Overview:

This Rakdos Goblin tribal deck leverages Mishra, Claimed by Gix's life-drain attack trigger and meld potential with Phyrexian Dragon Engine while focusing on token swarms and aristocrat synergies. The primary win conditions are overwhelming combat damage through Goblin synergies, life drain via sacrifice outlets like Bastion of Remembrance, and the meld transformation into Mishra, Lost to Phyrexia as a late-game finisher.

Primer:

Core Strategy:

1. Token Generation: Use 20+ Goblin generators (Krenko, Mob Boss, Hordeling Outburst) to swarm the board.
2. Sacrifice Payoffs: Convert tokens into damage with Goblin Bombardment or drain with Sling-Gang Lieutenant.
3. Meld Finisher: Attack with Mishra and Phyrexian Dragon Engine to trigger the powerful meld ability.
4. Card Advantage: Leverage Necropotence, Bolas's Citadel, and Skullclamp to out-resource opponents.

Key Interactions:

• Skirk Prospector + Krenko, Mob Boss: Infinite mana with sufficient Goblins.
• Conspicuous Snoop + Goblin Recruiter: Stack topdeck for free Goblin casting.
• Phyrexian Tower + Sling-Gang Lieutenant: Sacrifice outlet with mana generation.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands and early token generators (Dragon Fodder, Legion Warboss).
• Prioritize Arcane Signet/Sol Ring for faster Mishra deployment.
• Reject hands lacking red mana sources or token engines.

Critical Sequencing:

1. Turns 1-3: Deploy token generators and mana rocks.
2. Turn 4: Cast Mishra or Goblin Chieftain to enable attacks.
3. Turns 5+: Flood board with Empty the Warrens storm triggers or Krenko, Mob Boss activations.

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No protection for key creatures (e.g., Krenko, Mob Boss dies to removal)
• Relies on board state for meld condition (easily disrupted)

Moderate:

• Limited answers to enchantments/planeswalkers
• Weak to Blood Artist-style life drain strategies

Minor:

• Some tapped lands slow early plays

Most Important Cards:

• Krenko, Mob Boss
• Skullclamp
• Bolas's Citadel
• Goblin Recruiter
• Phyrexian Dragon Engine
• Necropotence
• Goblin Matron
• Bastion of Remembrance
• Sling-Gang Lieutenant
• Conspicuous Snoop

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Goldfish wins possible T6-7 via token swarm, T8-9 with meld. Limited fast mana beyond Sol Ring.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion via Phyrexian Reclamation helps rebuild, but key combo pieces lack protection.

Consistency: 7/10

• 8 Goblin tutors (Goblin Matron, Recruiter) ensure redundancy. Faithless Looting filters draws.

Interaction: 4/10

• Reactive removal limited to Abrade/Bedevil. No counterspells or board wipes.

Rating Justification:

This deck outperforms casual precons (4.0) through tribal synergy density but lacks the speed and interaction of optimized lists (6.0). The absence of infinite combos and reliance on combat damage align it with the "Optimized Casual" tier (5.0-5.5). While powerful when uncontested, it struggles against decks packing frequent interaction.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5