Overview:

This Old Stickfingers deck focuses on self-mill and graveyard synergy to power massive creature threats and explosive reanimation plays. The core strategy leverages the commander's ability to selectively fill the graveyard while enabling recursive value engines and game-ending Living Death/Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord plays.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck operates in three phases:

1. Graveyard Loading: Use early self-mill engines (Stitcher's Supplier, Mesmeric Orb, Hermit Druid) and targeted dumping (Buried Alive, Entomb) to stock the graveyard with key creatures.
2. Value Recursion: Leverage Eternal Witness, Genesis, and Meren of Clan Nel Toth to reuse key spells while building board presence through recursive threats like Golgari Grave-Troll.
3. Game Ending: Convert graveyard mass into lethal through Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord sacrifices (enabled by Lord of Extinction), Living Death army swings, or Peer into the Abyss draws into overwhelming advantage.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands (preferably untapped duals)
• Prioritize early mill engines or Buried Alive/Entomb
• Acceptable to keep 1-2 payoff cards if graveyard enablers are present
• Mulligan away hands relying solely on 4+ CMC plays

Key Tips

• Sequence Old Stickfingers casts carefully - X=3-5 often optimal to hit critical creature density without overextending
• Use Perpetual Timepiece/Bojuka Bog defensively to protect key graveyard assets
• Living Death doubles as both board wipe and wincon - time with Massacre Wurm/Souls of the Lost in grave
• Hermit Druid activates multiple times per turn with Conduit of Worlds

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate Vulnerability: Foldsto Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void with limited enchantment removal
• Glass Cannon Tendencies: Overreliance on graveyard makes it fragile to multiple targeted exiles

Moderate

• Slow Combo Assembly: Limited tutors (only Entomb, Buried Alive, Traverse the Ulvenwald) for key pieces
• Board Wipe Recovery: Minimal instant-speed recursion outside Heroic Intervention

Minor

• Mana Base Inconsistency: 12 taplands and limited ramp slow early turns

Most Important Cards:

• Living Death
• Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
• Lord of Extinction
• Hermit Druid
• Buried Alive
• Entomb
• Genesis
• Meren of Clan Nel Toth
• Mesmeric Orb
• Peer into the Abyss

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Can threaten T5-6 kills with ideal Buried Alive into Reanimate sequences, but lacks true T3-4 combos.

Resilience: 5/10
Multiple recursion engines but vulnerable to graveyard hate stacking. Heroic Intervention/Force of Vigor provide limited protection.

Consistency: 7/10
30+ mill effects and 5 tutors enable reliable graveyard filling, though dependent on payoff draws.

Interaction: 5/10
Moderate spot removal (Assassin's Trophy, Abrupt Decay) but lacks free counterspells or stax pieces.

Rating Justification:

This optimized graveyard deck has explosive potential but lacks the speed/protection of true cEDH lists, landing in high-power casual ranges. Its focused gameplan and redundancy justify a 5.0-6.0 rating.

Power level: 5.0 - 6.0