The color black is one of the most powerful and preferred mana types to play MTG with.
From dark and destructive Sorcery spells, Instants, and card types like Imperial Seal and other black abilities, to some of the deadliest creatures and Planeswalkers in the entire game, black is a feared color by opponents.
Read on below and discover our picks for 19 of the top black-colored cards in Magic the Gathering!
Best Black Planeswalker
CardsLiliana, Death’s Majesty
Liliana, in all of her Planeswalker forms, are hands down the best for black Commander Decks or used as in the Commander game in general. This version is best for mainly dark decks (particularly mono black decks) packed with Zombie cards.
The Deaths Majesty version comes into play with 5 loyalty counters and three awesome abilities:
- Add +1 loyalty counters and create black Zombie creature tokens (one for each counter you paid) and dump two cards from the top of your deck into your graveyard
- Pay -3 loyalty counters and return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield (the creature is a black Zombie as well as its other stats)
- Pay -7 loyalty counters and destroy all non-Zombie creatures on the battlefield
CMC: 5
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Liliana, Walker of the Dead
The second Liliana card on our list is the Waker of the Dead version, an extra destructive form of this highly favored Planeswalker. She is also one of the most preferred for Commander Decks.
The card enters the battlefield with 4 loyalty counters and three dark abilities ripe with card advantage:
- Add +1 loyalty counter and every discards a card (anyone who can’t discard loses 3 life points)
- Pay -3 loyalty counters and the creature of your choice gains a -X/-X for the remainder of the turn (X equals the number of cards in your graveyard at the time of casting)
- Pay -7 loyalty counters and you gain an emblem that gives you the ability to bring a creature back to life from your graveyard at the beginning of each turn (said creature gets haste)
CMC: 4
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Liliana, the Necromancer
Another fan favorite version, and one of the best in the game) of Liliana, the Planeswalker is the Necromancer. This one drains the life out of opponents and raises creatures from the dead. For Vampire decks and Blood decks, this card is a God (or Goddess?).
When the Necromancer Liliana comes into play she has 4 loyalty counters and 3 uncanny abilities:
- Add +1 loyalty counter and a player of your choosing loses 2 life
- Pay -1 loyalty counters and return 1 creature to your hand from the graveyard
- Pay -7 loyalty counters and destroy 1 or 2 creatures of your choice and then put 1 or 2 creatures from the graveyard into play on the field (under your control)
CMC: 5
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Professor (Liliana) Onyx
The last and possibly most unique Liliana card with the most powerful effect is none other than Professor version Onyx. When this card is cast, the outcome of the game is about to change, regardless of what decks are played.
For a six mana casting cost? You couldn’t ask for a more powerful Planeswalker for your decks.
This one hits the field with 5 loyalty counters, Magecraft (you get to make copies of each Instant and Sorcery that you cast – plus, each time you do, you gain 2 health points from each opponent), and 3 legendary abilities:
- Add +1 loyalty counter and lose life equal (one life point), then look at your deck’s top 3 cards, put 1 in your hand, and put the other 2 into the graveyard
- Pay -3 and then each player (other than you) sacrifices their most powerful creature card
- Pay -8 loyalty counters and each opponent gets to discard a card or lose 3 life points (and then repeat the process 6 times, discarding an extra card each time!)
CMC: 6
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Lolth, Spider Queen
Lolth is a legendary Planeswalker of Mythic Rare status (with some really amazing artwork!) and is the only non-Liliana black Planeswalker on our list. It is found in amateur decks and pro decks alike.
If you want to win games, this is one card you want to cast as often as possible when playing with your black decks. Deadly Rollick is a great alternative.
The card comes into play with 4 loyalty counters and 3 legendary abilities:
- Add 0 loyalty counters and you get to draw a card (but you lose 1 health point during this extra draw step)
- Pay -3 loyalty counters and then put 2 black Spider creature tokens onto the board (each Spider is a 2/1 with the Reach and Menace ability.
- Pay -8 loyalty counters and receive an emblem that gives you the ability to force any opponent you attack, with your creatures, to lose life equal to the difference of any damage they receive from your creatures that is less than 8 points.
CMC: 5
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Best Black Legendary Creature CardsRankle, Master of Pranks
The legendary creature Rankle, Master of Pranks is a Mythic Rare Faerie Rogue with several major advantages. When this card is cast, opponents are about to smell their own blood, regardless of what they have in their decks (and they know it!)
When Rankle enters the battlefield, it has Flying and Haste, but the real card advantage is that whenever the card attacks and deals combat damage to a player:
- Each player must discard a card
- Each player must draw a card and lose a health point
- Each player must sacrifice a target creature (that they control) from the battlefield
CMC: 4
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Geth, Lord of the Vault
Geth, Lord of the Vault is a legendary Zombie creature and is one of the most well-known and feared black mana cards ever made. Further, it is one of the few six mana cards most players agree is worth stacking into MTG decks.
Geth has a high casting cost of four mana worth of colorless mana and an additional two mana that must be black mana. When the card comes into play it has Intimidate.
The main card advantage of Geth is the “Pay X and one black mana to put a creature onto the battlefield tapped, under your control, from an opponent’s graveyard” ability.
Oh yeah, the player you steal the creature from? They have to put X cards from the top of their decks to the top of their graveyards.
CMC: 6
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Best Black Creature CardsSkeletal Vampire
One of the best ever cards with a four mana (colorless) and two black mana casting price, let alone of all time, is the infamous Skeletal Vampire. It is a great sign of why black is such a formidable color for creatures and decks.
When this card hits the field, if your opponents recognize it, they’ll practically give up then and there. If it is their first time playing against it, they’ll quickly learn to fear it and loathe your decks.
This Vampire Skeleton has Flying and comes onto the table with 2 black Bat creatures. Pay 3 colorless and 2 black mana, sacrifice 1 bat, and create two more of the same creature tokens.
The kicker? Sacrifice a single black bat token and Regenerate the Skeletal Vampire card. This ability has changed the course of countless games, against many fierce decks.
CMC: 6
Rarity: Rare
Dark Confidant
The next creature on our list is Dark Confidant, a 2/1 Human Wizard of rare status. After the card comes into play, at the start of each of your upkeep turns, reveal a card in your hand (not from your decks) and then lose health points that are equal to the card’s CMC.
You may be scratching your head now, but once you use this card in a powerful black deck you’ll understand this powerful and unique black ability. In games where you gain life or deal damage when you lose health, this card is crucial.
CMC: 2
Rarity: Rare
Vampire Nighthawk
This Vampire creature, Nighthawk, is one of the most feared black creature cards under Rare or Mythic rare status. It is another sign of the powerful effect of creatures in black decks.
A 2/3 Flyer, this Vampire Shaman hits the battlefield with Deathtouch and Lifelink. For 3 mana, it doesn’t get any better (or deadlier) than this.
CMC: 3
Rarity: Uncommon
Changeling Outcast
The Changling Outcast is a common creature with, you guessed it, the Changeling ability. That means that it is every creature type played from decks in the current game. For such a low cost, it should be in all decks that have black cards.
Even though Changeling Outcast is only a 1/1 it can’t be blocked (or block others). In combination with a few enchantments, equipment, auras, or counters, Changeling Outcast transforms into an unstoppable monster (against any decks).
CMC: 1
Rarity: Common
Crypt Ghast
The Crypt Ghast is a Spirit creature of rare status among black cards and decks. It has a total casting cost of four mana and comes into play with Extort.
Even more impressive, when you tap a Swamp to pay mana costs for something, this card’s ability allows you to add extra mana to your pool.
CMC: 4
Rarity: Rare
Best Black Sorcery and Instant CardsDark Ritual
The Dark Ritual is from the deepest dark realms and has an incredibly low-key but powerful effect: adding 3 extra black mana to your pool (for a turn).
Land drop, anyone?
The kicker is that this card only costs 1 swamp mana to bring it out, and it is an Interrupt card (an older version of Instant cards). It is the perfect card to cast a land drop as one last hope in a losing game.
CMC: 1
Rarity: Common
Doom Blade
This instant is one of the best black Instants of any classification, it destroys a nonblack creature (Instantly, even if it’s not your turn). Further, it only cost one swamp mana and one colorless land.
There are few Instant or Sorcery cards of any color, in any decks, that comes close to comparing. Most spells that destroy creatures cost twice as much (or more).
CMC: 2
Rarity: Common
Deadly Dispute
Ahhhh, Deadly Dispute, another awesome Uncommon Instant card more than worthy of making the cut for your black deck. Primarily it allows you to draw the top card of your decks, twice, and then create a Treasure token.
That said, as an alternative cost, in addition to the 2 CMC casting cost, you must sacrifice either a creature or an artifact (from your hands, not your decks).
CMC: 2
Rarity: Uncommon
Demonic Tutor
This card is a real doozy; search your decks for any card you wish, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck. Plus, the art on it is out of this world. Plus, it only costs three mana.
Awesome right? Yeah, and it only costs 1 black and 1 colorless mana, that’s why Demonic Tutor is a Mythic Rare and belongs in your next black decks (more than many other cards that are similar).
CMC: 2
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Grim Tutor
Speaking of searching your decks for a card, and putting it into your hand, Grim Tutor is a great replacement (or addition for that matter) to Demonic Tutor (because it does the exact same thing).
The only downside to having this dark Sorcery card in your decks is that you lose 3 health points in the process of playing it.
CMC: 3
Rarity: Mythic Rare
Best Black Enchantment CardsPhyrexian Arena
The Phyrexian cards are some real killers when it comes to all colors (not just black). Phyrexian Arena costs 1 black and 2 colorless mana to bring onto the board, a small price to pay for the greatness that it enables.
Once this rare black card is on the table, you get to draw a card and lose 1 health point at the beginning of each of your upkeep turns. For three mana, it is a beast of a card to have in most decks.
CMC: 3
Rarity: Rare
Phyrexian Reclamation
Another Phyrexian must-have in dark decks is the Reclamation enchantment, of Uncommon status. The card has a mind-blowingly affordable casting cost: 1 swamp mana.
On the board, this card enables you to pay one colorless and one black mana, as well as two health points, to return target creatures from the graveyard to your hand.
CMC: 1
Rarity: Uncommon
A Final Word About the Best Black MTG Cards
The best black cards in MTG hail from Dark Realms decks, Ravnica decks, Zendikar Rising decks, Forgotten Realms decks, and various sets with Vamps, Demons, Imperial Seal, and other popular types and classifications.
Choosing the best ones for your deck is as fun as it is challenging.
The first step is deciding whether you want a two mana deck or a mono black deck, choosing the best individual cards to fit your preferred theme is much easier afterward.
From black commanders like Liliana Planeswalker cards to Deadly Rollick, Skeletal Vampire, and one mana spells that spawn extra mana, there is no shortage of black cards that offer serious card advantage.
That said, some iconic cards like Thran Physician and vintage Phyrexian creatures are just a few honorable mentions that didn’t make our list (but a quick search of their name shows you how worthy they are).
Hopefully, our list of all the top black MTG cards helps you build the best deck possible! Thanks for reading.