Since its debut in Scourge in 2003, Storm has remained one of Magic’s most infamous keywords. Many cards across a multitude of formats have been banned due to how well they bolster Storm decks. Despite this, the archetype just never seems to die out. Most recently, Storm is back in Duel Commander, thanks to an unlikely Mono-Black legend.
Griselbrand and Tendrils of Agony Join Forces
In Mono-Black, there’s only one real Storm wincon, but Tendrils of Agony is no slouch. With enough support, this card can easily drain your opponent’s life, but getting there is obviously the hard part. Typically, Storm decks utilize tons of rituals, tutors, and wheel effects in order to get the job done.
While many of these elements are present, Griselbrand steps in to cover the required card draw. While you’ve only got 20 life to play with in Dual Commander, this is still more than enough to draw what you need. The only real trouble is getting him down early, but Mono-Black has plenty of options there.
Between mana rocks like Basalt Monolith and rituals like Cabal Ritual, getting Griselbrand down early is surprisingly doable. You can also run lands like Cabal Coffers to speed things up even more, ideally giving you extra mana for the final piece of the puzzle.
Once all your other bases are covered, you can tutor key combo pieces like Yawgmoth’s Will to dramatically increase your Storm count. After this, tutoring up Tendrils of Agony, if needed, should be the last step required before winning outright.
Notably, while Izzet is a lot better at ‘Storming Off,’ you only need a Storm count of nine to win with Tendrils of Agony. This makes it surprisingly easy to do, especially with so much support in the 99. That said, in the cutthroat realm of Duel Commander, your opponent is unlikely to just let this happen.
Supporting Cast
Due to the deck’s rather one-dimensional game plan, it’s also essential that you have plenty of ways to push through your key spells in the face of disruption. Fortunately, there’s a boatload of black discard spells available to ensure the coast is clear. Grief and Unmask are especially powerful since they can be cast for free, opening the door for you to cast them the same turn you want to resolve Griselbrand or an impactful tutor.
Of course, beyond just Counterspells, being able to get Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Drannith Magistrate, and other premium Stax-y creatures off the board is essential. This is where this deck’s ample sources of removal come to play. From efficient single-target removal to board wipes like Toxic Deluge and Dead of Winter, you have no shortage of catch-up mechanisms.
Even in the event your life total dwindles early against Mono-Red Aggro, there are a handful of cards that can build your life total back up to reenable Griselbrand. March of Wretched Sorrow is among the deck’s strongest options. Not only can you use it to kill opposing creatures early, but you can also pitch a bunch of cards to it post-Griselbrand activation to set up another activation or two. Still, even small bits of lifegain from Consuming Corruption or Collective Brutality can play a pivotal role in games.
An Intriguing Position
As a whole, Mono-Black Storm presents a mix of strengths and weaknesses that make it a bit tough to know how the deck will fare moving forward. On one hand, this deck is well-suited to dominate games that go long. In a classic Midrange slugfest, all it takes is landing Griselbrand at a stable life total, and the card advantage will bury your opponent. You also have backbreaking bombs like Emrakul, the Promised End whose cast triggers get around Counterspells.
Another big edge this deck has is that it has no cheap creatures in it. As such, you have the luxury of stranding dead removal spells like Fatal Push and Galvanic Discharge in your opponent’s hand. Considering how many removal spells fail to kill a creature as big as Griselbrand, sometimes the 7/7 body with Lifelink will come down and instantly stabilize the board.
On the flip side, though, it can be tough to find your footing versus decks that apply lots of pressure and back that up with disruption. Mono-White Phelia is a great example of this. Even with board wipes in the mix, if your opponent has a fast enough start, classic tempo elements like Aven Interrupter and Elite Spellbinder may make a comeback unfeasible. Given that Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd is currently one of the most popular Commanders in the format, Mono-Black Storm may be a tough sell.
Ultimately, with these negatives in mind, it seems unlikely that Mono-Black Storm will break into the top echelon of strategies anytime soon. Nonetheless, the deck’s strong performance showcases that there’s still room for players to innovate and find success with interesting archetypes.
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