Hello everyone. Edge of Eternities is set to officially release tomorrow, and we've reached the final installment of my series of articles where I look at decks in Standard that are all focused on a specific color. We're looking at decks featuring Black mana this time, so let's get started.

Mono-Black Discard

Starting things off with a mono-colored deck feels right, and Black is the king of causing your opponent to discard cards from their hands. Let's take a look at a deck that does this very well.

Mono-Black Discard | FIN Standard | SlothMtg, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (15)
• 2 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead
• 3 Hostile Investigator
• 3 Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon
• 3 Unstoppable Slasher
• 4 Thought-Stalker Warlock

• Instants (3)
• 3 Shoot the Sheriff

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Duress

• Enchantments (12)
• 4 Bandit's Talent
• 4 Momentum Breaker
• 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Soul-Guide Lantern

• Lands (24)
• 20 Swamp
• 4 Soulstone Sanctuary

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With this deck, you'll want to cause your opponent to discard cards from their hand in order for you to maintain dominance on the battlefield and to remain safe from their removal spells. Spells like Bandit's Talent, Hostile Investigator, and Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead all force your opponent to discard cards of their choosing. Additionally, Duress and Thought-Stalker Warlock give you the ability to choose what gets discarded. Either way, the goal is for their hand to continually shrink in size, thus limiting their options.

Press your advantage by also controlling the battlefield. Momentum Breaker, Shoot the Sheriff, and the transformed side of Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, all cause your opponent's creatures to be either sacrificed or destroyed. With little to no opposition, you can dominate the battlefield and win the game.

Orzhov Lifegain

Next, we have an Orzhov deck that excels at gaining life. Let's take a look at the deck.

Orzhov Lifegain | FIN Standard | PobrePlaninauta, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (26)
• 1 Minwu, White Mage
• 2 Amalia Benavides Aguirre
• 2 Exemplar of Light
• 2 Ruin-Lurker Bat
• 2 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller
• 3 Aerith Gainsborough
• 3 Ajani's Pridemate
• 3 Deep-Cavern Bat
• 4 Essence Channeler
• 4 Hinterland Sanctifier

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Strategic Betrayal

• Enchantments (7)
• 3 Case of the Uneaten Feast
• 4 Sheltered by Ghosts

• Lands (24)
• 2 Swamp
• 7 Plains
• 1 Shadowy Backstreet
• 3 Bleachbone Verge
• 3 Restless Fortress
• 4 Concealed Courtyard
• 4 Starting Town

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I'm a big fan of Aerith Gainsborough. While she is on the battlefield, she'll accumulate +1/+1 counters whenever you gain life. Since she has lifelink herself, this can help you gain control of a battlefield that you've fallen behind on. If Aerith should happen to die, the +1/+1 counters will find their way onto each other legendary creature you have in play.

Aerith Gainsborough, along with other Cleric creatures in this deck, benefit greatly while Minwu, White Mage is in play. Minwu is a Cleric that gives +1/+1 counters to each Cleric you have in play whenever you gain life. They also have lifelink, which provides a built-in way of gaining life, and, thus, +1/+1 counters.

Dimir Reanimator

The next deck I have for you focuses on getting big, powerful creatures into your graveyard, where they can later be cheated into play. Let's take a look at the deck.

Dimir Reanimator | FIN Standard | Redd_Cat_MTG, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (16)
• 1 Summon: Bahamut
• 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater
• 2 Ardyn, the Usurper
• 2 Harvester of Misery
• 2 Marang River Regent
• 2 Summon: Primal Odin
• 2 Vile Entomber
• 4 Abyssal Harvester

• Instants (13)
• 1 Live or Die
• 2 Bitter Triumph
• 2 Swallowed by Leviathan
• 4 Don't Make a Sound
• 4 Into the Flood Maw

• Sorceries (6)
• 1 Duress
• 1 Winternight Stories
• 4 Zombify

• Lands (25)
• 4 Island
• 8 Swamp
• 1 Restless Reef
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Gloomlake Verge
• 4 Undercity Sewers

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To begin, you'll want to play spells such as Winternight Stories, Vile Entomber, and the omen side of Marang River Regent, Coil and Catch, to discard some of your big creatures into your graveyard. Try to make sure you are able to discard creatures like Valgavoth, Terror Eater, Ardyn, the Usurper, and Summon: Bahamut, as these all have a high mana value that makes casting them difficult, if not impossible.

Once you have some suitable creatures in your graveyard, it's time for the fun to begin. By using spells like Zombify, you'll be able to return those creatures from your graveyard to your battlefield. Since you can return something you wouldn't be able to cast normally, you can gain quite an advantage, resulting in gaining a much larger creature than your opponent has. Attack with it and watch your opponent lose their creatures defending or a huge chunk of their life total, whichever they choose.

Rakdos Demons

The next deck I have for you features the iconic creature for Black decks, Demons. Let's take a look at the deck.

Rakdos Demons | FIN Standard | rolo, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (11)
• 1 Ardyn, the Usurper
• 1 Massacre Wurm
• 1 Rakdos, Patron of Chaos
• 1 Summon: Bahamut
• 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater
• 2 Abyssal Harvester
• 4 Overlord of the Balemurk

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
• 2 Brotherhood's End
• 2 Obliterating Bolt

• Enchantments (20)
• 1 Case of the Crimson Pulse
• 1 Meathook Massacre II
• 1 Rakdos Joins Up
• 1 The Rollercrusher Ride
• 4 Artist's Talent
• 4 Blood Spatter Analysis
• 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
• 4 Virtue of Persistence

• Lands (24)
• 3 Mountain
• 4 Swamp
• 1 Restless Vents
• 4 Blackcleave Cliffs
• 4 Blazemire Verge
• 4 Raucous Theater
• 4 Sulfurous Springs

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The key to winning with this deck is to survive long enough to put your big threats into play. Brotherhood's End can wipe the battlefield clear of threats with 3 toughness or less, while you can use Obliterating Bolt to deal with bigger creatures.

Once you have enough mana, start deploying your big threats. Ardyn, the Usurper will give your Demon creatures lifelink, helping you regain some of the life you likely lost earlier in the game. He also provides you with a way of creating additional Demons, further benefitting your cause.

Golgari Midrange

The final deck I have for you this week is a midrange deck, which is a great type of deck to play at the beginning of a new Standard format. Let's take a look at the deck.

Golgari Midrange | FIN Standard | LilianaDoVrau, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (18)
• 2 Jenova, Ancient Calamity
• 2 Qarsi Revenant
• 2 Sentinel of the Nameless City
• 2 Surrak, Elusive Hunter
• 3 Demon Wall
• 3 Rot-Curse Rakshasa
• 4 Llanowar Elves

• Instants (9)
• 1 Outrageous Robbery
• 2 Heritage Reclamation
• 3 Shoot the Sheriff
• 3 Stab

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Strategic Betrayal

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Lumbering Worldwagon

• Lands (25)
• 4 Forest
• 5 Swamp
• 1 Restless Cottage
• 2 Llanowar Wastes
• 2 Underground Mortuary
• 3 Soulstone Sanctuary
• 4 Blooming Marsh
• 4 Wastewood Verge

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As I mentioned before the decklist, we're entering a new Standard environment. Technically this deck is no longer Standard legal, as Llanowar Wastes is no longer in Standard. However, it's easy enough to replace those two lands with other Green/Black lands of your choice.

This deck has a couple of cards that I really like playing. First is Surrak, Elusive Hunter. While he is on the battlefield, you'll get a bit of a benefit whenever your opponent targets your creatures with a spell or ability. I also like Jenova, Ancient Calamity. Jenova boosts up your other creatures as the game progresses. This provides you with an additional source of drawing cards, giving you an advantage.

Wrapping Up

Our time spent in Final Fantasy Standard has been too short. I feel as if we've just begun to scratch the surface with new decks, and we're already at the release of our next set, Edge of Eternities. Hopefully the release schedule will slow down soon, but regardless of whether it does or not, I plan on being here to bring you new and exciting decks created with our newest cards.

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