Overview:

This Golgari deck leverages Savra, Queen of the Golgari as a sacrifice-focused control engine, combining aristocrats strategies with token generation. The primary game plan involves sacrificing creatures (especially tokens) to trigger Savra's forced sacrifices and life gain, while draining opponents through cards like Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Syr Konrad, the Grim. Secondary win conditions include overwhelming token armies buffed by Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest or Creakwood Liege, and explosive graveyard recursion via Living Death or Izoni, Thousand-Eyed. Savra is central to the strategy, enabling board control and life manipulation, but the deck includes potent alternatives like Chatterfang, Squirrel General and Meren of Clan Nel Toth as "hidden commanders."

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Play mana accelerants (Sol Ring, Golgari Signet) or token generators (Ophiomancer, Golgari Germination). Prioritize sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or Vampiric Rites.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Deploy Savra alongside drain effects (Blood Artist, Mirkwood Bats). Sacrifice tokens to control opponents' boards via Savra's black trigger. Use Ashnod's Altar or Pitiless Plunderer for mana acceleration. Recur key pieces with Eternal Witness or Golgari Thug.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 6-9):
   • Drain/Life Swing: Amplify sacrifice triggers with Sanguine Bond or Dina, Soul Steeper. Syr Konrad, the Grim punishes graveyard movement.
   • Token Overrun: Flood the board with Pests/Saprolings (Blight Mound, Tend the Pests), then buff with Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest or Creakwood Liege.
   • Graveyard Nuke: Cast Living Death with stocked graveyard for massive ETB/drain triggers.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including Golgari sources like Woodland Cemetery).
• Prioritize early sacrifice outlets (Viscera Seer, Nantuko Husk) or token generators (Ophiomancer, Blight Mound).
• Include at least one card draw/engine piece (Moldervine Reclamation, Deadly Dispute).
• Avoid hands lacking sacrifice synergies or with only high-cost spells.

Key Tips:

• Sacrifice Sequencing: Sacrifice black creatures first for Savra's forced sacrifice, then green for life gain. Use Spore Frog for combat control.
• Protect Engines: Equip Swiftfoot Boots to Savra or key pieces like Pitiless Plunderer. Golgari Charm regenerates your board.
• Maximize Triggers: Chatterfang, Squirrel General doubles tokens, enabling more sacrifices. Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar generates infinite mana with a token doubler.
• Graveyard Management: Use Golgari Thug to recur combo pieces. Victimize reanimates two threats for one sacrifice.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severe vulnerability to graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void), shutting off recursion, Syr Konrad, and undergrowth.
• Crippled by sacrifice prevention (Tajuru Preserver, Sigarda, Host of Herons) or token hosers (Torpor Orb, Cursed Totem).
• Struggles against fast combo decks due to slow setup and limited stack interaction.

Moderate

• Board wipes reset token armies and sacrifice fodder; recovery relies on graveyard recursion.
• Enchantment removal disrupts key engines (Sanguine Bond, Moldervine Reclamation).
• Mana base has limited fixing; relies on tapped duals (Golgari Rot Farm, Temple of Malady).

Minor

• Life-gain strategies can outpace incremental drain without Sanguine Bond.
• Limited card draw outside sacrifice synergies; risks running out of steam.

Most Important Cards:

• Pitiless Plunderer (Mana engine, enables infinite combos with token doublers)
• Ashnod's Altar (Sacrifice outlet, mana acceleration, combo enabler)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Primary drain engine, punishes graveyard play)
• Chatterfang, Squirrel General (Token doubler, sacrifice outlet, win condition)
• Blood Artist (Core drain effect)
• Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest (Token/tokenless win condition via +1/+1 counters)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation, board reset, win condition)
• Ophiomancer (Reliable token generation)
• Meren of Clan Nel Toth (Recursion engine, value generator)
• Sanguine Bond (Life-gain converter, win condition amplifier)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Wins typically around turns 7-9 through incremental drain or token overruns. Fastest wins require perfect setups (e.g., Pitiless Plunderer + token doubler).

Resilience: 6/10

• Recursion (Eternal Witness, Meren) and protection (Golgari Charm, Swiftfoot Boots) mitigate disruption, but graveyard reliance creates a critical vulnerability.

Consistency: 6/10

• Multiple token generators and redundancy in drain effects provide stability, but lacks tutors for key non-creature pieces like Sanguine Bond.

Interaction: 7/10

• Strong targeted removal (Assassin's Trophy, Mortality Spear), board control (Plaguecrafter, Golgari Charm), and graveyard hate (Gisa, Glorious Resurrector). Lacks counterspells.

Rating Justification:

The deck executes a focused aristocrats strategy with strong synergy and interaction, capable of T7-9 wins through drain effects or token swarms. Its resilience is hampered by graveyard dependency and slower setup than top-tier decks, placing it in the Optimized Casual tier.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5