Pain and Drain by DawnOfHavoc

Format: Commander

Commander: Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Bracket: 4

Deck overview

This is a mono-black life-gain/drain hybrid deck built around Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. The primary plan is to convert every point of life gained into opponent life loss, using the aristocrat shell of Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Ayara, First of Locthwain, Bastion of Remembrance, and Falkenrath Noble to drain the table incrementally. The fastest kill is an infinite feedback loop with Bloodthirsty Conqueror: Vito, Enduring Tenacity, or Marauding Blight-Priest plus any life-gain trigger creates an unbounded drain loop. A second infinite engine uses Gravecrawler with a sac outlet and a cost reducer. Big-mana finishers like Exsanguinate and Torment of Hailfire serve as backup wins once Cabal Coffers and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth come online. The deck is a resilient midrange engine that can grind through value drains or pivot to a compact combo finish.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
  • 1 Bastion of Remembrance
  • 1 Bitter Triumph
  • 1 Black Market Connections
  • 1 Blood Artist
  • 1 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
  • 1 Bloodthirsty Aerialist
  • 1 Bloodthirsty Conqueror
  • 1 Bolas's Citadel
  • 1 Bontu's Monument
  • 1 Cabal Coffers
  • 1 Cabal Stronghold
  • 1 Carrion Feeder
  • 1 Castle Locthwain
  • 1 Consuming Corruption
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Damnation
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Defile
  • 1 Disciple of Bolas
  • 1 Dread Presence
  • 1 Enduring Tenacity
  • 1 Erebos, God of the Dead
  • 1 Exsanguinate
  • 1 Falkenrath Noble
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Gifted Aetherborn
  • 1 Gravecrawler
  • 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
  • 1 Imp's Mischief
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Knight of the Ebon Legion
  • 1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Marauding Blight-Priest
  • 1 Nether Traitor
  • 1 Night's Whisper
  • 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
  • 1 Ophiomancer
  • 1 Opposition Agent
  • 1 Orcish Bowmasters
  • 1 Phyrexian Arena
  • 1 Phyrexian Tower
  • 1 Read the Bones
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
  • 1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
  • 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
  • 1 Sign in Blood
  • 1 Snuff Out
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 28 Swamp
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 The Darkness Crystal
  • 1 The Meathook Massacre
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 The Soul Stone
  • 1 Torment of Hailfire
  • 1 Toxic Deluge
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Vampire Nighthawk
  • 1 Vampire of the Dire Moon
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Veinwitch Coven
  • 1 Village Rites
  • 1 Viscera Seer
  • 1 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
  • 1 Whip of Erebos
  • 1 Withering Torment
  • 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
  • 1 Zulaport Cutthroat