Fast Mono-Black Deck with Some Serious Skeleton and Phyrexian Action

Introduction

This is the second version of my mono-black aggro deck, which utilizes skeletons and Phyrexians to build up a formidable force, able to kill the opponent on turn 4. It has been updated to the Bloomburrow set. The deck is now even more focused on skeletons and Phyrexians than before the rotation, and it tries to deploy the best cards and combos available for a mono-black aggro deck. Skeletons provide early threats and Phyrexians are deployed in the late game. Bloomburrow provides Fountainport to the deck. The deck is a bit more midrangey than most aggro decks, having four 4-mana cards and two 5-mana cards, and therefore it deploys 25 lands.

Format

• The deck is for the Standard format with Bloomburrow being the last legal set.
• The deck is probably Tier 1.5 or Tier 2 caliber.
• The deck can be played in both Bo1 and Bo3.
• The deck is pretty fast, and thus it's suitable for quickly grinding a large number of wins in the MTG Arena ladder.

Source

This is my own brew, but it is inspired by several pre-Bloomburrow mono-black skeleton aggro decks.

Previous Version

• Rise of the Skeletons and Phyrexians

New Cards

Main Deck

Fountainport can be used to sacrifice a skeleton creature token from Case of the Stashed Skeleton to solve the case. It also works with skeleton tokens from Corpses of the Lost.

Strategy

Skeletons

Skeletons can deal a hefty deal of damage in the early game, if left unchecked. It's nice that Corpses of the Lost gives haste, which makes Forsaken Miners and Cases of the Stashed Skeleton an instant threat dealing 3 or more damage.

Card Draw

Gix draws cards easily with Deep-Cavern Bat and Case of the Stashed Skeleton, both of which have evasion abilities.

Spot Removal

The spot removal package is a pretty normal one for a black deck. Notably, there's Bitter Triumph, which can be used to discard Forsaken Miner or an extra land into the graveyard, triggering the descend ability of Corpses of the Lost. You can even discard Forsaken Miner to Bitter Triumph and then immediately return it to the battlefield by paying 1 black mana.

Board Wipes

Gix's Command is a flexible board wipe that hits creatures with power 2 or less.

Blast Zone can destroy all nonland permanents of certain mana value, which makes it excellent against artifacts and enchantments that can't be normally destroyed by mono-black decks.

Combos

Archfiend of the Dross and Gix's Command

You can swipe the board with Gix's Command while Archfiend of the Dross is in play, possibly causing a great deal of damage to the opponent. Gix's Command can also be used to put two +1/+1 counters on the Archfiend and give it lifelink, potentially gaining you 8 life.

Archfiend of the Dross and Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

Archfiend of the Dross is a flying attacker that draws a card with Gix.

Archfiend of the Dross and Go for the Throat or Bitter Triumph

You can get rid of Archfiend of the Dross with Go for the Throat or Bitter Triumph, if its counters are timing out.

Bitter Triumph and Corpses of the Lost

You can discard a permanent card to Bitter Triumph to return Corpses of the Lost to your hand.

Bitter Triumph and Forsaken Miner

You can discard Forsaken Miner to Bitter Triumph and then immediately return it to the battlefield with one black mana. This way you don't lose a card or life to Bitter Triumph.

Case of the Stashed Skeleton and Corpses of the Lost

You can sacrifice a solved Case of the Stashed Skeleton to return Corpses of the Lost to your hand at the end of your turn.

Case of the Stashed Skeleton and Duress or any sideboard card or any other card

You can fetch any card needed for the situation with a solved Case of the Stashed Skeleton.

Case of the Stashed Skeleton and Fountainport

You can sacrifice the skeleton creature token from Case of the Stashed Skeleton to Fountainport and solve the case. You can do this at instant speed.

Case of the Stashed Skeleton and Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

The skeleton creature token from the case is an evasive attacker with menace that draws a card with Gix.

Corpses of the Lost and Fountainport

You can sacrifice the skeleton creature token from Corpses of the Lost to Fountainport to draw a card. You can do this at instant speed.

Deep-Cavern Bat and Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

Deep-Cavern Bat is a flying attacker that draws a card with Gix and gains life for card draw.

Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, turns every card draw from Gix from a loss of one life to a gain of one life.

Sideboard

The sideboard depends on the metagame, but I've tried to compile something that you can use as a starting point.

Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal

For grindy matchups.

Anoint with Affliction

Against Mosswood Dreadknight, Subterranean Schooner and the like.

Cut Down

4th copy against fast aggro decks.

Duress

Against control and combo decks.

Glistening Deluge

Against white and green aggro decks and any aggro deck with 1-toughness creatures.

Malicious Eclipse

A boardwipe against 2-toughness creatures.

Liliana of the Veil

Against decks with big creatures.

Phyrexian Arena

Against control decks.

Other Cards in Consideration

(Not in the current sideboard)

Soul-Guide Lantern

When the metagame includes graveyard recursion decks.

Mana Base Statistics

Overview

• Total of 25 lands
• 19 lands produce black mana
• 6 lands produce colorless mana
• 3 untapped man-lands
• 3 special lands
• 19 swamps

Starting Hand Probabilities

Land Count

Bo3 = No Hand Smoothing

• At least two lands: 87.8 %
• At least three lands: 58.8 %
• At least four lands: 27.9 %
• 2–5 lands: 84.4 %

Bo1 + Ranked Queue = Best of 2 Hands

• 2–5 lands: 98.0 %

Bo1 + Play Queue = Best of 3 Hands

• 2–5 lands: 99.7 %

Color Count

Bo3 = No Hand Smoothing

• At least one black mana: 94.2 %
• At least two black mana: 72.1 %
• At least three black mana: 38.9 %

Probabilities on Later Turns

Probabilities are on the play / on the draw.

Land Count

With Any Starting Hand

• At least 3 lands on turn 3: 81.9 % / 88.1 %
• At least 4 lands on turn 4: 67.5 % / 76.6 %
• At least 5 lands on turn 5: 51.7 % / 62.4 %

Color Count

With Any Starting Hand

• At least two black mana on turn 2: 79.6 % / 85.3 %
• At least three black mana on turn 3: 59.3 % / 68.0 %