Overview:

This Rakdos (B/R) deck revolves around incremental life loss triggers and punishing opponents for drawing cards or losing life, with Valgavoth serving as a card advantage engine. While it has a game-ending infinite combo with Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond, the deck primarily functions as a midrange value engine using demons and symmetrical draw effects to grind opponents down. Key strengths include redundancy in life-drain effects and multiple angles of attack, but it lacks the speed and protection typical of higher-tier decks.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
This deck aims to pressure opponents through three overlapping layers:

1. Symmetrical Draw Punishment: Cards like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, and Fate Unraveler turn card draws into life loss.
2. Life-Drain Amplification: Bloodletter of Aclazotz, Spiteful Visions, and Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might magnify damage from pinging effects like Kederekt Parasite.
3. Burst Combo Potential: The Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond infinite loop serves as an alternate wincon.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with early mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet)
• Prioritize T3-4 plays like Razorkin Needlehead or Polluted Bonds
• Avoid hands lacking black mana or life-drain enablers

Key Interactions:

• Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might turns every 1-damage ping (from Razorkin Needlehead or Kederekt Parasite) into 4 damage
• Bloodletter of Aclazotz doubles Archfiend of Despair's end-step triggers
• The Lord of Pain punishes early-game ramp spells and cantrips

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending with symmetrical draw effects against combo decks
• Casting Valgavoth without protection in removal-heavy metas
• Keeping slow hands without early interaction or ramp

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No graveyard recursion for key enchantments
• Relies on 4+ mana enchantments vulnerable to Bane of Progress

Moderate:

• Weak to lifegain strategies (only Archfiend of Despair as answer)
• Limited instant-speed interaction for combo disruption

Minor:

• Commander isn't essential to strategy
• Basic-heavy manabase handles blood moon effects

Most Important Cards:

• Exquisite Blood
• Sanguine Bond
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• Archfiend of Despair
• Bloodletter of Aclazotz
• Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• Mogis, God of Slaughter
• Massacre Wurm
• Demonic Counsel

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10
Theoretical T5 win with perfect Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond draw, but averages T8-10 through incremental damage.

Resilience: 6/10
Multiple overlapping life-drain effects provide redundancy, but key enchantments have minimal protection beyond Imp's Mischief.

Consistency: 5/10
Only 3 tutors (Demonic Counsel, Grab the Prize, Sadistic Shell Game), but strong card draw from Valgavoth triggers.

Interaction: 6/10
10 targeted removal spells (Bedevil, Infernal Grasp) and Blasphemous Act, but lacks counterspells for combo protection.

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between the "Optimized Casual" (5.0) and "High-Power Casual" (5.5) brackets. It has a clear infinite combo and strong synergy but lacks:

• The tutor density of 5.5 decks
• Free interaction seen in 6.0+ lists
• Fast mana beyond Sol Ring

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5