Overview:

This K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth deck focuses on life-payment synergies and explosive black mana acceleration to power out game-ending threats. While packing strong individual cards and lifegain/drain engines, it lacks focused infinite combos and relies on incremental value through zombie tokens, extort triggers, and big mana payoffs like Bolas's Citadel/Aetherflux Reservoir. The deck straddles between aristocrats and big black strategies without fully committing to either.

Primer:

Core Strategy: This deck leverages K'rrik's life-for-mana ability to accelerate into high-impact black permanents while offsetting life costs through extort triggers and drain effects. Key phases:

1. Life Engine Setup: Deploy extort creatures (Pontiff of Blight, Basilica Screecher) and lifelinkers (Vampire Nighthawk) to mitigate K'rrik's costs
2. Mana Explosion: Use Cabal Coffers/Crypt Ghast with K'rrik's cost-cheating to power out Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Vilis, Broker of Blood
3. Payoff Turns: Convert life/mana advantage into Aetherflux Reservoir kills, Command the Dreadhorde reanimation, or Phage the Untouchable commander damage

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands including Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth/Cabal Coffers
• Require 1-2 early lifegain sources (Gifted Aetherborn, Diamond Mare)
• Prioritize T2-3 K'rrik enablers (Dark Ritual, Culling the Weak)

Key Tips:

• Sequence life payments carefully - maintain 10+ life for Necropotence activations
• Use Sensei's Divining Top to manipulate Bolas's Citadel chains
• Lightning Greaves protects K'rrik but delays +1/+1 counters from his casting trigger

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No protection for K'rrik beyond Greaves (folds to 3+ removals)
• Lacks infinite mana/damage combos to close games

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes (only Command the Dreadhorde as mass recursion)
• Overreliance on Cabal Coffers (weak to Field of Ruin effects)

Minor:

• Limited stack interaction (only 5 instant-speed answers)

Most Important Cards:

• Necropotence
• Aetherflux Reservoir
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• Bolas's Citadel
• Crypt Ghast
• Demonic Tutor
• Cabal Coffers
• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• Vilis, Broker of Blood
• Sword of Fire and Ice

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Goldfish potential T5-6 via Reservoir/Citadel
• Slow zombie token plan drags average

Resilience: 4/10

• No free protection spells
• Recursion limited to single-use effects

Consistency: 7/10

• 6 tutors + topdeck manipulation
• Redundant lifegain/drain effects

Interaction: 5/10

• 10 targeted removals but mostly sorcery-speed
• No countermagic beyond Temporal Extortion politics

Rating Justification:

The deck sits between rubric levels 5.5-6.0. It exceeds strong precons with fast mana (Mana Crypt) and explosive T5-6 Reservoir kills (Optimized Casual ceiling), but lacks cEDH-level consistency/protection. Key differentiators from true 6.5 decks: no infinite combos, minimal free interaction, and commander dependency. Closest to "Focused" (T7-8 wins) but dragged down by clunky top-end like Deathbringer Regent.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0