The standard Necro-deck (which the above typified) can be broken down into five components:

1. Early Disruption (Hymn, Stupor, Hypno Specter, Strip Mine)
2. Fast-Powerful offense (Knights/Orders)
3. Mid- to late-game threat neutralization (Disks, Serrated Arrows, Drains, Terror/Dark Banishing)
4. Life-gaining (Drains, Zorb, Ivory Tower)
5. Card-drawing (Necro, possibly Tomes)

Another way to look at the Necro Deck is; What must be put in? (Fill to Taste)

Mostly Core Necro Cards:

16-18 Swamp
3-4 Strips
0-4 Mishra
4 Dark Ritual
4 Hypnotic Specter
4 Hymns
4-6 assorted Knights (pumpers or 2/2s)
2-4 N. Disks
3-4 Drain Life
2-3 Necro
1-3 Demonic Consultation
2 Sengirs or Ihsan's
1 Zuran orb
1 Ivory Tower
-------------------------
47-62 cards.

These are the core cards you'll find in pre-alliance Type II Necro decks. The other 3-14 cards are where the variety shows up. The "LA Necro" adds in 4 Icequakes. (Ed. Note - this became the standard.) Brian Weissman came up with the idea of using a Dancing Scimitar or two. Some liked to return the deck to its weenie origins and max out on pumpknights. A fourth Necro shows up in the main deck if you expect to see a lot of other Necros in the tournament. (Necro vs. Necro - he who plays the first Necro... wins). If not, it's in the sideboard. Four Glooms in the sideboard. After Alliances, Dystopia and Contagion became standard. Dystopia generally replaced the Glooms. Contagion replaced the Banishings or Serrated Arrows, and proved itself as one of the key cards that a NecroDeck player would sideboard in against another NecroDeck.

A typical choice for a Necro Sideboard would look like:

4 Dystopia
3 Infernal Darkness
3 Icequakes
1 Serrated Arrow (two in main deck)
1 Necropotence (versus other Necro Decks)
3 Contagion (versus other Necro decks)

I started playing an all black discard deck a long time ago, and it's really the only type II deck I've ever played. But it took the next step when Necropotence was added. Then it became the standard "NecroDeck" that is so popular right now.

John Immordino, a top player from Sacramento, claims to be the first person to put four Nevinyrral's Disk in an all-black Necropotence deck to change it from an "if I get really lucky then I win" type of deck to a control deck. He describes it like "it's just like The Deck except it has Disks instead of Counters and Hymns instead on Scepters." When you look at it like this, it changes the way you think about the deck, and how you play it. (John is one of the top players of The Deck style, and is the one who convinced Brian Weissman to add Mirror Universe to his version.)

Most players of these decks think of the Disk as a "save my butt" card, but it's not. The Disk gives you control over the field of play. Put it out and leave it out, and you have control.

The next generation came after the New York Pro Tourney where the strong deck style was the Land Tax/Armageddon/Erhnam Djinn style deck. Preston Poulter knew this going into a Long Beach qualifier in New York, so he added two Gloom to his main deck, and won.

Poulter's NecroDeck ((PT I-Style) March '96
4 Hypnotic Specter 2 Order of the Ebon Hand 2 Knights of Stromgald 2 Sengir Vampire	4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Dark Ritual 2 Drain Life 3 Necropotence 2 Demonic Consultation 2 Gloom	3 Nevinyrral's Disk 1 Zuran Orb 1 Ivory Tower
4 Strip Mine 4 Mishra's Factory 20 Swamp	Sideboard: 2 Aeolipile 3 Serrated Arrows 1 Nevinyrral's Disk 1 Feldon's Cane	Sideboard (cont): 2 Gloom 2 Apocalypse Chime 2 Jalume Tome 2 Tormod's Crypt

This style became popular, along with the addition of Dancing Scimitar by Brian Weissman. The Scimitar is the perfect addition for the deck because it can block Erhnam, Order of Leitbur, Autumn Willow, and Serra Angel. Brian Smith was playing a 2 Gloom, 2 Scimitar version when he won the Long Beach Qualifier in San Jose 2 weeks ago. I did not do so well. I was playing a modified version with no big creatures, Animate Dead, and no Scimitars. I went 3-2, losing to another NecroDeck and a deck with 12 Protection from black white weenies. You needed to go 4-1 in the Swiss rounds to get into the final 8 single elimination bracket.

By now everyone was playing the NecroDeck. It could consistently beat all other deck types. I knew that if I added the Scimitars and the all-important fourth Disk that I could have made up for my loss at the previous tournament, but it wasn't enough. What I needed to do was set my deck up against itself. In other words, I had to find a way to beat all-black.

I knew that the single most important card in Necro vs. Necro is Drain Life. It's equivalent to "take X cards from your opponent's hand and put them in yours." I experimented with four Drain Life, but I found that it was too many. I would always end up with one at the beginning of the game, which I couldn't use. Also, it's a less useful card in low mana situations, like if you're playing against an Armageddon deck. So I decided on three Drain Life, all in the main deck.

The next is the Icy. Straight black has no way to get rid of big creatures. When I'm playing Black vs. Black, I want to use my Drain Life on my opponent, and use my disks for his creatures. The Icy is the perfect way to take care of a big creature, and it's a welcome addition because it's also useful in many other ways (Dervish, Order, etc.).

The night before the big tourney I played with my friend Chris Pantages for about 5 hours, black on black. He had modified his deck to add four blue sources and two Recalls. The theory is to use the Recalls to get back the Zuran Orb or Ivory Tower, or just Hymns or Strip Mines. This strategy has the added advantage of using up three Chronicles spots, freeing up space in the sideboard.

Chris convinced me that adding 2 Weakness to the sideboard was a great idea. Black has no way of getting rid of a first turn Specter, and this can cost you the game. The other important strategy note in black on black is Necropotence - almost always the player who plays it first will win, so you want to make sure it's you.

After hours of practice I finally figured out a sideboard strategy against all black. I decided I could take out the 3 Orders and a Disk (you don't need 4 disks if your opponent can't disenchant them). I put in another Necropotence, 2 Weakness, and an arrows. I figured I had a winning strategy... (Ed.- Paul went on to win the tournament the next day.)

- P.Pantera

Bentley Necro (Winner US Nationals ‘96) - Diskless Necro B/r
Circa July ‘96

Dennis Bentley won the U.S. Nationals with this B/r NecroDeck. The inclusion of red in this and the following deck (Justice) is interesting, red giving Necro bolts, shatters, fireballs, etc., to make up for it’s lack of selective permanent removal abilities. Of note in this deck is the absence of the Nevinyrral’s Disk, which threw the runner-up in the tourney for quite a loop (G. Baxter). Baxter ended up holding useless disenchants in his hand... just waiting for the Disks to show up. Also of note is Bentley’s decision to use no “Drain Life’s”... almost unheard of at this time in a tourney level NecroDeck. Bentley gambled a bit in taking the deck in this direction, but this is partly offset by the already mentioned permanent removal capabilities that the red suit offered. It has been noted by Chris Pikula and Robert Hahn that a “Classic Necro” should have an even - or better than even - chance at beating this deck. Fortunately for Bentley, he only had to play one NecroDeck, his only loss (at the hands of Mark Justice, playing a classic Necro).

Bentley Necro, July '96
4 Hypnotic Specter 4 Black Knight 4 Order of the Ebon Hand	4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Dark Ritual 4 Icequake 3 Necropotence 1 Dystopia	4 Lightning Bolt 1 Fireball 1 Black Vise 1 Zuran Orb 1 Ivory Tower
4 Strip Mine 2 City of Brass 4 Sulfurous Spring 14 Swamp	Sideboard: 1 Contagion 2 Dance of the Dead 2 Dark Banishing 3 Dystopia 1 Infernal Darkness	Sideboard (cont): 2 Stromgald Cabal 1 Shatter 1 Jester's Cap 2 Serrated arrows

Notes on the Bentley Necro from Tom Guevin:

Dennis Bentley won the (U.S. National) championship with what I consider to be a rather weak red/black Necro deck. The deck had many sound ideas, like 8 LD spells in the main deck (no Land Tax!) and lots of fast creatures, but he had so little life gaining that it's a wonder the Necro and the damage lands didn't kill him before he killed his opponent! I'm also very suprised that he had no disks and only one shatter as things like serrated arrows and combos like Icy/pyroclasm would wreck him.

The real key to his deck was Dystopia - you can argue that you don't need disks with dystopia - the only things that Necro needs to disk are white knights, dervishes and COP's and Dystopia is more efficient than the disk in that aspect. My personal opinion is that Dystopia is too powerful and way out of control - the life loss is minimal compared to the destructive capability. I can't see it being restricted but I can see a possible end to the classical white/green creature days.

- T. Guevin

B/r Necro (‘96 World Champion 2nd Place - M. Justice)
Circa August ‘96

Mark Justice took this deck to second in the world, where he met Tom Chanpheng’s WW deck with 12 protection/black knights in the finals. Mark was at a definite disadvantage, and it showed in the score. Mark was swept 0-3. Still this deck is an good example of a (slightly tweaked) “Classic Necro”.

Justice's NecroDeck, August '96
4 Hypnotic Specter 2 Order of the Ebon Hand 2 Black Knight 2 Ihsan's Sade	4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Dark Ritual 4 Necropotence 3 Drain Life 3 Contagion	1 Fireball 3 Nevinyrral's Disk 2 Serrated Arrows 1 Zuran Orb 1 Ivory Tower
4 Strip Mine 3 Mishra's Factory 1 City of Brass 1 Lava Tubes 4 Sulfurous Springs 10 Swamp	Sideboard: 4 Dystopia 1 Contagion 3 Shatter	Sideboard (cont): 2 Demonic Consultation 2 Infernal Darkness 2 Pyroblast

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