Hello everyone. I've reached the mid-point of my mini-series showcasing decks featuring two colors. This week I have some sweet decks for you that all feature Black mana. Let's get started.

Orzhov Super Friends

The first deck I have for you is a Black/White deck focusing on the power of planeswalkers. Let's take a look at the deck.

Orzhov Super Friends | LCI Standard | Sonio, aetherhub.com user

• Planeswalkers (8)
• 1 Liliana of the Veil
• 1 Sorin the Mirthless
• 1 The Wandering Emperor
• 1 Vraska, Betrayal's Sting
• 4 Kaya, Intangible Slayer

• Instants (7)
• 1 The End
• 2 March of Otherworldly Light
• 4 Bitter Triumph

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Breach the Multiverse
• 1 Farewell
• 1 Sunset Revelry
• 1 White Sun's Twilight
• 2 Duress
• 3 Sunfall

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration

• Artifacts (2)
• 1 The Celestus
• 1 The Irencrag

• Battles (4)
• 4 Invasion of Tolvada // The Broken Sky

• Lands (26)
• 1 Swamp
• 6 Plains
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Mirrex
• 1 Raffine's Tower
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 3 Demolition Field
• 4 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Restless Fortress
• 4 Shattered Sanctum

• Sideboard (2)
• 1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead
• 1 The Cruelty of Gix

Buy This Deck Export text Export Arena

This is a Black based control deck at its finest. By utilizing the abilities of four singleton planeswalkers along with some powerful mass removal spells, you'll be able to keep the opponent's side of the battlefield clear from powerful threats. Liliana of the Veil causes your opponent to sacrifice their own creatures. The Wandering Emperor exiles a threat of your choice while providing you some additional life points. Vraska, Betrayal's Sting turns any creature into a Treasure, removing any threat it might provide.

The main planeswalker in this deck also has the highest mana value. Kaya, Intangible Slayer has three incredible abilities that you can use to gain and keep an advantage over your opponent. She is naturally hexproof, so your opponent will have to attack her directly to remove her from the battlefield. This can be difficult if they don't have any creatures in play. Take advantage of that and use her +2 loyalty ability to drain your opponent of three points of life. If they manage to get a creature in play that you don't want them to have, you can use Kaya's -3 loyalty ability to exile it, creating a 1/1 Spirit token in the process.

Dimir Mech Combo

Next, I have a Dimir deck that pairs a creature with a vehicle for some amazing damage potential. Let's take a look at the deck.

Dimir Mech Combo | LCI Standard | LegenVD, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (20)
• 1 Akal Pakal, First Among Equals
• 3 Ichor Drinker
• 4 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
• 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
• 4 Gumdrop Poisoner
• 4 Spyglass Siren

• Instants (3)
• 3 Go for the Throat

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Okiba Reckoner Raid // Nezumi Road Captain

• Artifacts (8)
• 4 Mindlink Mech
• 4 Subterranean Schooner

• Lands (25)
• 2 Island
• 7 Swamp
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 2 Restless Reef
• 4 Darkslick Shores
• 4 Shipwreck Marsh
• 4 Underground River

Buy This Deck Export text Export Arena

The creature you'll most want to have crewing Mindlink Mech is Bloodletter of Aclazotz. This Vampire Demon has an ability that doubles the amount of life loss your opponent will lose during your turn. By crewing Mindlink Mech with Bloodletter of Aclazotz, you'll get two instances of this ability, doubling and then doubling again the damage dealt. That means an attacking Mindlink Mech will deal 16 damage if not blocked. That amount of damage will end games very quickly.

Rakdos Dracosaur

We're now up to a Rakdos deck that offers a pair of ways to finish off your opponent. Let's check it out.

Rakdos Dracosaur | LCI Standard | LegenVD, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Bonehoard Dracosaur
• 4 Preacher of the Schism
• 4 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

• Instants (8)
• 2 Go for the Throat
• 2 Sheoldred's Edict
• 4 Cut Down

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Gix's Command
• 2 Molten Collapse
• 2 Pilfer
• 4 Brotherhood's End

• Enchantments (4)
• 2 Hidetsugu Consumes All // Vessel of the All-Consuming
• 2 Phyrexian Arena

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 The Irencrag

• Lands (26)
• 5 Mountain
• 6 Swamp
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 2 Blackcleave Cliffs
• 3 Restless Vents
• 4 Haunted Ridge
• 4 Sulfurous Springs

Buy This Deck Export text Export Arena

Since this deck includes Black mana, it's able to include one of Standard's most powerful creatures, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. With her ability to force your opponent to lose life when they draw cards and for you to gain life when you draw cards, she can provide an incredible amount of life point swing during a match. By combining her with Phyrexian Arena, you'll not only gain a bunch of life, but you'll always have options available for things to play.

Golgari Phyrexians

The final deck I have for you includes Green mana and focuses on the Phyrexians. If you haven't had enough of these villains, check this deck out.

Golgari Phyrexians | LCI Standard | Hexamyn, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 2 Glissa, Herald of Predation
• 2 Grafted Butcher
• 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 3 Armored Scrapgorger
• 3 Elvish Vatkeeper
• 3 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
• 3 Glissa Sunslayer
• 3 Phyrexian Obliterator
• 4 Roaming Throne

• Instants (5)
• 2 Cut Down
• 3 Go for the Throat

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Bushwhack

• Lands (26)
• 1 Forest
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 2 Mirrex
• 2 Restless Cottage
• 4 Cavern of Souls
• 4 Deathcap Glade
• 4 Llanowar Wastes
• 4 Secluded Courtyard

Buy This Deck Export text Export Arena

This effect gets even better with a copy or two of Roaming Throne on the battlefield. By choosing Phyrexian as its creature type, Roaming Throne will double the potency of triggered effects that your other Phyrexian creatures have, including doubling the number of permanents your opponent will need to sacrifice when Phyrexian Obliterator is dealt damage. They'll quickly find out that it's impossible to win a game if you have no cards on the battlefield.

Wrapping Up

While I'm not inclined to play mono-colored Black decks, I like combining Black mana with other colors. It provides a lot of creature removal that might otherwise be unavailable, plus Black cards have some unique abilities not found in the other colors.

What do you think of these decks? Feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

- Mike Likes