Black overpowered?

[CJ desu]

New to Magic (literally day 8 of playing), so this may just be down to inexperience/get good. Comparing to Red/Green in Alchemy as that's what I play.

• Black has spells that outright kill creatures for low mana cost - as far as I can see there aren't any equivalents to this in red or green. Red has spells that deal a specific amount of damage, and green has spells that deal damage compared to your own creature strength, but these put a limit on the effectiveness of the spell.
  
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse - no idea how this card isn't banned. 4 mana for a 4/5 deathtouch that deals 2 damage every time you draw...
  
• Black has plenty of synergy with the Ring, which is itself OP. e.g. Call of the Ring (2 mana enchantment) and Nazgul (3 mana wraith, +1/+1 on each wraith when the ring tempts you)

If this is just get good, then I would appreciate some help from experienced players who play red and/or green.

[Berserkr]

Everyone uses that Jank it is what it is

[Nubbles]

I'm not entirely sure why black is a problem for red in alchemy. You win before any of the above becomes a problem, no?

[CJ desu]

Originally posted by Nox:

I'm not entirely sure why black is a problem for red in alchemy. You win before any of the above becomes a problem, no?

Sounds easy enough - what low mana red cards might I be missing? In my experience black gets out of control by turn 4 or 5, so red being lethal before then sounds intriguing

[The Fifth Horseman]

Probably what you're looking for: https://mtgazone.com/alchemy-bo1-metagame-tier-list/#Mono_Red_Aggro

[Soji]

Other colors having holes in their gameplan is part of the color pie. Using mono colored deck instead of multiple, you give up flexibility and higher power ceiling in exchange for more consistency in your land base, not needing to have lands that can produce multiple colors so you can cast any spell you may draw. Black is definitely very strong with cards like The One Ring tho, but I'd argue basically any deck is, that card probably deserves a ban more than any other right now, at least on MTGA.

I wouldn't say this is a 'get good' moment but only playing for 8 days in a game, I'd say its probably just unfamiliarity

[CJ desu]

I'd like to add Dreams of Steel and Oil, and Duress to the list of bs cards: 1 mana each to remove the best card from your opponents' hand. Even revealing your opponents' hand is a sizeable advantage, but making them lose a card and choosing which card to lose is just too much.

It seems obvious how the majority of people are using a black deck - their sorceries/instants are too powerful to play against, plus the Ring/Sheoldred stuff.

[JusticeJudge]

Can't talk about Alchemy as I think it's a trash format, but the strongest colour often changes every so often usually when rotations hits just at this current moment in time the strongest colour is black because of the cards in recent sets being efficient removal with cards like Go For The Throat + Cut Down etc and the best standard creature in Sheoldred which is a wall and a win con. I don't know how Sheoldred avoided the recent banning likely because it's a expensive card.

[CJ desu]

Originally posted by JusticeJudge:

Can't talk about Alchemy as I think it's a trash format, but the strongest colour often changes every so often usually when rotations hits just at this current moment in time the strongest colour is black because of the cards in recent sets being efficient removal with cards like Go For The Throat + Cut Down etc and the best standard creature in Sheoldred which is a wall and a win con. I don't know how Sheoldred avoided the recent banning likely because it's a expensive card.

Are other formats more balanced/fun? What would you recommend?

[Drakeeper]

Every single color has overpowered stuff. Also, Dreams and Duress are cards I'd never run in bo1. I don't even like running them in Historic Brawl because Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek and Mind Spike are a thing.

They're decent sideboard cards though.

[DontMisunderstand]

Black tends to be mid tier, though obviously at different points in time different colors pull ahead or behind what's typically expected of them. Realistically, all colors are generally equal overall, but they each have strengths and weaknesses that mesh with playstyles in different ways. Black is probably the overall strongest color for midrange, and either 2nd or 3rd best in control. Red and green are the best aggro colors.

I remember thinking the same when I was new to the game as well, that black was overpowered. However, I think this has more to do with new players generally gravitating toward playstyles that lose to the things black excels at.

[mwesthoff]

Good luck finding a card for a black meta deck by opening packs or drafting. It's overpowered and hard to build without a fist full of wild cards.

[EAST]

There is currently no way to overpower black in alchemy. In Standard, aggro plays because there are no One Rings and orcish bowmasters, but Alchemy has two cards, so all aggro decks are blocked.

Once aggro is blocked and cards that steal key cards are used, it becomes impossible to crush the enemy in time before taking out the One Ring. Cards that work even in existing Standard, including various destruction cards and a 3-mana sacrifice card from Liliana, are combined with orcish bowmasters to boast a perfect defense.

And from 4 mana, Black's blood continues to fill up every turn, the cards are full, and the opponent's blood is reduced every turn, preventing them from drawing cards. If you're having trouble, keep pulling out the ring, retrieving cards, building up to 7 mana, and then pulling a corpse out of the graveyard every turn. One Ring's abundant cards make it very easy to spend 7 mana, and then do all the plays you want without running out of cards.

Nowadays this problem is stronger because of black virtue and beseech the mirror. Black Virtue cuts the enemy's aggro and also fills them with blood.

These days, they mix it with white or green, and even mix it with legion of ashes or haywire mite for all enchantment destruction cards, eliminating all decks other than themselves.

After all, 80% of all Alchemy decks are black.

The only downside to black right now is the fact that it is pay-to-win.

[CJ desu]

Originally posted by DontMisunderstand:

Black tends to be mid tier, though obviously at different points in time different colors pull ahead or behind what's typically expected of them. Realistically, all colors are generally equal overall, but they each have strengths and weaknesses that mesh with playstyles in different ways. Black is probably the overall strongest color for midrange, and either 2nd or 3rd best in control. Red and green are the best aggro colors.

I remember thinking the same when I was new to the game as well, that black was overpowered. However, I think this has more to do with new players generally gravitating toward playstyles that lose to the things black excels at.

If you look at the decklists for the tournament, it seems like most top players use black as their main colour - not sure calling it "mid-tier" is accurate. I've also noticed a lot of Sheoldred in those decklists...

[CJ desu]

Add a new one to the list: Phyrexian Obliterator (4 mana 5/5 trample, which makes you sacrifice permanents equal to the damage you deal to it, i.e. min 5 permanents to kill it, plus the card you used to kill in the first place).

Just checked through all the red and green sorcery/instant spells that are allowed in Alchemy:

• No instants in red or green can kill it without dealing damage to it.
  
• Breaking of the fellowship (2 mana red sorcery) can make your opponent lose permanents instead, which is hilarious, but doesn't necessarily resolve the problem
  
• A small number of 3/4 mana red sorceries let you control it for 1 turn
  
• No green sorceries can kill it without dealing damage

This card is uncounterable by red or green in Alchemy, so I guess I might as well concede as soon as they summon it.

[Soji]

card cost quad black to cast, it needs to be good against something for that casting cost and it sure as hell isn't white or black or even blue really. That's basically why its never seen outside of niche decks that use it with fight spells because its so hard to cast compared to how many answers there are for it.