What are budget versions of the staples in Magic: The Gathering? Now, staple cards are staples for a reason. They don't really have an equal, hence why they're played over other cards. BUT! What if we tried to get close? We continue with Black!

Necropotence Budget Option

What is a Black Staple in Magic: The Gathering? Necropotence is by far one of the greatest draw spell in Magic: The Gathering. Being able to pay seven life and draw seven cards is insane value. Yeah, you get it at your end step, but it opens up so many possibilities for your end step and next turn. Most times you're paying mana for cards, and in other colors sometimes you're not drawing cards ever.

What is a budget option for Necropotence? This is really tough. NOTHING is like Necropotence. And Necropotence is only really $13. I really had to try to find something for you all though. For $5, Phyrexian Arena is a good option. It's really a card that gives you an additional card each turn, for the one life rate. It's only . The problem is that it doesn't give you more than one card and it's not optional. It's still a value piece, for less than half the price.

Deadly Rollick Budget Option

What is a Black Staple in Magic: The Gathering? Free spells are great. Deadly Rollick is no different. Coming in at $22 dollars, is a huge Black staple. Being able to exile a creature with no open mana, if you control your Commander, is huge. Getting hit for 20 Commander damage from a Ghalta, Primal Hunter is easily solved with a Deadly Rollick. So much better than a Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares because it doesn't give anything in return.

What is a budget option for Deadly Rollick? There aren't very many cards that really can exile for free, especially in Black, but I had an obsession with exile effects back in the day. The card I recommend is Baleful Mastery. It's far from free, but at least it is only if you basically gift someone a card. Normally, it's , but with this you can be short on mana and still cast the spell. It's not free, but in a pinch you could still exile something. The card is only $1. Giving cards to our opponents is pretty stinky, but if it exiles a Surrak and Goreclaw before a Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant, it might not be too stinky.

Torment of Hailfire Budget Option

What is a Black Staple in Magic: The Gathering? Looking for a big game ending spell? Look no further than Torment of Hailfire. It is one of the strongest mana dump spells out there. For [mana]{X}{B}{B}[/mana ]you can repeat the following process X times. Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent or discards a card. If you have a Cabal Coffers, Cabal Stronghold, or Crypt Ghast, you can produce enough mana for a full board wipe or drain someone out when they run out of things to sacrifice. Don't get me started if you can create unlimited mana. Torment of Hailfire comes in at $20.

What is a budget option for Torment of Hailfire? It's going to have to be Exsanguinate at $2.50. For , each opponent loses X life and you gain life equal to the life lost this way. This is versatile with a ton of mana and infinite mana. The interesting thing here is that ultimately in a three-person-pod the drain effect is three life per one mana similar to Torment of Hailfire. It's unavoidable unless the spell is countered, but Torment of Hailfire suffers from the same problem.

Vampiric and Demonic Tutor

What is a Black Staple in Magic: The Gathering? Nothing ramps up the power level of a deck like saying you run a tutor. Why is that? Because a tutor allows you to go and fetch anything you need for the situation. Need a land? Tutor it? Need the other part of your combo piece? Tutor. It solves the problem of a singleton format, but it aint cheap. Vampiric Tutor will run you about $43 and Demonic Tutor is up there around $49. Nothing is really going to tutor like these two cards but what comes close?

What is a budget option for Vampiric Tutor and Demonic Tutor? For Demonic Tutor it's going to have to be Diabolic Intent. It'll run you $12, and as an additional cost to cast it, you'll need to sacrifice a creature. You can search your library for a card, and put that card into your hand, though. It also doesn't say it "nontoken" so feel free to sac that 3/3 Beast you have from Beast Within. For Vampiric Tutor, you can look to Scheming Symmetry. It will run you about $6, but you can tutor for something and put it on top. It's not cheap for no reason though. You have to pick another player to do the same thing. It might be worth it to tutor up Counterspell while someone goes and gets a Craterhoof Behemoth.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I hope this helps in your next deck-building session! @cashinds on X