Mono black has always had its way of spicing up the commander formula. Despite how it looks on the surface, black gives you so many playstyles and options. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose fits into most of them quite well. You will see that there are a few legendary creatures in Core Set 21 that can be fun commanders, but none of them capture our attention like Vito.
Let’s start with the artifact package of the deck. There are many ways to build up your amazing ramp package. The automatic inclusions are Sol Ring, Caged Sun, and Nyx Lotus. There are many other potential options, like Everflowing Chalice, Jet Medallion, Gauntlet of Power, Bontu’s Monument, and so on. You get the gist of it. There are different opportunities, and it is up to you to pick and choose which ones you like the most. Non-ramp artifacts that I would include are Whip of Erebos (if you are going for a creature heavy deck) and Aetherflux Reservoir.
The combos
Pairing up Aetherflux Reservoir and Bolas’s Citadel can make a very deadly combination. With Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose’s effect, every spell you cast will deal loads of damage to your opponent and make more “mana” to spend for the rest of your spells. It is true that eventually, you will hit more lands than you can play, but with a recent reprint, you get a hint of what your options are. There are plenty of good and budget tutors (cards that search your library) in black, which can help you both assemble this “combo” and keep it going.
The spicy tech
As is, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose is a force to be reckoned with, but does it end there? Of course not. With the addition of Alhammaret’s Archive, the value you get increases greatly. Another automatic inclusion is exquisite blood, which turns Vito into a part of an infinite combo. For the rest of the deck, you have several options. You can go for a vampire tribal deck or a slower spell slinger deck. Either way, you will have a lot of fun piloting this deck and beating opponents out of nowhere.
