Source: Inquest #20 (Dec 1996), pp.36-37; author: Jeff Hannes

"Thanks to Kaervek's machinations, no place in Jamuraa is safe, *especially* not the ocean.  This black / blue Mirage-only deck hammers that point home with big nasties like Taniwha and Benthic Djinns.  But the key to this deck is that it can be played in two ways - as a speed creature deck or as a counter / control deck.

The first option is simple and straightforward.  If you get a big creature and a Dark Ritual in your opening hand, you're all set.  Get your beast out as fast as possible and then hammer away.  For only four mana, the Benthic Djinn matches the power and toughness of a Juggernaut, and if your opponent happens to have islands, it's unblockable.  The two life it costs you each turn pales in comparison to the five damage you'll be able to dole out every turn if your opponent can't deal with it.

If you don't draw a big creature right away, you'll almost surely draw a couple of smaller creatures you can plop down instead.  With both flanking and regeneration, the Cadaverous Knights can wreak havoc on your opponent.  If you've got no other immediate use for an opening Dark Ritual, use it [to] slap down the Knights on the first turn.  This way, by the time your opponent has the means to deal with them, you'll have enough mana available to regenerate them.

The Sewer Rats give you the ability to go after your opponent right out of the blocks, as they only cost one mana and can do up to four damage a turn.  Don't be afraid to pump them up - any life you lose can be gained back by Drain Lifes.  And the Skulking Ghosts?  Being able to die from a Healing Salve is certainly a drawback, but you can't beat a 2/1 flier for only two mana.

Throw in the Catacomb Dragon - a 4/4 flyer that's not too likely to get killed by a blocker - and two Bone Harvests, and you've got an effective creature strategy.  Even if your opponent can handle your first wave of creatures, a mid-game Bone Harvest can practically assure you a victory.

However, anyone who's ever played a creature deck knows that it's not always reliable.  Even with 14 creatures in the deck, there's still a legitimate chance that you don't draw one in your opening hand.  That's why just about every other card in the deck focuses on controlling the playing field.

Sometimes even more effective than an Icy, the Amber Prisons can handle just about any problem.  But more valuable than the Prisons are the Power Sinks.  If you don't get a good opening creature draw, hold back and play defense with the Power Sinks.  The Dark Rituals will help you counter just about anything early in the game.

With two Dark Banishings and four Drain Lifes, creatures should rarely be a problem, but just in case, you've also got two Withering Boons.  These are especially valuable against black creatures, which are immune to the Banishings.

To make sure you always have options, there's a Mystical Tutor and two Unfulfilled Desires.  The invaluable uses of the Tutor can range anywhere from grabbing a Dark Ritual to insure a second-turn Djinn, to snatching a Power Sink as protection for your permanents.  Unless your opponent is playing a burn deck, a few life here and there shouldn't make much of a difference, so don't hesitate to use the Unfufilled Desires if you've got a hand full of useless cards.  And remember to hold on to extra land to feed the Desires.

Finally, there's the two Sealed Fates, which can help ensure your victory in the late game.  Even if you only hit up your opponent for four or five cards, the ability to remove a key card could seal the outcome.  If your opponent is low on cards and you've got a big creature waiting in the wings, use a Sealed Fate to do just that.

The sideboard is mostly about improving your control over the playing field.  The Reigns of Terror, Soul Rends, Mind Harnesses and Dark Banishings give you extra creature control for every colour.  Just take out the Withering Boons and replace them with the appropriate spells.

The Cursed Totem can protect you against annoying theme decks (like a deck with four Suq'Ata Firewalkers) as well as hamper the efforts of versatile weenies like Quirion Elves.  Against a heavy red deck, you'll find the extra Bone Harvest to be very helpful in maintaining a steady flow of creatures.

The Shimmers can really screw with a mono-colour deck and the Cerulean Wyvern can single-handedly destroy a heavy green deck.  Rounding out the sideboard are two Mind Bends which can counter colour-hosers, modify the protection of your Wyvern if necessary or give your Benthic Djinns the right kind of landwalk.

It's important to note that this deck was designed for use in a Mirage-only environment, but that doesn't mean it can't be modified to work in standard Type II play.  Protection from black creatures will tear this deck apart.  If you're going to be playing against Type II decks, add Contagions or Serrated Arrows to make sure you don't get totally hosed.

Black / blue is one of the most fun colour-combinations to play in Magic.  This deck offfers both strong offense and defense, and the two work pretty darn well together.  Flanking, phasing, huge creatures... [Deepwater Death] offers all the flavours of Magic, and it's sure to leave a bad taste in your opponent's mouth."