- Cult Conscript
- Cut Down
- Braid’s Frightful Return
- Splatter Goblin
- Urborg Repossession
- Extinguish the Light
- Phyrexian Rager
Cult Conscript
Cut Down
Braid’s Frightful Return
Splatter Goblin
Urborg Repossession
Extinguish the Light
Phyrexian Rager
Black is a powerful and synergistic Magic: The Gathering color in Dominaria United Draft, from removal to creatures.
Scheduled to release digitally on Sept. 1 with tabletop prerelease events running from Sept. 2 to 8, Black is one of the better colors within the Dominaria United (DMU) Limited format. It synergizes well with White and Red regarding sacrifice themes and is a solid splash in any other colors for its removal. There are four main archetypes that Black works within Dominaria United Draft.
- WB: Sacrifice, along with drain and gain synergies
- BR: Aggro with sacrifice payoffs
- UB: Control
- BG: Graveyard
There is also a Defender archetype that likely contains three or more colors, with Black containing Glibbering Barricade—synergizing with sacrifice themes in WB and BR. And Blight Pile might be the best Defender in the whole DMU set.
Other honorable mentions include Bone Splinters, a solid one-drop removal within sacrifice-themed archetypes. And Battlefly Swarm is another solid one-drop, able to get in for early damage while using its activated Deathtouch ability to protect during the mid and late-game stages.
Sengir Connoisseur
Knight of Dusks Shadow
Sengir Connoisseur is a solid late-game finisher that synergizes well with WB and BR. Knight of Dusks Shadow is the sleeper Uncommon of the DMU Draft, slotting nicely into Aggro builds. And Shadow Prophecy is a solid Instant that will likely slot into UB Control decks.
From prime removal spells to cheap creatures packed with value, here are the best Common and Uncommon rarity Black Draft cards in Dominaria United Limited.
Cult Conscript
Cult Conscript
Synergizing with sacrifice builds in WB and BR, Cult Conscript is a one-drop 2/1 that comes into play tapped. Despite not being able to attack upon entering the battlefield, it’s prime sacrificial fodder as it can return to the battlefield for 1B if a non-skeleton creature died that turn. And Cult Conscript is the only skeleton creature within the Black DMU Commons and Uncommons.
Cut Down
Cut Down
Cut Down is a cheap removal costing only one Black mana that can remove any target creature with a total power of five or fewer. At Sorcery speed, this is a bad Uncommon. But it’s at Instant, providing multiple lines of play during a DMU Draft match.
Braid’s Frightful Return
Braid’s Frightful Return
Sagas in DMU introduce the Read Ahead mechanic, bumping the value of Braid’s Frightful Return up to top pick status when building a WB or RB sacrifice-themed deck. The Black saga can disrupt an opponent’s strategy while providing card advantage to its controller. And Read Ahead opens up a good amount of flexible play lines for various stages of a match, despite the three mana cost to play Braid’s Frightful Return.
Splatter Goblin
Splatter Goblin
Splatter Goblin is filling in the two-drop spot in a variety of DMU Draft archetypes. The Phyrexian goblin is great during the early game stages, potentially taking out an opponent’s creature with three toughness. Players will play around Splatter Goblin, allowing the Phyrexian to chip away at life or trade with something of value that an opponent has during the early game. It’s also a solid sacrificial target when necessary.
Urborg Repossession
Urborg Repossession
Graveyard archetypes in previous MTG Limited have fallen short of being a top-tier meta build. Urborg Repossession may change that trend as a one-drop Sorcery speed spell with a Kicker of 1G. Returning two creatures to hand and gaining two life for a total mana cost of three is decent. Urborg Repossession also slots into sacrifice decks that may want to splash Green as a third color.
Extinguish the Light
Extinguish the Light
Extinguish the Light remembers Jaya, who sadly fell during the Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria. The Black Instant is prime removal, able to target a creature or planeswalker while also gaining three life. Four mana removal is great in the Limited format, even with double Black pips.
Phyrexian Rager
Phyrexian Rager
Rounding out the best DMU Draft cards in Black is Phyrexian Rager. Three-drops that provide card draw have proven strong in past MTG Limited formats. The Phyrexian horror has the downside of losing one life upon getting to draw a card on ETB but is easily replenished within the BW archetype.