Playing MonoBlack

Most people thought that with the release of Return to Ravnica, bringing with it the first Common dual-lands, that the Standard Pauper format would shift away from the mono-colored decklists that were such a pronounced part of the previous Standard format. But, as is true in Classic Pauper, there is something surprisingly effective about mono-colored decks that allows them to keep rising to the top, despite the versatility and added strength of two and three color combinations. As proof of this phenomena, Mono Black has recently made a strong reappearance in Standard Pauper, recently capturing the trophy for both Monday Pauper Deck Challenge and Standard Pauper Deck Challenge, the two Player Run Events for this format. Let's take a closer look at one of these decklists.

After studying the results from these events, I wanted to test out this archetype for myself. But as I assembled it into virtual sleeves on Magic Online, I noticed this forgotten card and immediately saw some potential:

While Gravedigger was in the format, this card saw almost no play. Some might see this as surprising, given that Driver of the Dead is a stronger card in most ways. For the same casting cost, you get an extra point of power, and even more remarkable, you get to return a creature from the Graveyard directly into play. Of course, there are two caveats. First, Driver of the Dead has to actually die, rather than simply come into play. Second, the creature card that returns to play has to be one with a converted mana cost of 2 or less. These are pretty significant drawbacks, Given that, it is little wonder that this card has been almost completely overlooked.

Until now. As it turns out, the Mono Black archetype boasts a number of solid Black creatures that fit this narrow requirement. And so, with this particular interaction in mind, I came up with this decklist:

Mono Black Driver

played by gwyned in MPDC 19.10

Creatures 4 Duty-Bound Dead 4 Highborn Ghoul 4 Tormented Soul 4 Vampire Interloper 3 Bloodhunter Bat 3 Driver of the Dead 2 Servant of Nefarox 24 cards Other Spells 3 Dead Weight 3 Murder 3 Sign in Blood 3 Victim of Night 2 Tragic Slip 15 cards

Lands 20 Swamp 2 Haunted Fengraf 22 cards Sideboard 3 One-Eyed Scarecrow 3 Altar's Reap 3 Ravenous Rats 2 Perilous Shadow 2 Mark of the Vampire 2 Grave Exchange 15 cards

Unfortunately, I struggled during Round 3 and 4 of this particular event, with a disappointing 2-2 finish with this decklist. Still, I believe it has potential, and will definitely keep testing this particular build.

I did manage to record one of my matches, so I have included that below.

 

 

So what do you think of the Mono Black archetype? What about the Driver of the Dead interaction? I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. Thanks for reading!