Brew For Your Buck - Build a Budget Mono-Black Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit of the Night" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit of the Night</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Nielsen">Cliff Nielsen</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p>We find ourselves in a transitory place. A place that marks the arrival, or the passing, of a great scholar or fabled ruler. This ephemeral land is heralded by the <em>qilin</em>, or Kirin. The Dragon Giraffe. They inhabit a duality of space, for the transmundane quickly descends back to grounded earth. For that brief auspicious hour that they do appear, they are arbiters of chiaroscuro perception - they are at once scaled in dazzling jewels, precious metals, and the fragments of stars - and modestly unadorned, armored by mud and the austere bells of mountain ascetics.</p>
<p>They are fearsome and exactingly just. They see guilt or innocence, good or evil, but not the humanity between.</p>
<p>Perfect for a <em>Dual Shot</em>.</p>
<p>And welcome to this latest experiment, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck. Our Kirin commander today is not quite as auspicious as the myths would hold - this one has been twisted, its voice of bells now detuned. Our deck-within-a-deck is led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it would have us play a proper divergence.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infernal Kirin"></div></div>
<hr />
<h1>Any Color You Want... So Long as it's Black</h1>
<p>All of the <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28type%3Alegendary+type%3Akirin%29">Kirin Legends</a> want us doing multiple things. Most immediately in that manner particular (and parasitic) to Kamigawa, whereby Spirit and Arcane are lumped together. But then they each do something else. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bounteous Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Bounteous Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains you life, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudhoof Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudhoof Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> mills. So firstly, you have the instances of overlap between <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/spirits">Spirit</a> creatures and Arcane spells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devouring Greed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullmane Baku"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kami of the Waning Moon"></div></div>
<p>Effects like <em>Splice</em> and <em>Soulshift</em> are very clearly predicated on this. But each Kirin allows us to go beyond this encouraged combination of subtypes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> wants us to play <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/discard">discard</a>, and to that end, there are bridges to be seen through the mist.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kemuri-Onna"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="He Who Hungers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Banshee of the Dread Choir"></div></div>
<p>As our commander's discard effect is quite specific, and targeted, it's not advisable to rely on that channel for hand hate, and indeed, one might consider utilizing the abilities of this Kirin - or any of its peers - in an incidental capacity. So although we're running several discard effects as Arcane sorceries or Spirit creature abilities, our discard payoffs are minimal. We look to prioritize our winning strategy through mass mana generation into something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and by generating a wide board state full of Spirits to sink into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devouring Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Devouring Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All the while nattering away at our opponents' longevity with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thief of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Thief of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or heavier guilts like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Choice of Damnations" href="#" target="_blank">Choice of Damnations</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the black classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Dragon Giraffe" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Infernal Kirin
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Kami of the Waning Moon
*1 Kyoki, Sanity&#039;s Eclipse
*1 Kemuri-Onna
*1 Skullmane Baku
*1 Thief of Hope
*1 He Who Hungers
*1 Balthor the Defiled
*1 Iname, Death Aspect
*1 Akuta, Born of Ash
*1 Spirit of the Night
*1 Banshee of the Dread Choir
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Ghost-Lit Stalker
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Graveborn Muse
*1 Hypnotic Specter
*1 Tergrid, God of Fright
*1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
*1 Orzhov Racketeers
*1 Orzhov Enforcer
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 God-Eternal Bontu
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Charcoal Diamond
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Baku Altar
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Nihil Spellbomb
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Goryo&#039;s Vengeance
*1 Horobi&#039;s Whisper
*1 Soulless Revival
*1 Hideous Laughter
*1 Broken Visage
*1 Songs of the Damned
*1 Seize the Soul
*1 Call for Blood
*1 Sickening Shoal
*1 Soul Shatter
*1 Price of Fame
*1 Doom Blade
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Devouring Greed
*1 Choice of Damnations
*1 Cranial Extraction
*1 Footsteps of the Goryo
*1 Swallowing Plague
*1 Sink into Takenuma
*1 Waking Nightmare
*1 Three Tragedies
*1 Kindred Dominance
*1 Languish
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Exsanguinate
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market
*1 Dawn of the Dead
*1 Raiders&#039; Wake
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 The Eldest Reborn
*1 Underworld Connections
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage
*1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Hagra Mauling
*1 Pelakka Predation
*25 Swamp
*1 Everglades
*1 Crypt of Agadeem
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Bottomless Vault
*1 Shizo, Death&#039;s Storehouse
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Field of Ruin
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Castle Locthwain
*1 Cabal Stronghold
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h1>Transitory Lands</h1>
<p>Ah, speaking of lands, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt of Agadeem" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt of Agadeem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one part of a powerful and elaborate win condition for us. Elsewise, the lands in this list provide pretty typical utility and, uh, black mana, but together with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Songs of the Damned" href="#" target="_blank">Songs of the Damned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt of Agadeem" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt of Agadeem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do some pretty vile things with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iname, Death Aspect" href="#" target="_blank">Iname, Death Aspect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can fuel <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swallowing Plague" href="#" target="_blank">Swallowing Plague</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we need to deal with something, or we can pivot into something more traditionally aggressive with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balthor the Defiled" href="#" target="_blank">Balthor the Defiled</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with the hopes of creating a greatly asymmetrical board state in our favor. At a smaller scale, you can churn the dead souls of the past with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goryo&#039;s Vengeance" href="#" target="_blank">Goryo&#039;s Vengeance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, playing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to cheat impermanence.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crypt of Agadeem"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a good job of performing hand hate and disrupting combos, but we're not really trying to win with discard - instead, our general tends to glide more along the lines of interruption. Also, for one added boon, shout-out to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrgBD_tuz9f7qIiooB8LVLQ/featured">EDH Deckbuilding</a> for the Iname + Maskwood <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES6kHlqPEmU">idea</a>, which ricocheted into our Rogues and Specters and Gods becoming Spirits, pleasing our Kirin, and enabling Balthor to pump our whole board, since with Maskwood, everything is a Minion!</p>
<p>Even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be a Minion! Skittles is as robust an alternate win condition as ever, but everyone's favorite Dragon Skeleton costs half as much as THPS1+2 for the PS4 (or costs as much as half a copy, if you're in the market for something like THPS1+2-2).</p>
<p>I, uh... look, if you want to replace it, start by bolstering the discard strategy with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or if you want to replace <em>that</em>, then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Megrim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painful Quandary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Trinket Thief"></div></div>
<p>You can go pretty nuts with upgrading the discard side of the deck, with big movers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Waste Not" href="#" target="_blank">Waste Not</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painful Quandary" href="#" target="_blank">Painful Quandary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but then you run the risk of just streamlining, leaning hard into optimization, and turning into a Tinybones deck, and we wouldn't want that. <em>(Wait, wouldn't we?)</em></p>
<hr />
<h1>Conclusion</h1>
<p>That's it for this experiment. Finding cards that act as powerful bridges between themes is integral when trying to do everything a busy commander might have you doing. You can easily (and perhaps responsibly) pilot <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alela, Artful Provocateur" href="#" target="_blank">Alela, Artful Provocateur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a flying tribal or Faerie tribal commander, and rely on her <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/dual-shot-true-duality/">other abilities</a> for incidental value - you were going to run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Banishing Light" href="#" target="_blank">Banishing Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> anyway, right? But finding cards that ford those rivers allows room for interesting, undiscovered synergies - not to mention added elegance and enjoyment of the game.</p>
<p>Here, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baku Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Baku Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kemuri-Onna" href="#" target="_blank">Kemuri-Onna</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> proved to be capable unifiers, where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akuta, Born of Ash" href="#" target="_blank">Akuta, Born of Ash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems an obvious first cut. And the interplay between <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iname, Death Aspect" href="#" target="_blank">Iname, Death Aspect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maskwood Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maskwood Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to get a lot stranger with this list. Just keep in mind that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rewards a variety of converted mana costs (or, mana values). What unexpected synergies have you gleaned from pseudotribal commanders like the Kirin? What about from abilities generally considered to be parasitic, like <em>Splice</em>? Let us know in the comments! Til next time.</p>


songs of the damned

Brew For Your Buck - Build a Budget Mono-Black Deck

Dual Shot - The Dragon Giraffe

Superior Numbers - The Big Turn