Mono-Black Decayed Drain
HistoricDeck Strategy
A mono-black aggro deck that generates decayed Zombie tokens and drains the opponent with death triggers.
Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia and Tainted Adversary produce decayed 2/2 Zombies that must attack and die at end of combat. These deaths trigger The Meathook Massacre to drain life, while Champion of the Perished grows each time a Zombie enters. Woe Strider provides a sacrifice outlet to scry, and the decayed tokens themselves fuel escape for Tainted Adversary. Thoughtseize and Fatal Push clear the early board and hand, while Hero’s Downfall answers planeswalkers and big creatures.
Keep hands with early disruption (Thoughtseize, Fatal Push) and a proactive threat (Champion of the Perished or Jadar). A hand with two lands, Jadar, and removal is ideal. Mulligan hands that lack both action and interaction or that have only expensive spells.
Early: disrupt opponent with discard and removal, deploy Champion or Jadar as early as possible. Mid: flood the board with decayed tokens from Jadar and Tainted Adversary. Attack aggressively with tokens to force them to die, triggering The Meathook Massacre drains. Sacrifice unnecessary tokens to Woe Strider for scry. Late: escape Tainted Adversary to keep the pressure on, finish with a large Champion or a devastating Meathook swing. Castle Locthwain provides late-game card draw.
Graveyard hate shuts down Tainted Adversary’s escape and reduces token value. Exile-based removal bypasses death triggers. The deck struggles against fast combo or heavy board wipes; rebuilding relies on topdecks and Castle Locthwain.
| Type | Rarity | Card Name | Mana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatures (14) | Rare | Champion of the Perished | |
| Rare | Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia | ||
| Mythic Rare | Tainted Adversary | ||
| Rare | Woe Strider | ||
| Instants (6) | Uncommon | Fatal Push | |
| Uncommon | Hero's Downfall | ||
| Sorceries (4) | Rare | Thoughtseize | |
| Enchantments (2) | Mythic Rare | The Meathook Massacre | |
| Lands (34) | Rare | Castle Locthwain | |
| Basic Land | Swamp |