Race War by mikerotch

Format: Commander

Commander: Horobi, Death's Wail

Bracket: 3

Deck overview

This mono-black deck is built around Horobi, Death's Wail as a symmetrical removal engine that turns every targeting spell or ability into a creature destruction effect. The game plan leverages a high density of cheap targeting effects-Aphotic Wisps, Nowhere to Run, Saw in Half, Bloodthirsty Blade, and others-to clear opponent's boards while amassing value from death-trigger permanents such as Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Syr Konrad, the Grim, and Harvester of Souls. The deck transitions into a reanimation/control midrange plan, using Reanimate, Animate Dead, Victimize, and Gisa, Glorious Resurrector to recur key creatures or steal opponent's threats. Finishers include Exsanguinate for immense mana-drain, Gray Merchant of Asphodel for devotion-based life loss, and Revel in Riches as an alternative win condition. The commander is central to the removal economy, but the deck retains solid card draw and ramp through Cabal Coffers/Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Crypt Ghast, and engines like Phyrexian Arena and Vilis, Broker of Blood.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Animate Dead
  • 1 Aphotic Wisps
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Black Market
  • 1 Black Market Connections
  • 1 Blood Artist
  • 1 Bloodchief Ascension
  • 1 Bloodthirsty Blade
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Bubbling Muck
  • 1 Cabal Coffers
  • 1 Cabal Stronghold
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Dauthi Voidwalker
  • 1 Demon of Dark Schemes
  • 1 Demonic Tutor
  • 1 Detection Tower
  • 1 Dread Presence
  • 1 Erebos, God of the Dead
  • 1 Exsanguinate
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Gisa, Glorious Resurrector
  • 1 Glaring Spotlight
  • 1 Grave Betrayal
  • 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
  • 1 Grim Tutor
  • 1 Harvester of Souls
  • 1 Horobi, Death's Wail
  • 1 Imp's Mischief
  • 1 Insatiable Avarice
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 Kaervek, the Punisher
  • 1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
  • 1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
  • 1 Massacre Wurm
  • 1 Morbid Opportunist
  • 1 Myriad Landscape
  • 1 Night's Whisper
  • 1 Nighthaze
  • 1 Nowhere to Run
  • 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
  • 1 Ogre Slumlord
  • 1 Phyrexian Arena
  • 1 Rathi Trapper
  • 1 Read the Bones
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Revel in Riches
  • 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
  • 1 Saw in Half
  • 1 Scuttlemutt
  • 1 Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
  • 1 Shadow Alley Denizen
  • 1 Sign in Blood
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Solemn Simulacrum
  • 1 Sudden Death
  • 27 Swamp
  • 1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
  • 1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 The Soul Stone
  • 1 Thought Vessel
  • 1 Thrilling Encore
  • 1 Toshiro Umezawa
  • 1 Touch of Darkness
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Victimize
  • 1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
  • 1 Wretched Confluence
  • 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
  • 1 Zulaport Cutthroat