Art by Mark Zug
Commander deckB
Chainer, Dementia Master
Fill graveyards quickly through discard, sacrifice, and mill, then abuse Chainer's instant-speed reanimation ability to dominate the board with classic, devastating mono-black threats.
Asked for“Graveyard based commander using only old or classic bordered cards”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 62 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Chainer, Dementia Master
3BBLegendary Creature — Human Minion
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Thran Dynamo
4Artifact
Powers high-cost reanimation targets and commander activations
Card Draw
11
Skeletal Scrying
XBInstant
Instant-speed draw that exiles irrelevant graveyard chaff
Graveborn Muse
2BBCreature — Zombie Spirit
Draws multiple cards each turn with Zombie tribal synergies
Removal
11
Chainer's Edict
1BSorcery
Edict removal with built-in flashback from the graveyard
Bone Shredder
2BCreature — Phyrexian Minion
Echo creature that destroys nonblack creatures and fills the grave
Nevinyrral's Disk
4Artifact
Classic answer to artifacts, enchantments, and creatures
Threats/Wincons
22
Carrion Feeder
BCreature — Zombie
One-mana sacrifice outlet that grows into a large threat
Nantuko Husk
2BCreature — Zombie Insect
Sacrifice outlet that threatens huge combat damage
Sengir Autocrat
3BCreature — Human
Generates multiple bodies for sacrifice fodder
Nether Spirit
1BBCreature — Spirit
Reliable recurring creature for sacrifice loops
Phyrexian Ghoul
2BCreature — Phyrexian Zombie
Classic free sacrifice outlet and pumpable attacker
Doomed Necromancer
2BCreature — Human Cleric Mercenary
Reanimates any creature while placing itself in the graveyard
Phyrexian Delver
3BBCreature — Phyrexian Zombie
Enters the battlefield and reanimates another creature
Abyssal Horror
4BBCreature — Horror
Forces discard when entering from hand or graveyard
Visara the Dreadful
3BBBLegendary Creature — Gorgon
Flying threat with repeatable tap-to-destroy removal
Avatar of Woe
6BBCreature — Avatar
Cheap to cast with full graveyards and destroys creatures repeatedly
Scion of Darkness
5BBBCreature — Avatar
Cycling fatty that steals creatures from opponents' graveyards
Hypnox
8BBBCreature — Nightmare Horror
Massive Nightmare beatstick that strips an opponent's hand
Laquatus's Champion
4BBCreature — Nightmare Horror
Nightmare that drains life when looped with Chainer
Twisted Abomination
5BCreature — Zombie Mutant
Swampcycles early and acts as a regenerating beater
Phyrexian Gargantua
4BBCreature — Phyrexian Horror
Draws cards and leaves a solid body on the battlefield
Ascendant Evincar
4BBLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Vampire Noble
Buffs your black creatures and shrinks opposing boards
Shauku, Endbringer
5BBLegendary Creature — Vampire
Large evasive creature that exiles opposing threats
Sutured Ghoul
4BBBCreature — Zombie
Exiles dead creatures to become a massive trampling win condition
Utility
8
Stitch Together
BBSorcery
Returns creatures to hand or reanimates directly with threshold
Altar of Dementia
2Artifact
Sacrifice outlet that mills yourself or opponents to win
