Overview:

This Rakdos deck helmed by Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls is a Group Slug/Punisher strategy focused on dealing incremental, unavoidable damage to opponents through symmetrical triggers and punishing actions like drawing cards, casting spells, tapping lands, or playing lands. Valgavoth acts as a critical engine, rewarding each opponent's "first life loss per turn" with card draw and self-buffing, enabling sustained pressure. The deck leverages damage doublers like Solphim, Mayhem Dominus and Torbran, Thane of Red Fell to amplify triggers, while finishers like Kaervek the Merciless, Archfiend of Despair, and Master of Cruelties capitalize on depleted life totals. The commander is essential for card advantage and scaling threats but is vulnerable to removal despite Ward.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy damage engines like Ankh of Mishra, Harsh Mentor, Blood Seeker, or Nightshade Harvester. Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Rakdos Signet) to enable key 3-4 CMC plays. Cast Valgavoth ASAP if possible.
2. Mid-Game Pressure (Turns 4-6): Resolve major symmetrical damage sources: Sulfuric Vortex, Underworld Dreams, Spiteful Visions, Manabarbs, Roiling Vortex. Protect them with Imp's Mischief or Lightning Greaves. Deploy damage amplifiers like Solphim or Torbran. Use targeted removal (Bedevil, Infernal Grasp) sparingly.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 5-8):
   • Incremental Burn: Stack triggers to overwhelm opponents. Solphim doubles noncombat damage from sources like Spellshock or Kaervek. Archfiend of Despair prevents recovery and amplifies life loss.
   • Combat Finishers: Use Master of Cruelties to set an opponent to 1 life, then finish with any damage source. Rakdos, Lord of Riots enables casting large demons cheaply after life loss.
   • Board Control: Clear threats with Blasphemous Act, Volcanic Fallout, or Decree of Pain while maintaining your engines.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color sources) and at least 1 early damage engine (e.g., Ankh of Mishra, Blood Seeker).
• Prioritize hands containing ramp (Sol Ring, signets) or Valgavoth + protection (Lightning Greaves).
• Avoid hands lacking early pressure or with only high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Damage Wisely: Deploy symmetrical effects after establishing asymmetric advantages (e.g., play Spiteful Visions after Underworld Dreams).
• Protect Key Engines: Use Imp's Mischief, Deadly Rollick, and Chaos Warp to defend Solphim, Sulfuric Vortex, or Valgavoth. Everlasting Torment negates prevention effects.
• Maximize Valgavoth Triggers: Ensure at least one opponent loses life each turn (e.g., via Sulfuric Vortex upkeep triggers) to draw cards and grow Valgavoth.
• Leverage Card Draw: Use Theater of Horrors, Stormfist Crusader, and Valgavoth draws to maintain momentum.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment Vulnerability: Heavily reliant on key enchantments (Underworld Dreams, Sulfuric Vortex); lacks mass enchantment recursion or protection outside counterspells.
• Life Total Pressure: Symmetrical damage (e.g., Manabarbs, Sulfuric Vortex) accelerates your own demise if opponents focus you.
• Combo Weakness: Minimal stack interaction (only Imp's Mischief) struggles against fast combo decks.

Moderate

• Board Wipe Recovery: Limited creature-based ramp/value; relies heavily on noncreature permanents vulnerable to mass removal.
• Lifegain Counters: Despite Everlasting Torment, mass lifegain (e.g., Trostani) can outpace damage without Archfiend of Despair.
• Graveyard Hate: Disrupts Corpse Explosion, Gray Merchant, and recursion from Theater of Horrors.

Minor

• Artifact Reliance: Key mana rocks and Lightning Greaves are vulnerable to mass artifact removal.
• Hand Size Management: Multiple "no max hand size" cards (Decanter, Thought Vessel) are redundant and could be interaction.

Most Important Cards:

• Solphim, Mayhem Dominus (Doubles all noncombat damage, critical for closing games)
• Sulfuric Vortex (Unavoidable damage, prevents lifegain)
• Underworld Dreams (Punishes card draw, major damage source)
• Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls (Commander, card draw engine, win condition)
• Kaervek the Merciless (Scales damage with opponents' spells, finisher)
• Archfiend of Despair (Prevents lifegain, amplifies life loss)
• Roiling Vortex (Early pressure, punishes free spells)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds key pieces/combo enablers)
• Ankh of Mishra (Early-game pressure, punishes ramp)
• Manabarbs (Punishes mana development, forces life loss)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten lethal through stacked triggers by T7-8 with ideal draws (e.g., Torbran/Solphim + multiple engines), but relies on opponents enabling triggers.

Resilience: 4/10

• Limited protection for key pieces; relies on few counterspells/redirects. Recursion is minimal outside Theater of Horrors. Symmetrical effects harm recovery.

Consistency: 5/10

• Multiple redundant damage engines provide functional redundancy, but lacks tutors beyond Demonic Tutor. Card draw is commander-reliant.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Bedevil, Deadly Rollick, Infernal Grasp) handles threats, but lacks board wipes beyond high-cost options and minimal stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

The deck achieves Focused power (T7-8 wins) through potent damage amplification and punishing engines, but its reliance on fragile enchantments, minimal protection, and self-damage lowers resilience. It sits above Casual but below Optimized due to inconsistency and vulnerability.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0