From: Metallicfrog@aol.com
Subject: A New Kind of Stompy & Why Jon L.'s deck doesn't work. Type 1 By: Alan T.
Pojo,
       I look at all the successful decks from a little while ago and remember the only deck that kicked my 'tog deck every time.

       10-Land Stompy. It is really a quite a crazy deck. But, what if, we let another color have an incredibly fast and almost no-land deck? After thinking for a little while longer, I decided that black was the perfect color. Now, there would be green cards, just the ones that fetch for free. Namely, Land Grant. I decided that green didn't need to be too big and dropped my original idea of giant growth and bounty of the hunt for acceleration. Obviously, Nantuko Shade (Black would be so empty without shady =) ) and cabal coffers. I didn't want to overdo the coffers because there are only going to be 10 land in the deck. Duress and dark ritual are natural picks, because they are very cheap and effective (duress+cabal therapy=fun) and the ritual is very obvious. Now that I have the inital cards down: lets see the list.

Green
4 Land Grant

Black
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress

Land
2 Cabal Coffers
7-8 Swamps
0-1 Forest?

       So far, this is a pretty solid deck but needs much more actual cards. Cabal Therapy is looking like a great option with the duress so im putting in 4. I just remembered my low-casting-cost friend, carnophage. Incredible in this deck. When starting a game, make sure to have a land grant or swamp in your hand. NEVER, NEVER start with no land, no grant. That will kill you, no matter what. Same thing applies for hand with just coffers. That would suck. Unholy strength appears to be a cost effecient option, because the chances are that nothing is going to cost more than 2 mana in this deck (with the very small exception of other-play* and madness)

       The deck only needs a couple more cards and since I am quite horrible at making sideboards, a few suggestions would be infest (squirrels? what squirrels? soldiers???) mabye oversold cemetary if you are facing tons of disruption, entomb if you are facing reanimator (try their own trick on them) and if you do settle with entomb, avatar of woe/verdant force is your friend. So, here is the list:

Green
4 Land Grant

Black
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress
4 Carnophage
4 Unholy Strength
4 Snuff Out
4 Ornithopter

Land
2 Cabal Coffers
8 Swamp

The last two choices on the black list may seem unlikely but if you play the deck they are great! Reasoning: Ornithopter+Unholy Strength x2-4 you have a consistent damage, which help this along quite a bit!
ALSO: Jon L.'s deck DOESN'T work because sheperd of rot states: each player loses life equal to the number of zombies in play. The effect of the player being untargetable doesn't happen because it hits both players, like wrath of god or inferno, (it is NOT individually targeting)
Have fun with the black deck!
Alan T.

*Other-play is: For instance: if you control a [permanent name] and your opponent controls a [permanent name], you may play [name of card] without paying its casting cost.