Overview:

This Golgari Spider tribal deck helmed by Shelob, Child of Ungoliant focuses on generating Spider tokens, sacrificing creatures for value, and leveraging death triggers to control the board. Shelob acts as both a removal engine (exiling creatures she damages) and a value generator (creating Food tokens), while the deck amplifies these effects with token doublers like Doubling Season and aristocrat payoffs like Nadier's Nightblow. Win conditions include overwhelming combat with buffed Spiders (enhanced by Akroma's Memorial or Triumph of the Hordes), infinite mana combos (Devoted Druid + Staff of Domination), and incremental life drain via Obelisk Spider/Moldervine Reclamation.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana accelerants (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Devoted Druid) and key spiders like Arasta of the Endless Web or Ishkanah, Grafwidow to generate tokens. Use Skullclamp or Deadly Dispute to sacrifice tokens for card draw.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6): Cast Shelob and attack to exile opponents’ creatures, creating Food. Activate Ashnod's Altar or Nadier's Nightblade to sacrifice Spiders for mana/life drain. Deploy token doublers (Parallel Lives, Doubling Season) to amplify Shelob’s triggers.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6+):
   • Combat: Buff Spiders with Akroma's Memorial or Ohran Frostfang, then finish with Triumph of the Hordes.
   • Combo: Generate infinite mana via Devoted Druid + Staff of Domination, then dump mana into Finale of Devastation or Walking Ballista.
   • Graveyard Recursion: Recur key pieces with Patriarch's Bidding or Graveshifter.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Prioritize hands with 2-3 lands (including Golgari sources), early ramp, and at least one token generator or Shelob enabler (e.g., Arasta).
• Keep hands with Skullclamp, Doubling Season, or Ashnod's Altar if supported by early plays.
• Avoid hands with only high-CMC cards or no interaction.

Key Tips:

• Use Arachnogenesis defensively to flood the board with Spiders while neutering attackers.
• Sacrifice Food tokens from Shelob to Ashnod's Altar for mana to fuel combos or Finale of Devastation.
• Protect Shelob with Heroic Intervention or Golgari Charm to maintain your engine.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Relies heavily on creature/token presence; recovery tools (e.g., Patriarch's Bidding) are limited.
• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples recursion and Spider Spawning/Moldervine Reclamation.

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Removal: Key pieces like Doubling Season, Staff of Domination, and Skullclamp are vulnerable.
• Fast Combo Decks: Limited stack interaction makes disrupting opponents’ wins difficult.

Minor

• Fliers: Relies on Spiders’ reach, but lacks evasion for its own attackers outside of Akroma's Memorial.

Most Important Cards:

• Doubling Season (Token/counter amplification)
• Ashnod's Altar (Sacrifice outlet, combo enabler)
• Finale of Devastation (Tutor/win condition)
• Devoted Druid (Infinite mana combo piece)
• Shelob, Child of Ungoliant (Engine/removal)
• Skullclamp (Card draw from tokens)
• Staff of Domination (Combo piece/utility)
• Triumph of the Hordes (Combat finisher)
• Patriarch's Bidding (Recovery/recursion)
• Nadier's Nightblade (Life drain payoff)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten combo/combat wins by turns 6-8, but setup for token generation and combos is slower than optimized decks.

Resilience: 5/10

• Vulnerable to board wipes and targeted removal on key pieces, though recursion (Graveshifter, Patriarch's Bidding) offers partial recovery.

Consistency: 6/10

• Tutors (Worldly Tutor, Diabolic Intent) and card draw (Sylvan Library, Skullclamp) provide moderate access to key cards.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient removal (Assassin's Trophy, Toxic Deluge) and protection (Veil of Summer), but lacks counterspells and struggles against noncreature threats.

Rating Justification:

This deck has focused combos and synergies but lacks the speed and resilience of higher-tier lists. Its reliance on combat and fragile infinite mana lines place it in the optimized casual range, with wins typically achievable by turns 7-9.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0