Overview:

This Sauron, the Dark Lord deck focuses on amassing Orc armies, leveraging Ring temptation mechanics, and utilizing graveyard recursion to overwhelm opponents. It combines token generation with value engines from The Ring's effects and reanimation strategies to maintain board presence and card advantage.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to build overwhelming board states through three synergistic pillars:

1. Amass Engine: Trigger Sauron's Orc army creation via opponents' spells and dedicated enablers like Saruman, the White Hand. Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain amplifies +1/+1 counters on armies.
2. Ring Temptation: Use 9x Nazgûl and cards like Call of the Ring to grow Wraiths and enable Sauron's explosive draw-four ability. Lord of the Nazgûl converts instant/sorcery casts into Wraith tokens.
3. Graveyard Value: Reanimate, Rise of the Dark Realms, and Sauron, the Necromancer recur threats. The Ozolith preserves counters from fallen creatures.

Key Lines:

• T4-6: Establish Ring temptation chains with Nazgûl while building armies
• Midgame: Cast Sauron to punish spell-heavy opponents and refuel hands
• Endgame: Overwhelm with massive armies or reanimated hordes via Rise of the Dark Realms

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + early plays (Orcish Bowmasters, Rhystic Study)
• Prioritize Nazgûl/Ring enablers in creature-light hands
• Avoid slow openers without ramp or card advantage

Critical Interactions:

• Maskwood Nexus makes all creatures Wraiths/Orcs for tribal synergies
• The One Ring protects during setup turns while enabling card draw
• In the Darkness Bind Them steals opponents' creatures post-temptation

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Vulnerable to graveyard hate (Rest in Peace shuts down recursion)
• Relies on 9x Nazgûl as key engine pieces

Moderate

• Limited early board presence (needs T3-4 to start rolling)
• Weak to flying/evasion strategies

Minor

• Some tapped lands slow early development
• Life payment mechanics (Black Market Connections) add pressure

Most Important Cards:

• Nazgûl
• The One Ring
• Rhystic Study
• Lord of the Nazgûl
• Saruman, the White Hand
• Reanimate
• Rise of the Dark Realms
• Orcish Bowmasters
• Grim Hireling
• Toxic Deluge

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10
Establishes threats by T4-6 but lacks turbo combo potential. Fastest win via T7-8 Rise of the Dark Realms.

Resilience: 6/10
Multiple recursion engines and protection from The One Ring mitigate disruptions, but critical tribal pieces remain vulnerable.

Consistency: 6/10
9x Nazgûl provide redundancy, while Ringsight and Praetor's Grasp offer targeted tutoring.

Interaction: 7/10
Strong suite of removal (Cyclonic Rift, Fire Covenant) and counterspells (Swan Song, Flusterstorm).

Rating Justification:

This focused midrange deck combines synergistic tribal strategies with strong interaction and recursion, operating optimally in turns 7-9. While lacking cEDH speed, it outclasses precons through card quality and multiple win paths.

Power level: 5.0 - 6.0