Pioneer: Mono Black Slasher - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Duskmourn continues to bring new things to Pioneer. In addition to the rise of Enigmatic Fires and the way Sheltered by Ghosts has revitalized Boros and other white decks, another change has been the rise of other combos in the Metagame.

One of these is based on Unstoppable Slasher, a hard-to-remove creature whose interaction with Bloodletter of Aclazotz wins the game the moment it deals combat damage to the opponent, forcing unfavorable trades while protecting the combo with timely discard spells.

In this article, we delve deeper into this new deck and provide a Sideboard guide for the main matchups in the current Metagame.

This is the list I used on Magic Arena last week, and from which I also played a few games on Magic Online. It follows almost the same pattern as most versions, with only a few slots swapped from one-of to numbers I feel more comfortable playing: an extra copy of Reckoner Bankbuster in the maindeck, a Go for the Throat, the third copy of Sheoldred’s Edict and a copy of March of Wretched Sorrow - these can be changed depending on the expected Metagame at your local store or event.

There are several factors that have put Mono Black Slasher on the radar: the Metagame is more aggressive, and it behaves well with several spot removals, the need for Duress to deal with the current scenario makes the combo easier to protect the combo, Unstoppable Slasher forces two-for-one trades to avoid the threat of the combo every turn, and the archetype has an excellent plan B with Archfiend of the Dross and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse coming from the Sideboard - making it more favored in the current scenario than Rakdos Midrange or other removal-oriented strategies.

Maindeck

Just like the Slashers in the horror movies, let's go by parts - starting with our combo.

The combo works like this: Unstoppable Slasher, when dealing combat damage, makes the opponent lose half of their life rounded up - if they have 15 life, they will lose 8. Since Bloodletter of Aclazotz makes the opponent lose twice as much life as they would otherwise lose, they will lose 16 and, consequently, lose the game.

Bloodletter of Aclazotz is a notoriously conditional piece, and so we only use three copies of it and make room for Archfiend of the Dross, a creature capable of winning the game in three turns that interacts well with Bloodletter's ability.

Archfiend of the Dross is complemented by Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber as an alternative victory plan. The new enchantment serves both as a variant of Phyrexian Arena and as a way to put a 6/6 demon on the battlefield for five mana to win the game in a few turns.

Reckoner Bankbuster complements Unholy Annex in terms of card advantage for attrition games, where Liliana of the Veil also offers disruption. Liliana is also benefiting from the rise of Auras recently, although it has not yet shown significant results in Challenges.

A set of Duress and Thoughtseize ensures that the combo is protected from removal when it is executed, and is also essential for dealing with key cards in the current Metagame. Duress is particularly favored in Pioneer today due to the need to answer key non-creature spells in many Tier 1 decks.

Fatal Push and Go for the Throat are spot removals for dealing with the opponent’s creatures, with Fatal Push being more useful in the early game, while the one-of Go for the Throat can deal with bigger threats.

Sheoldred’s Edict also offers favorable trades in games where the opponent plays one threat at a time, in addition to providing a cheap, maindeck-friendly answer against Planeswalkers like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria.

March of Wretched Sorrow is a one-of in respect to the explosive potential of Prowess variants, where using it with a high X value can guarantee a few extra turns at the right time, or at the beginning of the game.

In addition to the ease of casting Bloodletter of Aclazotz, one of the advantages of playing with a monocolored mana base is the use of utility lands.

Field of Ruin could grow in relevance now that Lotus Combo is returning to the Pioneer Metagame since it can answer Thespian’s Stage before it copies Lotus Field, and also deals with manlands.

Mutavault provides another way to pressure the opponent and, especially, Planeswalkers after a sweeper or excess removal. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth ensures that these lands do not interfere with the casting of Bloodletter of Aclazotz or Invoke Despair in the Sideboard.

The interaction of Sunken Citadel with Castle Locthwain is our other source of card advantage, being essential for attrition games where our opponents can exhaust our resources, and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire can bring back one of the combo pieces or Archfiend of the Dross to close the game.

Sideboard

The Sideboard is always subject to change. The amounts presented here involve what is expected from a broad Metagame and considering the best Pioneer decks today, but we can adjust it as appropriate for local environments.

Cut Down is used against Aggro games and complements Fatal Push in these games. It is necessary to be careful when timing it against Prowess, and it is preferable to do so in response to an opponent's pump or if they try a protection spell in response to another card.

Path of Peril is a good sweeper against small Aggro decks, such as the aforementioned Prowess, Auras, Humans, Boros Convoke decks, among others. Extinction Event can also be used in these games, but it is functional in Midrange mirrors and against Izzet Phoenix.

The Meathook Massacre is a late-game sweeper and also a way to counter the combo of Cauldron Familiar with Witch’s Oven or Ygra, Eater of All from Jund Sacrifice.

Liliana of the Veil and Invoke Despair help in attrition games against Midrange and Control where we can take advantage of these cards to exhaust the opponent’s resources or have extra card advantage.

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is a complementary threat for games where the combo is difficult or where we need more efficient creatures to hold the game and/or punish the opponent’s draws.

Go Blank also plays in attrition games, but its main function is as a hate against Izzet Phoenix and other graveyard-dependent strategies like Abzan Greasefang, or even to delay Lotus Combo's Dig Through Time.

Unlicensed Hearse complements this plan against graveyard-based strategies, and we can use Mutavault to crew it in longer games.

Rakdos Prowess

IN

OUT

Izzet Phoenix

IN

OUT

Azorius Control

IN

OUT

Lotus Combo

IN

OUT

Jund Sacrifice

IN

OUT

Mono Black Slasher

IN

OUT

That’s all for today!

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!