One card I have been playing with for a while now has done so well by me that it has inspired me to compose a brief original poem in its honor.

Ode to the Pit Liege:

So misunderstood by some without eyes, its beauty is not seen.

It needs excessive care and if not fed, Pit Liege can get mean.

But beware and cling tightly to your life, mightily he whacks,

'Ware striking into the heart of darkness, sometimes it strikes back!

The first version of this deck was a black/white deck and it was perfectly serviceable.  However, I think the current version, which is a mono-black, creature-focused deck, is much more effective and fun to play.  Let me provide a brief walkthrough of the contents of the deck so you too can learn to appreciate the awesome of the under-appreciated Liege of the Pit.

3 Liege of the Pit

The main drawback to Leige of the Pit is that you have to keep it fed or it turns on you.  Nothing beats token generation for food, especially if the tokens are 1/1 and can serve as both cheap attackers and chump blockers.  Since the deck is probably going to be creature heavy, there  is rarely a need to be stingy with token use as you actually want to keep their numbers down to keep Endrek and his brothers alive (not at the same time, of course, as he is Legendary).

3 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder

3 Marsh Flitter

Every black deck needs some removal and a couple of black creatures provide removal as a bonus effect.  Sure, it doesn't help you against mono-black decks but if you are facing one they will at least be in the same boat, or potentially worse if they have pure non-creature removal that can't be used at all against a black deck.

3 Nekrataal

3 Shriekmaw

There is a need to get some production out of the early turns.  Dunerider Outlaw is excellent as your opponent is forced to act quickly against them before they grow out of hand and will discourage him from  attacking for fear a counterattack will make his situation worse.  Ravenous Rats are great as they help empty your opponent’s hand giving him fewer options for dealing with your creatures.

4 Dunerider Outlaw

4 Ravenous Rats

Often, the first Liege will be played early with Morph.  The drawback with Morph, is that it is effectively putting a big sign on your card that says, 'Kill me now, please!!'  Therefore, it would be nice to have some beefier creatures that can survive a little direct damage.  In a mono-black deck, Nightmares are particularly powerful and a Plague  Sliver is the casual version of the old timer staple Juzam Djinn making them both excellent candidates for the deck.

3 Nightmare

2 Plague Sliver

In fact, the big beef is sooo good, it would be nice to have some additional mana sources to get them out a little faster.  And a mana source that can slip in for 5 damage when your opponent has a empty board due to your removal and chump blocking growing Outlaws and big  beefier black creatures are even better.

4 Phyrexian Totem

With the totems, you make a smoother mana curve and can afford a couple for finishers for the end game.  Stronghold Overseer is an excellent choice as it can rarely be blocked and can hit for a significant chunk of damage.  Just like Batman needs a Robin, the Stronghold Overseer makes an effective partner for the Pit Fiend.  (Okay, so maybe Batman-Nightwing would be a better example but this isn't about comic books!)

3 Stronghold Overseer

Finally, every deck needs a just because card and this one, Mirri, the Cursed, is mine.  This hasted, First Striker fits in the theme perfectly and seems to be an ideal complement to the rest of the deck.  If you don't have a Mirri, the Cursed already lying around, feel free to toss in another Pit Fiend or Plague Sliver.  You can even go with another Nightmare or Stronghold Overseer but your mana curve won't be nearly as nice. I guess this is another place in the recipe where it is appropriate to 'season according to taste'.

1 Mirri, the Cursed

You'll notice that this deck is heavily weighted towards creatures with no enchantments and only a few artifacts.  This is to overload the well-balanced decks that try and address all threats, all the time.   However, when playing this deck, be careful about putting out too many threats at once, leaving you vulnerable to mass effects such as damnation.  Many of the threats are large enough that you will quickly win if they are not promptly dealt with.  It is far better to play them sparingly, replacing them as needed than to put several out hoping for a one or two turn blowout.

This deck works best with a decent amount of land, despite the presence of totems.  I strongly suggest that you use the following:

24 Swamp

Try it, and if you can't resist adding in land to splash another color into the deck, I certainly won't tell. 

The total card count for the deck is a nice and lean 60 cards.  As listed, the deck costs a total of 9.16 tickets.  However there are plenty of opportunities to lower the cost if that is an issue.  It  definitely passes the fun test, as the large number of beefy creatures backed by creature-based removal should leave you in control of the  board most of the time.  Try it!  You'll like it.  If not, well flame me in the comments section, after all, that is why it is there.

-Raphael