deck that the shuffler cannot screw. Seriously, how many of us actually have that deck? Well I am after that perfect deck, only I want it for EDH. This feat will be tougher due to the restrictions of it being a Singleton format. Having only one copy of every card makes it hard as hell to create a perfectly consistent deck. That’s ok, cause I enjoy a good challenge, and strive to make the best deck possible.
Choosing the perfect cards can be a long and hard process. You want to careful think through your strategy, make sure everything works out for the best. I sat for hours reading cards, trying to find perfect cards to fit into my twisted, sick deck, something reminiscent of my very first EDH deck: Braids, Cabal Minion. It showcased the darkness and destructiveness that I love so much. I want to repeat this, but with Braids being Banned and all, I had to find a new approach. So I immediately decided that Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed will head this deck of destruction. Black is known for its discard, destruction, creature control, and especially life loss, whether it is directed at your opponent or yourself. So if you decide to build a kamikaze deck you better make sure you can bounce back from heavy life loss. Black to me, is the best colour, balanced better than the others. It offers draw, Control, and Aggro. Yes, the draw often comes at the price of your life, but you can add in some kind of life gain to offset the life loss.
My first thought was lands. What lands should I put in this deck? I know that staple cards: Cabal Coffers and Urborg, Yawgmoth’s Tomb, but I chose to wait on Urborg, just to see if I can get enough mana using other cards. I think I am going to add it very soon. Double the amount of mana and quadruple the amount of hurt. So, I stared at Deck Editor for hours to see what was available to me. In order to make my perfect deck, I would need time, patience, and well… money. This deck would have a bigger budget than my others. In this deck, I wanted to make it so I can control the board and what stays on. I use only two creatures; Graveborn Muse, and my commander: Xiahou Dun. In creating the perfect, Control deck, I came to the conclusion that I shouldn’t use a lot of creatures, just a few, so Muse fit the bill.
One thing Black lacks is artifact and enchantment kill. So in order to stay on top of stuff like that, I recommend putting in discard and destruction. People can’t play spells if they don’t have enough cards and lands, right? Right. Now, when I play in a free for all setting, I get very ruthless. I want to win. mSo I bring the most selfish deck I can. When making this deck I looked for everything that would help me in every way possible. Now I know that this just paints a big ol’ bullseye on my face but oh well. I love it when people give me all the attention. So a warning to all: you can copy my list, but it DOES make you public enemy number one. If you like that kind of attention, by all means do it. Now that that’s out of the way, lets move on to the deck, shall we? The moment you all have been waiting for:
The Chinese Black Plague
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Deck Breakdown
And it goes a lil sumpin like dis’….Hit it! Sick, twisted, nasty, mean, hateful. That is what I love to hear about this deck. As you can see in the deck list, its what I wanted it to be. First thing I thought about was, “do I want it to be a Combo deck?” Well yeah, Dun is awesome with Combo. With enough mana, you can really do a lot. Again, as you can tell, I put a lot of thought into the nastiness that is this deck. First thing that came to mind was creature control. Damnation is nice, but it’s just one card. So I put in The Abyss, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Spreading Plague (which is like a Damnation EVERY time you or an opponent plays a creature), and Lethal Vapors. It’s pretty safe, unless the Green or White player is packing something like Disenchant or Naturalize.
I am truly shocked that I haven’t seen more people using Spreading Plague in EDH yet. This card is great against just about every deck that uses a heavy creature base. Since I don’t really have creatures in this deck, control is a must. The lack of creatures does leave me a bit vulnerable, but that’s why token-generating sorceries and artifacts should be used. Riptide Replicator is a great example. You can pick any creature you like and make it any colour you like. You can also use instants and sorceries that “borrow” others’ creatures. Ashen Powder, Beacon of Unrest, Rise from the Grave are great examples.
Nether Void is a very good control card to use period. Coupled with a few cards, it can be a very effective defense. Being that EDH is a free for all format, I had to think heavily about my kill conditions. Yes, I said kill conditions, as in more than one. You really have to when facing more than one opponent. So, I decided to use the “standard” MBC decklist staples: Corrupt, Consume Spirit, Drain Life, Profane Command, and such. Of course, if you wanna use another creature, Maga, Traitor to Mortals is quite nice. However you cannot gain life off of the damage he deals. Corrupt, Consume, and Drain are a good idea and are very nice with Mirari. You can target more than one person or creature, gaining you a large amount of life.
Making sure you have enough mana accel is very important. Since Black has no mana accel, you’ll have to use artifacts that produce mana or fetch lands. Sculpting Steel is a good add to copy an opponent’s artifacts, equipment, especially mana-producing. As you can also tell, I added in as much as I could. Tower of Fortunes and Minds Eye. This can substitute for land fetch. This is where Reliquary Tower or Spellbook can come in handy. As I sit now and look over this deck list, with having so many cards in hand, Veldalken Orrey would be a great addition. Only downside is not being able to untap your lands every turn in order to play something unless you play with Deserted Temple. In that case, I’d run Vesuva and have a blast with that. You could take out your opponents on their turns.
When playing Death Cloud, Pox, and Smallpox type cards, you really have to make sure you have enough lands, and cards in your hand. Crucible of Worlds is a major key to this combo. You want to be on top of the game, eventually winning if your opponents don’t team up and get you first.
I’ve run this deck quite a few times. Every game has ended in either victory or me being taken out first. Most players know when they see Xiahou Dun, it’s gotta be a Combo or Control deck. So, if you decide to run my list, be ready for one hell of a fight. You’re gonna need all the luck and skill you have in order to pull off a victory or even just to survive being teamed up against. Whatever the case, I always had fun. I hope you do too.
Well, I’m gonna go wreck some games with Mr. Dun, see how many people whine or how long I can actually stay at a table. Hope you all enjoy the deck as much as I do. See ya next time, where I showcase my final Three Kingdoms deck. We’ll learn how to make fireworks with your friendly neighborhood tyrant, Dong Zhou, and his semi-loyal henchman, Lu Bu.
Later,
DarkPrincess83
I think I might offer up my mono green deck list for these threads.
I’ll give it some thought
Love that you are doing this, nice work.