Not all brews work out, including the Zombie deck I wrote about recently. But you can almost always learn from the experience. The Zombie deck taught me a lot, and was the starting point for a new deck. Today we’re going to look at that new deck, and watch it in action. I entered a league and recorded the results, say hello to: Black Green Control!

Here’s an MTGGoldfish decklist as well.

As you can tell, this is very similar to a Mono-Black Control deck. Eternal Masters did a lot to change the Pauper metagame, one of those changes was making Night’s Whisper a common. Though it is slightly worse than Sign in Blood since you can’t kill an opponent with it, it’s also much easier to cast. Night’s Whisper allows Mono-Black to spread out to other colors without losing much in the construction of the deck.

So what did I learn from the Zombie deck? I learned about a little card called Putrid Leech. I know, I know; I did nothing but sing the praises of my gooey friend throughout both of the Zombie articles.



Putrid Leech doesn’t offer as much devotion to Gray Merchant of Asphodel as Cuombajj Witches, but I think it’s a much stronger card in general. Thanks to Peregrine Drake shaking up the format, the witch is not quite as strong against the top decks as it used to be. It’s still very good in some matchups, but I think a 2 mana 4/4 is better on average. Leech is just a very resilient threat in the format. Spot removal often does 2-3 damage, such as Disfigure or Lightning Bolt, which just isn’t enough to stop the leech. Common threats such as the previously mentioned gold-faced zombie, Spire Golem, or even Nivix Cyclops have trouble with it too. Putrid Leech is the reason to splash green in Mono-Black Control. But there are other goodies around too.

Pulse of Murasa has been gaining in popularity lately now that people are getting a pulse on what the new format is like. It’s a great card, and fits perfectly here. Buying back life from Putrid Leech activations or Night’s Whisper is exactly what the deck needs. It gives Mono-Black an even stronger late game, and can buy time in the early game.

Okay, I’m not sure Satyr Wayfinder is the right card for the deck; I just love it. It does make a turn 3 Gurmag Angler possible though. I’m not reely sure yet if it does enough, even if it particularly good at fishing. The mana fixing it provides is nice, and since we’re running a high land count for a Pauper deck, it is very unlikely to miss. The deck is also heavy on 2 drops, so I’m pretty split on the satyr.

Another hold over from the Zombie deck is the package of Nameless Inversion and Ghoulcaller’s Chant. Spells like Disfigure are usually used in place of Nameless Inversion, but with Peregrine Drake looming over the format, taking down 3 toughness creatures is a much bigger deal than it used to be. Plus, buying it back with the Chant in the late game, along with another Zombie, is really good. For now, I’ve chosen to accept that turn 1 is just there for a land drop, as the deck literally has no possible turn 1 play.

The sideboard is an area that still needs a lot of work. Shrivel and Choking Sands are the only cards that feel necessary, the rest may change. It’s nice that the green splash gives us more potential answers to Delver and Peregrine Drake decks, as well as ways to deal with artifacts and enchantments. Right now I’m completely ignoring graveyard decks, and it was a bit of an issue during the league matches. Getting a sideboard right is tough, as it really comes down to what decks you need help against the most, and what decks you face. It takes a lot of time and a bit of luck to get a sideboard right.

So how does the deck perform? Below is a playlist where I ran the deck through a MTGO league, where I went 3-2. That means we get to enter another league for free! Out of the decks I faced, Bogles was the only blowout. I have played this matchup many times however, and it is not as lopsided as the video will show. There were 2 matches against Mono-Black, 1 win and 1 loss. In general, I think the green splashtilts things in your favor in the mirror, but feel free to take a look. I’ll see you soon with an updated decklist!

(Link to Playlist) Or Watch below:

Deck Overview

Match 1: Izzet Blitz

Match 2: Mono-Black Control

Match 3: Abzan Tortured Existence

Match 4: Bogles

Match 5: Mono-Black Control

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRzuhxP8ak&index=6&list=PLrKIaZeEsB0WKBETHbSgcNKfET7Rw11hQ&ab_channel=Barubary

