Mono Black Aggro — Modern Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

Mono Black Aggro in Modern is a disruptive black deck with a colorless Eldrazi backbone. It takes your opponent's best cards with discard, kills their early creatures, and beats down with efficient threats like Nethergoyf, Emperor of Bones, Orcish Bowmasters and Thought-Knot Seer. Urza's Saga and Eldrazi Temple give it a mana and threat base that most black decks don't have. This list finished Top 4 at an MTGO Challenge 32 (56 players, November 4, 2026), played by MTGO user Selfeisek.

The plan

Strip your opponent's hand early with Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek, remove their first threats with Fatal Push and Kozilek's Command, and land a threat they can't easily answer. Thought-Knot Seer adds another piece of disruption when it enters, exiling a nonland card from your opponent's hand. From there, you attack and keep disrupting until they run out of resources.

Why the plan is strong

• Every threat disrupts. Thought-Knot Seer exiles a card from hand. Orcish Bowmasters deals 1 damage when it enters and punishes extra card draw. Emperor of Bones exiles a card from a graveyard every combat. Your creatures aren't just bodies.
• Cheap, flexible removal. Fatal Push kills a two-drop for {B}, or a four-drop with revolt. Your fetch lands, Mishra's Bauble, Nihil Spellbomb and Urza's Saga all leave the battlefield, which turns on revolt. Kozilek's Command is removal, card draw, graveyard hate or tokens, at instant speed.
• A fast mana base. Eldrazi Temple makes {C}{C} for colorless Eldrazi spells, so Thought-Knot Seer can come down a turn early. Urza's Saga makes Construct tokens and fetches a one-mana artifact.
• A growing threat for one mana. Nethergoyf's power is the number of card types in your graveyard. This list's mix of artifacts, creatures, instants, sorceries, lands and an enchantment land feeds it.
• Graveyard hate in the main deck. Emperor of Bones, Nihil Spellbomb and Kozilek's Command all exile cards from graveyards, which matters in a format with Living End and graveyard-based decks.

Where it sits

Mono Black Aggro isn't among the archetypes the brief lists from its Top 8 data, and this list's finish came after the brief's data range. The decks you'll face most are Broodscale Bloodchief, with 48 of 256 Top 8 slots, and Rakdos Delirium, with 34 slots and 7 wins (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Both appear heavily in this guide's matchup and sideboard plans.

What it gives up

It's a one-color deck with no card draw engine beyond Kozilek's Command and Mishra's Bauble, so long games against decks with more card advantage are hard. Its discard is strongest early and gets weaker as your opponent draws more cards. And with only five basic lands, a resolved Blood Moon, which makes nonbasic lands Mountains per the brief's card notes, is a real threat.

Who should pick it up

This is a deck for players who like interaction and reading their opponent. Discard rewards you for knowing what every deck in the format needs. If you like making decisions every turn and taking away your opponent's best plan, it's a good fit. If you prefer a deck that executes its own game plan and ignores the opponent, look elsewhere.

What makes this list different

Most black decks rely on black mana alone. This one splits its mana between black sources and colorless ones: four Eldrazi Temple, four Urza's Saga, four Ifnir Deadlands and a Wastes. That lets it play Thought-Knot Seer and Kozilek's Command, two colorless cards that give a black deck things it usually lacks: a disruptive four-power body and an instant that's removal, card draw and graveyard hate at once. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth ties the two halves together by making every land a Swamp.

The list is also expensive, as Modern decks tend to be. The budget chapter covers what you can cut.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

Mono Black Aggro is a midrange deck with an aggressive curve. It's proactive with its threats and reactive with its spells: you disrupt what your opponent is doing while your creatures close out the game.

How the deck wins

You win by attacking. Your threats aren't huge, but they're efficient, and your disruption means your opponent rarely gets to execute their best plan. A typical game: discard on turn one, a threat on turn two, Thought-Knot Seer on turn three or four, and removal for whatever your opponent manages to cast. By the time they've rebuilt, you've dealt most of the damage.

The engine pieces

• Discard. Thoughtseize takes any nonland card for {B} and 2 life. Inquisition of Kozilek takes a nonland card with mana value 3 or less for {B}. Thought-Knot Seer exiles any nonland card when it enters.
• Removal. Fatal Push destroys a creature with mana value 2 or less, or 4 or less with revolt. Kozilek's Command can exile a creature with mana value X or less as one of its two modes. Ifnir Deadlands can put two -1/-1 counters on an opponent's creature by sacrificing a Desert, at sorcery speed.
• Threats. Nethergoyf grows with your graveyard. Emperor of Bones is a 2/2 that exiles a card from a graveyard every combat and can bring back an exiled creature for a turn. Orcish Bowmasters has flash and deals 1 damage. Thought-Knot Seer is a 4/4 that disrupts. Urza's Saga makes Constructs that get +1/+1 for each artifact you control.
• Mana. Eldrazi Temple gives {C}{C} for colorless Eldrazi spells. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth makes each land a Swamp. Ifnir Deadlands makes {C}, or {B} for 1 life.

How the pieces interact

Revolt. Fatal Push's revolt checks whether a permanent left the battlefield under your control this turn. Marsh Flats and Prismatic Vista sacrifice themselves. Mishra's Bauble and Nihil Spellbomb are sacrificed to activate. Urza's Saga is sacrificed after chapter III. Any of them turns Push into a kill spell for four-drops.

Nethergoyf's card types. Nethergoyf's power is the number of card types among cards in your graveyard, and its toughness is that plus 1. A fetch land is a land. Mishra's Bauble is an artifact. Thoughtseize is a sorcery. Fatal Push is an instant. Urza's Saga is an Enchantment Land. Kozilek's Command is a Kindred Instant. A creature that died adds creature. Get four or five types in the graveyard and Nethergoyf is a real threat for one mana. Its Escape lets you recast it from the graveyard for {2}{B} by exiling other cards with four or more card types among them.

Urza's Saga's artifacts. Chapter III searches for an artifact with mana cost {0} or {1}. This list has four: Mishra's Bauble, Nihil Spellbomb, Pithing Needle and Shadowspear. Each is also an artifact for the Constructs.

Bowmasters and Thought-Knot Seer. When Thought-Knot Seer leaves the battlefield, your opponent draws a card. If Orcish Bowmasters is in play and that isn't the first card they draw in their draw step, Bowmasters deals 1 damage and amasses.

Emperor of Bones. At the beginning of combat on your turn, it exiles up to one target card from a graveyard. Its {1}{B} Adapt 2 puts +1/+1 counters on it, and whenever it gets +1/+1 counters, a creature card exiled with it enters the battlefield under your control with haste and a finality counter. You sacrifice that creature at the next end step. Exile your own Orcish Bowmasters or Thought-Knot Seer from your graveyard and you get its enters trigger again. Remember that a Thought-Knot Seer returned this way is sacrificed at the end step, and its leaves-the-battlefield trigger gives your opponent a card.

The ideal game

1. Turn 1. Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, or Nethergoyf if your opponent's deck doesn't need disrupting yet.
2. Turn 2. Emperor of Bones, or hold up Orcish Bowmasters to flash in at the end of your opponent's turn.
3. Turn 3. Thought-Knot Seer off Eldrazi Temple plus two other lands, or a threat plus Fatal Push.
4. Turn 4 onward. Attack, remove blockers, and use Kozilek's Command at the end of your opponent's turn.

When to be the control deck

Against faster aggro decks, slow down. Use your removal on their threats before you attack, keep Orcish Bowmasters for an end-of-turn flash, and let your bigger creatures stabilize the board. Your threats are good enough to win once the board is safe.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The list is 15 creatures, 21 other spells and 24 lands, counting Urza's Saga as a land. Here's what each group does.

Creatures

• 4 Nethergoyf. A one-mana threat that grows with your graveyard. Four copies because it's the best turn-one threat in the deck and Escape lets it come back.
• 4 Emperor of Bones. A two-mana 2/2 that exiles a card from a graveyard every combat on your turn. It's graveyard hate and a threat, and with Adapt it can borrow an exiled creature for a turn.
• 3 Orcish Bowmasters. Flash, 1 damage when it enters, and 1 damage whenever an opponent draws a card other than their first in their draw step. It kills X/1s and punishes card draw. Three copies, not four, because it's strongest against specific decks.
• 4 Thought-Knot Seer. A 4/4 for four that exiles a nonland card from your opponent's hand. With Eldrazi Temple, it can come down on turn three. When it leaves the battlefield, your opponent draws a card.

Discard

• 4 Thoughtseize. Any nonland card for {B} and 2 life.
• 2 Inquisition of Kozilek. A nonland card with mana value 3 or less for {B}. Only two because Thoughtseize does the same job with no restriction.

Removal

• 4 Fatal Push. Destroys a creature with mana value 2 or less, or 4 or less with revolt. The list has plenty of ways to turn on revolt.
• 4 Kozilek's Command. {X}{C}{C} instant, choose two modes: make X 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn tokens for a target player, scry X and draw, exile a creature with mana value X or less, or exile up to X target cards from graveyards. It's removal, card advantage and graveyard hate in one card.

Artifacts

• 4 Mishra's Bauble. Free to cast, sacrifice to look at the top card of a player's library and draw a card at the next upkeep. It adds an artifact to your graveyard for Nethergoyf, turns on revolt, and counts for Urza's Saga's Constructs while it's in play.
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb. Exile a player's graveyard, and draw a card for {B} when it goes to the graveyard. A target for Urza's Saga.
• 1 Pithing Needle. Name a card; its activated abilities, other than mana abilities, can't be activated. A flexible Urza's Saga target.
• 1 Shadowspear. +1/+1, trample and lifelink. Its {1} ability makes your opponent's permanents lose hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. A target for Urza's Saga that makes any creature better.

Lands: 24

• 4 Eldrazi Temple. {C}{C} for colorless Eldrazi spells. Thought-Knot Seer and Kozilek's Command are what it powers.
• 4 Urza's Saga. Makes mana, then Constructs, then fetches a {0} or {1} artifact before it's sacrificed.
• 4 Ifnir Deadlands. {C}, or {B} for 1 life, and removal late in the game.
• 2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. Every land becomes a Swamp, so your colorless lands can make black mana.
• 4 Prismatic Vista and 1 Marsh Flats. Vista fetches any basic land, including Wastes; Flats fetches a Plains or Swamp card. They turn on revolt and add a land to your graveyard for Nethergoyf.
• 4 Swamp and 1 Wastes. Your basics.

Why these numbers

The four-ofs are the cards you want in every opening hand: a one-mana threat, a two-mana threat, discard, removal and the four-drop. The three Orcish Bowmasters and two Inquisition of Kozilek are the slots that change most by matchup, which is why they're short of four. The single copies of Nihil Spellbomb, Pithing Needle and Shadowspear are there mainly for Urza's Saga to find: with four Sagas, you rarely need to draw them naturally, and each one does a different job depending on the matchup.

Twenty-four lands is a lot for a deck with a curve that tops out at four, but Urza's Saga and Ifnir Deadlands do more than make mana, and Kozilek's Command uses extra mana well.

The Decklist

The Top 4 list from an MTGO Challenge 32 (56 players, November 4, 2026), played by MTGO user Selfeisek.

Creatures (15)

• 4 Nethergoyf
• 4 Emperor of Bones
• 3 Orcish Bowmasters: flexible
• 4 Thought-Knot Seer

Spells (21)

• 4 Thoughtseize
• 2 Inquisition of Kozilek: flexible discard slot
• 4 Fatal Push
• 4 Kozilek's Command
• 4 Mishra's Bauble
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb: flexible Urza's Saga target
• 1 Pithing Needle: flexible Urza's Saga target
• 1 Shadowspear: flexible Urza's Saga target

Lands (24)

• 4 Eldrazi Temple
• 4 Urza's Saga
• 4 Ifnir Deadlands
• 4 Prismatic Vista
• 4 Swamp
• 2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Wastes

Sideboard (15)

• 2 Toxic Deluge: sweeper against go-wide aggro
• 2 Break the Ice: against colorless-land decks
• 2 Damping Sphere: against big-mana and storm decks
• 2 Pithing Needle: against activated abilities
• 1 Force of Despair: against creatures that enter all at once
• 1 Surgical Extraction: graveyard and combo hate
• 1 Shoot the Sheriff: extra removal
• 1 Dreams of Steel and Oil: against artifact and creature decks
• 1 Wasteland Strangler: removal that uses your exiled cards
• 1 Ashiok, Dream Render: against library-search decks
• 1 Dismember: removal for bigger creatures

Mulligan Guide

A good hand for this deck has lands that make black mana, at least one threat, and some disruption. Discard is strongest early, so hands that cast it on turn one are better than hands that can't.

What makes a hand keepable

• Two to four lands, with black. Swamp, a fetch land or Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth for {B}. Ifnir Deadlands makes {B} for 1 life. Eldrazi Temple, Urza's Saga and Wastes make colorless only, unless Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is in play.
• At least one threat. Disruption alone doesn't win. You need something to attack with.
• Disruption. Discard, removal or Kozilek's Command.

Example hands

Hand 1: Swamp, Eldrazi Temple, Prismatic Vista, Thoughtseize, Nethergoyf, Thought-Knot Seer, Fatal Push. Keep. The ideal hand. Thoughtseize on turn one, Nethergoyf and Push after, and Thought-Knot Seer on turn three with Temple.

Hand 2: Eldrazi Temple, Wastes, Urza's Saga, Thought-Knot Seer, Thought-Knot Seer, Kozilek's Command, Mishra's Bauble. Keep. No black mana, but every card in it is colorless. Eldrazi Temple plus two lands casts Thought-Knot Seer on turn three, Urza's Saga fetches an artifact, and Command is interaction. The weakness is no turn-one disruption, and any black card you draw needs a black source too.

Hand 3: Swamp, Ifnir Deadlands, Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, Fatal Push, Fatal Push, Mishra's Bauble. Keep against creature decks, mulligan against combo. Lots of disruption and no threat. Against a creature deck, the removal buys time to draw a threat. Against combo, discard is good, but you need a clock.

Hand 4: Swamp, Swamp, Prismatic Vista, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Ifnir Deadlands, Eldrazi Temple, Nethergoyf. Mulligan. Six lands and one threat. Even with Ifnir Deadlands' removal, it's too little action.

Hand 5: Swamp, Urza's Saga, Emperor of Bones, Orcish Bowmasters, Thoughtseize, Mishra's Bauble, Kozilek's Command. Keep. Two lands, but Urza's Saga fetches an artifact and makes Constructs, and the curve is low. Thoughtseize, then a two-drop, then Saga's Constructs.

Hand 6: Prismatic Vista, Thoughtseize, Nethergoyf, Emperor of Bones, Fatal Push, Kozilek's Command, Thought-Knot Seer. Mulligan. One land. The spells are excellent, but you need to draw two more lands to cast them.

Play versus draw

On the play, discard on turn one is stronger because it takes your opponent's best card before they can use it. Keep hands with discard and a threat. On the draw, removal is more important, because your opponent's first threat lands before you've had a turn to disrupt it. Hands heavy on Fatal Push and Orcish Bowmasters are better on the draw.

Against known matchups

• Against Broodscale Bloodchief: keep hands with Fatal Push or Kozilek's Command for Basking Broodscale and Pithing Needle or a way to find it with Urza's Saga.
• Against Rakdos Delirium: keep hands with graveyard hate like Emperor of Bones or Nihil Spellbomb, and basics in case of Blood Moon.
• Against combo decks like Ruby Storm and Living End: keep hands with discard and a threat. Removal-heavy hands are worse.
• Against aggro like Boros Aggro: keep hands with removal and Orcish Bowmasters.

Colorless-heavy hands

The trickiest hands are the ones with plenty of lands but most of them colorless. Count your black sources before you keep: Swamp, Prismatic Vista, Marsh Flats, Ifnir Deadlands (for 1 life), or anything with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in play. A hand with one black source and two black spells is usually fine. A hand with no black source and three black spells isn't, even if its lands look good.

Going to six

Six cards with two lands, a threat and a disruption spell is a keep. Bottom the weakest card for the matchup. Don't keep a seven with no black mana just to avoid going to six.

Sequencing & Key Lines

This deck's sequencing is about getting the most from your discard, your removal and your mana. Small choices in the first three turns decide most games.

Turn one

Lead with discard on the play. Thoughtseize takes any nonland card; Inquisition of Kozilek takes one with mana value 3 or less. If both are in your hand, use Inquisition first when it can take what you need, and save Thoughtseize for later. If your hand has no discard, Nethergoyf is the turn-one play.

Use a fetch land on turn one if you can. Prismatic Vista and Marsh Flats put a land in your graveyard for Nethergoyf and thin your deck. If you're playing Mishra's Bauble, play it on turn one too; its draw comes at the next upkeep.

Turn two

Emperor of Bones or Orcish Bowmasters are the usual plays. Emperor is better if your opponent's graveyard matters. Bowmasters is better held up as a flash play at the end of your opponent's turn, especially against decks with X/1s or extra card draw.

If you have Eldrazi Temple and another land, a turn-two play that keeps your mana for Thought-Knot Seer on turn three is ideal.

Turn three and beyond

Thought-Knot Seer on turn three with Eldrazi Temple is the strongest play. Use its enters trigger to take the card that beats you. After that, attack and remove blockers.

Fatal Push and revolt

Fatal Push kills a creature with mana value 2 or less, or 4 or less with revolt. To turn on revolt, a permanent has to leave the battlefield under your control that turn. Plan it:

• Crack a fetch land in the same turn you cast Push.
• Sacrifice Mishra's Bauble or Nihil Spellbomb before you cast Push.
• Urza's Saga is sacrificed after chapter III.
• Ifnir Deadlands sacrifices a Desert for its removal ability, at sorcery speed.

Hold a fetch land uncracked when you're expecting to need revolt on your opponent's turn.

Kozilek's Command

Kozilek's Command is flexible, so pick its modes for the situation. Some common pairs:

• Exile a creature + draw. The default. X has to be at least the creature's mana value.
• Exile graveyard cards + draw. Against graveyard decks.
• Spawn tokens + draw. When you need chump blockers or mana.
• Exile a creature + exile graveyard cards. Against decks that recur creatures.

Cast it at the end of your opponent's turn when you can, so you keep your mana open for Orcish Bowmasters or Fatal Push if you need them.

Emperor of Bones

At the beginning of combat on your turn, Emperor of Bones exiles up to one target card from a graveyard. Choose the card that matters most: a creature your opponent wants to bring back, a card that feeds their graveyard synergies, or your own creature that you want to put back on the battlefield. When you activate Adapt for {1}{B} and the Emperor gets +1/+1 counters, a creature card exiled with it comes onto the battlefield under your control with haste, and you sacrifice it at the next end step.

Playing around interaction

Discard means you see your opponent's hand. Use that information. If you see their removal, play your weaker threat first so it eats the removal, and save Thought-Knot Seer for after.

Urza's Saga

Play Urza's Saga early. Its first chapter gives it a mana ability, chapter II lets you make Constructs for {2}, and chapter III searches for a {0} or {1} artifact. Make a Construct during chapter II if you can, and choose your chapter III target based on the matchup: Pithing Needle against activated abilities, Nihil Spellbomb against graveyards, Shadowspear to grow a threat, Mishra's Bauble for a cheap artifact.

Matchup Matrix

The archetypes below are the most common in the brief's Top 8 data (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Verdicts are reads from card text and list contents, not recorded results.

Broodscale Bloodchief

Broodscale Bloodchief had 48 of 256 Top 8 slots (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Every list plays 4 Basking Broodscale, 2-3 Blade of the Bloodchief, 4 Sowing Mycospawn, 4 Kozilek's Command, 3-4 Emrakul, the Promised End, 4 Urza's Saga, 4 Eldrazi Temple and 3-4 Ugin's Labyrinth (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Basking Broodscale is a two-mana creature, so Fatal Push kills it. Its Adapt is an activated ability, so Pithing Needle can shut it off. Orcish Bowmasters kills its 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn tokens. Take their key pieces with discard. See our Broodscale Bloodchief Modern guide.

Rakdos Delirium

Rakdos Delirium had 34 slots and 7 wins (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Its lists play 4 Nethergoyf, 4 Moonshadow, 4 Dark Matter Manipulator and 4 Thoughtseize, and often Blood Moon (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Their deck uses the graveyard, so Emperor of Bones, Nihil Spellbomb and Kozilek's Command all hurt it. Dark Matter Manipulator is a 1/2, and Moonshadow enters with six -1/-1 counters on a 7/7, per the brief's card notes. Blood Moon makes nonbasic lands Mountains, per the brief's card notes, so fetch basic Swamp early to keep black mana if it resolves. See our Rakdos Delirium Modern guide.

Pinnacle Affinity

Pinnacle Affinity plays Kappa Cannoneer, a 4/4 with ward {4} that grows when artifacts enter, and Pinnacle Emissary (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). They also play Pithing Needle and Shadowspear. Your removal for big artifact creatures is limited. Kozilek's Command can exile a creature, though targeting Kappa Cannoneer runs into its ward {4}. Toxic Deluge and Dreams of Steel and Oil come in after sideboarding. See our Pinnacle Affinity Modern guide.

Amulet Titan

Amulet Titan plays Amulet of Vigor, Primeval Titan and Scapeshift (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Primeval Titan searches for lands when it enters or attacks, and Scapeshift searches for lands, per the brief's card notes. Discard is your best tool: take Primeval Titan or Scapeshift. Ashiok, Dream Render comes in after sideboarding and stops their searches. See our Amulet Titan Modern guide.

Scepter Chant

Scepter Chant plays Isochron Scepter with Orim's Chant and Silence, plus Solitude, Teferi, Time Raveler, and Narset, Parter of Veils (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Isochron Scepter's copy ability is activated, so Pithing Needle can name it. Take the Scepter or the Chant with discard, and pressure them with threats. See our Scepter Chant Modern guide.

Living End

Living End exiles all creature cards from each graveyard and returns them to the battlefield, per the brief's card notes. Your main deck has Emperor of Bones, Nihil Spellbomb and Kozilek's Command to exile their graveyard, and after sideboarding Surgical Extraction and Force of Despair. Use discard to take Living End. See our Living End Modern guide.

Boros Aggro

Boros Aggro plays Ragavan (2/1), Guide of Souls (1/2), Ocelot Pride (1/1) and Goblin Bombardment (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Orcish Bowmasters' 1 damage kills Ocelot Pride, and Fatal Push, Kozilek's Command and Ifnir Deadlands handle the other small creatures. Use removal first and attack once the board is clear. See our Boros Aggro Modern guide.

Ruby Storm

Ruby Storm plays Ruby Medallion, rituals, Manamorphose and Past in Flames (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Discard and a fast clock are your plan: take Ruby Medallion or Past in Flames. Damping Sphere comes in after sideboarding and makes each spell after the first cost more. See our Ruby Storm Modern guide.

Sideboard / Tech Guide

The sideboard is built around specific threats: big-mana decks, graveyard decks, go-wide aggro and artifacts.

The cards

• 2 Toxic Deluge. Pay X life; all creatures get -X/-X.
• 2 Break the Ice. Destroy a land that's snow or could produce {C}. Overload for {4}{B}{B} destroys each one.
• 2 Damping Sphere. Lands tapped for two or more mana make only {C}, and each spell costs {1} more for each other spell its controller has cast that turn.
• 2 Pithing Needle. Shut off a named card's non-mana activated abilities.
• 1 Force of Despair. Destroy all creatures that entered this turn, and free on your opponent's turn by exiling a black card.
• 1 Surgical Extraction. Exile a card from a graveyard and every copy from its owner's graveyard, hand and library.
• 1 Shoot the Sheriff. Destroy a non-outlaw creature.
• 1 Dreams of Steel and Oil. Exile an artifact or creature card from your opponent's hand and one from their graveyard.
• 1 Wasteland Strangler. Put a card your opponent owns from exile into their graveyard to give a creature -3/-3.
• 1 Ashiok, Dream Render. Opponents' spells and abilities can't make them search their library. -1 mills four and exiles graveyards.
• 1 Dismember. -5/-5 for a creature.

Against Broodscale Bloodchief

In: 2 Break the Ice, 2 Pithing Needle, 1 Force of Despair. Out: 2 Inquisition of Kozilek, 1 Shadowspear, 1 Nihil Spellbomb, 1 Mishra's Bauble.

Their mana is Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth, both of which can produce {C}, per the brief's card notes. Break the Ice destroys one. Don't overload it here: it would also destroy your own Eldrazi Temple, Urza's Saga, Ifnir Deadlands and Wastes, which can all produce {C}. Pithing Needle stops Basking Broodscale's Adapt. Force of Despair kills a turn's worth of tokens and creatures.

Against Rakdos Delirium

In: 1 Surgical Extraction, 1 Dismember, 1 Shoot the Sheriff. Out: 1 Pithing Needle, 2 Inquisition of Kozilek.

More removal for their threats and more graveyard hate. Keep basic lands in mind for Blood Moon.

Against Pinnacle Affinity

In: 1 Dreams of Steel and Oil, 2 Toxic Deluge, 1 Dismember. Out: 2 Inquisition of Kozilek, 1 Nihil Spellbomb, 1 Thoughtseize.

Toxic Deluge deals with a board of artifact creatures. Dreams of Steel and Oil takes an artifact from hand and graveyard.

Against Amulet Titan and UrzaTron

In: 2 Damping Sphere, 1 Ashiok, Dream Render, 2 Break the Ice. Out: 3 Orcish Bowmasters, 2 Fatal Push.

Ashiok, Dream Render stops the searches on Primeval Titan and Scapeshift. Damping Sphere makes a land tapped for two or more mana produce only {C}, which cuts Urza's Tower down, but it does the same to your own Eldrazi Temple. Break the Ice can destroy Urza's Tower, which taps for {C}.

Against Scepter Chant

In: 2 Pithing Needle. Out: 2 Fatal Push.

Pithing Needle names Isochron Scepter. Their creature count is low, so cut removal.

Against Living End

In: 1 Surgical Extraction, 1 Force of Despair, 1 Ashiok, Dream Render. Out: 2 Fatal Push, 1 Pithing Needle.

More graveyard hate. Force of Despair kills the creatures that return with Living End, because they all entered that turn.

Against Boros Aggro

In: 2 Toxic Deluge, 1 Shoot the Sheriff, 1 Dismember. Out: 2 Inquisition of Kozilek, 1 Nihil Spellbomb, 1 Pithing Needle.

A sweeper and extra removal. Toxic Deluge costs life, so use it when it wipes out more than you lose.

Against Ruby Storm

In: 2 Damping Sphere, 1 Surgical Extraction. Out: 2 Fatal Push, 1 Orcish Bowmasters.

Damping Sphere makes every spell after the first more expensive. Surgical Extraction can exile Past in Flames once it's in a graveyard.

General principles

Keep Nethergoyf, Emperor of Bones, Thought-Knot Seer and Thoughtseize in every matchup. Cut Inquisition of Kozilek against big-mana decks, Fatal Push against decks with few small creatures, and the one-of artifacts when you need space.

Tech Choices & Variations

The core of the list is the four-ofs: Nethergoyf, Emperor of Bones, Thought-Knot Seer, Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Kozilek's Command, Mishra's Bauble, Urza's Saga and Eldrazi Temple. The flex slots are around them.

Orcish Bowmasters

Three Orcish Bowmasters is a middle ground. It's excellent against decks with X/1s and decks that draw extra cards. Against decks without either, it's a 1/1 with flash. A fourth copy makes sense in a field full of Boros Aggro, whose Ocelot Pride is a 1/1 per the brief's card notes. Fewer make sense if your field is big-mana decks.

Inquisition of Kozilek

Two Inquisition of Kozilek supplements Thoughtseize. It can't take cards with mana value 4 or more. Against big-mana decks like Amulet Titan and UrzaTron, whose key cards are expensive, it's weaker. Against aggro and combo, it's as good as Thoughtseize and costs no life. You could swap it for more removal or a third copy of Pithing Needle.

The Urza's Saga targets

The list plays one each of Nihil Spellbomb, Pithing Needle and Shadowspear, plus four Mishra's Bauble. These are your Urza's Saga targets. In a field with more graveyard decks, add a second Nihil Spellbomb. In a field with more activated-ability decks, add a second Pithing Needle.

Removal

Fatal Push is the main removal spell. It can't kill creatures with mana value 5 or more. If your field has big creatures, move Dismember into the main deck. If it has lots of small creatures, consider a main-deck Toxic Deluge.

Sideboard cards worth main-decking

A few sideboard cards could move into the main deck depending on your field. Dismember is removal for creatures Fatal Push can't reach, and it can be paid for partly with life instead of black mana. Shoot the Sheriff is another two-mana removal spell, for non-outlaw creatures. Damping Sphere is strong against big-mana and storm decks but hurts your own Eldrazi Temple, so it's best left in the sideboard unless those decks are most of your field.

Lands

The list plays 24 lands. That's high for a deck whose curve tops out at four. You could cut a land for a spell, but Urza's Saga and Ifnir Deadlands are spells as well as lands. If you expect Blood Moon, play more basics.

Tuning for your field

• Lots of Broodscale Bloodchief: a second main-deck Pithing Needle, and Break the Ice in the sideboard.
• Lots of Rakdos Delirium: more basics and graveyard hate.
• Lots of combo: more discard.
• Lots of aggro: a fourth Orcish Bowmasters and Toxic Deluge.
• Lots of big creatures: Dismember in the main deck over a one-of artifact.

The brief's data shows Broodscale Bloodchief with the most Top 8 slots and Rakdos Delirium with the most wins (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so a field that looks like the brief's would push you toward artifact and graveyard hate.

What not to change

Whatever you tune, keep the colorless count high enough for Thought-Knot Seer and Kozilek's Command, and keep enough black sources for turn-one discard. The balance of four Eldrazi Temple, four Urza's Saga and four Ifnir Deadlands against the Swamps, fetch lands and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is what lets the deck cast both halves of its spells. Cutting colorless lands for basics makes the deck safer against Blood Moon, but it costs you turn-three Thought-Knot Seer.

The same goes for the artifact count. Urza's Saga's Constructs get +1/+1 for each artifact you control, and its chapter III needs a {0} or {1} artifact to find. If you cut too many artifacts, Saga gets worse on both counts.

Budget Options

This list is estimated at around $729. That's typical for a competitive Modern deck, but it's a lot, so it's worth knowing which cards change how the deck plays and which only make it a little better.

Where the money likely goes

The likely expensive cards are Orcish Bowmasters, Urza's Saga, Thoughtseize, Prismatic Vista, Marsh Flats, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Thought-Knot Seer. The cheaper cards are likely Fatal Push, Mishra's Bauble, Kozilek's Command and the basics.

Acceptable budget swaps

• Orcish Bowmasters. Replace with another two-drop or more removal. You lose the 1 damage and the punishment for extra card draw.
• Fetch lands. Replace Prismatic Vista and Marsh Flats with Swamp. You lose revolt enablers and a land for Nethergoyf.
• Urza's Saga. If you cut it, cut the one-mana artifacts too, and play more creatures or removal. You lose a strong threat and a tutor.
• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. Replace with Swamp. Your colorless lands can't make black.

What not to cut

Don't cut Thoughtseize; it's the deck's best discard spell. Don't cut Thought-Knot Seer or Eldrazi Temple; they're the deck's identity. And don't cut Nethergoyf or Emperor of Bones, since they're the main threats.

Upgrade path

1. Start with Thought-Knot Seer, Eldrazi Temple, Nethergoyf, Emperor of Bones, Fatal Push, Kozilek's Command and basics.
2. Add Thoughtseize.
3. Add Urza's Saga and the one-mana artifacts.
4. Add Orcish Bowmasters.
5. Add fetch lands and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
6. Finish with the sideboard.

What you give up at each stage

Without Thoughtseize, your discard is weaker. Without Urza's Saga, you lose a threat and a tutor. Without Orcish Bowmasters, you're weaker against aggro and card draw. Without fetch lands, you have fewer revolt enablers and fewer early lands in the graveyard for Nethergoyf.

A cheaper mana base, in detail

The fetch lands do three jobs here: they find a basic, they turn on revolt for Fatal Push, and they put a land in your graveyard for Nethergoyf. Replacing them with Swamp keeps your black mana and costs you the other two. You still have Mishra's Bauble, Nihil Spellbomb and Urza's Saga as revolt enablers, so Push stays live, just less often. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is the land that matters most for your colorless lands to cast black spells. If you cut it, add a basic Swamp in its place and lean on Ifnir Deadlands, which can make black for 1 life.

Where to spend first

If you're buying in stages, start with the cards that define how the deck plays: Thought-Knot Seer, Eldrazi Temple, Thoughtseize and Urza's Saga. A version without fetch lands or Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth plays almost the same game with slightly worse mana. A version without Thoughtseize or Thought-Knot Seer is a different, weaker deck.

The sideboard on a budget

The sideboard is where you can save the most without changing game one. Start with the cards that cover the most common matchups in the brief's data: Pithing Needle and Break the Ice for Broodscale Bloodchief, and Surgical Extraction and Dismember for Rakdos Delirium. Add Damping Sphere, Ashiok, Dream Render and Force of Despair once you know you'll face big-mana or combo decks.

Testing on a budget

You can learn the deck's decisions on MTGO or with proxies before buying. The lines that matter most, discard choices, revolt timing and Kozilek's Command modes, are the same with any mana base, so practice doesn't need the full list.

A note on prices

Card prices move, especially after a deck places well. Treat the estimate as a starting point and check current prices before you buy. If a card has spiked, the swaps above let you play while you wait.

Common Mistakes

Most mistakes with this deck come from using discard and removal at the wrong time. Here are the ones that cost the most games, and how to avoid each.

1. Taking the wrong card with discard

Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek are only as good as the card they take. Take the card that beats you, not the most expensive card. Against combo, take the combo piece. Against aggro, take the best threat or removal. Think about what your opponent's next turn looks like. A related error is taking a card you already have an answer for. If you're holding Fatal Push, their two-drop creature is less of a problem than the card Push can't handle.

2. Wasting Fatal Push without revolt

Fatal Push kills a creature with mana value 3 or 4 only with revolt. Plan it. Crack a fetch land, or sacrifice Mishra's Bauble or Nihil Spellbomb, in the same turn you cast it. The common version of this mistake is cracking your fetch land on your own turn out of habit, then needing revolt on your opponent's turn and not having it. If Push is in your hand, hold the fetch land until you know when you'll need it.

3. Overpaying life

Thoughtseize costs 2 life, fetch lands cost 1, and Ifnir Deadlands costs 1 for black mana. Against aggro, that adds up. Use Inquisition of Kozilek when it does the job, and tap your colorless lands when you can. Toxic Deluge after sideboarding is another life cost to plan for: paying enough to clear the board can put you in range of burn. Count your life before every fetch and every Thoughtseize against aggressive decks.

4. Forgetting Thought-Knot Seer's drawback

When Thought-Knot Seer leaves the battlefield, your opponent draws a card. If you chump-block with it or let it die, they get a card back. Keep it alive when you can, or make sure the trade is worth the card. If you have Orcish Bowmasters in play, that extra card at least comes with 1 damage and an amass.

5. Exiling the wrong card with Emperor of Bones

Emperor of Bones exiles one card a turn. Use it on what matters: a creature your opponent wants to bring back, or your own creature you want to use again. Don't waste it on a card that doesn't matter. Plan ahead: if you want to put your own creature back onto the battlefield, exile it on one turn and keep {1}{B} for Adapt when you need it.

6. Not fetching basics against Blood Moon

Blood Moon makes nonbasic lands Mountains. Rakdos Delirium plays it in 14 of 34 main decks and 24 sideboards, and Pinnacle Affinity in 12 of 18 sideboards (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Against them, fetch basic Swamp early, and keep Prismatic Vista for a basic rather than holding it.

7. Misusing Kozilek's Command

Kozilek's Command is flexible. Choose the modes for the situation: removal and card draw is the default, but graveyard hate or Spawn tokens are sometimes better. Also watch X: casting it with too small an X to exile the creature you need gone wastes the card. And because it's an instant, casting it at the end of your opponent's turn is usually better than on your own turn.

8. Playing Pithing Needle on the wrong card

Pithing Needle only stops activated abilities, other than mana abilities. Name a card whose activated ability matters. You choose the name as it enters, so use what your discard has shown you, and what you saw in game one, to pick the card your opponent will actually activate.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

Mono Black Aggro is an interactive deck. Your preparation should focus on what the format's decks need, so your discard and removal are aimed correctly.

What to expect

Broodscale Bloodchief had 48 of 256 Top 8 slots, in 26 of 32 events, with 6 wins (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Rakdos Delirium had 34 slots and 7 wins (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). After them: Pinnacle Affinity 18, Amulet Titan 17 with 4 wins, UrzaTron 13, Scepter Chant 12 (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). At the Regional Championship in Buenos Aires (404 players, Oct 24), Boros Energy won, and at the ANZ Super Series (233 players, Oct 24), Scepter Chant won (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, 32 events with 32+ players, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026).

Format timing

The October 12 Banned and Restricted announcement made no changes to Modern, and the next one is November 30, per Wizards of the Coast.

What to practice

• Discard decisions. Know what each deck needs, so you take the right card.
• Revolt timing. Practice setting up Fatal Push's revolt.
• Kozilek's Command modes. Practice choosing the right modes.
• Emperor of Bones. Practice which card to exile.
• Sideboarding. Practice your plans for the common matchups.

Know the key cards to take

Your discard is only as good as your knowledge of the format. From the brief's list data (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck lists, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), these are the cards each common deck plays in every Top 8 list:

• Broodscale Bloodchief: Basking Broodscale, Blade of the Bloodchief, Sowing Mycospawn.
• Amulet Titan: Amulet of Vigor, Primeval Titan, Scapeshift.
• Scepter Chant: Isochron Scepter, Orim's Chant, Silence.
• Living End: Living End.
• Ruby Storm: Ruby Medallion, Past in Flames.

Rules interactions to know cold

• Fatal Push's revolt. A permanent has to leave the battlefield under your control this turn.
• Nethergoyf's Escape. {2}{B}, exiling other cards from your graveyard with four or more card types among them.
• Orcish Bowmasters. Triggers when it enters and when your opponent draws a card other than the first in their draw step.
• Thought-Knot Seer. Your opponent draws a card when it leaves the battlefield.
• Emperor of Bones. The creature it returns has haste and a finality counter, and you sacrifice it at the next end step.
• Eldrazi Temple. Its {C}{C} is only for colorless Eldrazi spells or abilities of colorless Eldrazi.
• Urza's Saga. Chapter III searches for an artifact with mana cost {0} or {1}.

Best-of-three notes

The sideboard plans cover the common matchups. After game one, note what your opponent brought in: if they bring in Blood Moon, fetch basics early; if they bring in graveyard hate, Nethergoyf and Emperor of Bones get weaker and your discard and Thought-Knot Seer carry more of the load. In games two and three, your opponent knows you have discard, so expect them to play their key cards sooner.

Time management

Discard and Thought-Knot Seer mean looking at your opponent's hand, which takes time. Decide quickly. Know what you're taking before you cast the spell.

Closing assessment

This is a strong, interactive list. Its discard and removal give it a chance against every deck, and its threats are efficient. It's weakest against decks that out-value it in a long game, and against Blood Moon. Its Top 4 at a 56-player MTGO Challenge is a single result, so treat it as a list worth testing rather than a proven top deck. If you know the format well, and you're willing to learn what every common deck needs, it's a rewarding choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Mono Black Aggro win games in Modern?

It takes your opponent's best cards with Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek, removes their early creatures with Fatal Push, and attacks with efficient threats like Nethergoyf and Thought-Knot Seer.

Why does Mono Black Aggro play Eldrazi Temple?

Eldrazi Temple makes two colorless mana for colorless Eldrazi spells, so Thought-Knot Seer can come down on turn three.

How do you turn on revolt for Fatal Push?

A permanent has to leave the battlefield under your control that turn. Crack a fetch land, or sacrifice Mishra's Bauble or Nihil Spellbomb, before you cast Fatal Push.

What is the hardest matchup for Mono Black Aggro?

Pinnacle Affinity. Its big artifact creatures are hard to answer with the main deck, so Toxic Deluge and Dreams of Steel and Oil come in after sideboarding.

How do you beat Blood Moon with Mono Black Aggro?

Fetch basic Swamp early against decks that play Blood Moon, like Rakdos Delirium, so your mana still works if it resolves.

Which cards are the expensive ones in Mono Black Aggro?

The likely expensive cards are Orcish Bowmasters, Urza's Saga, Thoughtseize, the fetch lands, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Thought-Knot Seer.

What should you practice before a tournament with Mono Black Aggro?

Practice discard decisions for each deck, setting up revolt for Fatal Push, choosing Kozilek's Command modes, and your sideboard plans.

Metagame Context

Built from the Top 4 list at an MTGO Challenge 32 (56 players, 2026-11-04), played by MTGO user Selfeisek. Metagame context: MTGTop8 standings and Top 8 deck lists for the 32 Modern events with 32 or more players, plus Wizards of the Coast's Banned and Restricted announcements, from 2026-10-20 to 2026-11-03 (brief dated 2026-11-03). Matchup verdicts are reads from card text and list contents, not recorded results.

Source: tournament results. Decklist and placements as reported by the event organizer.