Overview:

This mono-black aristocrats deck leverages Sephiroth's sacrifice and death trigger mechanics to generate card advantage and life drain pressure. The core strategy revolves around sacrificing expendable creatures (tokens, recurrable creatures like Gravecrawler) to fuel Sephiroth's draw engine, accelerate his transformation into One-Winged Angel, and amplify drain effects like Blood Artist and Zulaport Cutthroat. Key win conditions include incremental life drain, Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond combo, and large Exsanguinate casts fueled by Crypt Ghast/Ashnod's Altar. Sephiroth acts as both a value engine and win condition accelerator, with transformation enabling exponential drain via his emblem.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy cheap sac outlets (Carrion Feeder), token generators (Ophiomancer, Ghoulish Procession), or recurrable creatures (Reassembling Skeleton). Prioritize ramp (Jet Medallion, Arcane Signet) and card draw engines (Skullclamp, Morbid Opportunist).
2. Commander & Engine Deployment (Turns 3-5): Cast Sephiroth with fodder ready. Sacrifice creatures to draw cards and pressure opponents with death triggers (Blood Artist). Use tutors (Diabolic Intent, Fleshwrither) to find key pieces like Pitiless Plunderer or Exquisite Blood.
3. Accelerate Transformation (Mid-Game): Chain creature deaths via forced sacrifices (Fleshbag Marauder, Plumb the Forbidden) to trigger Sephiroth's life loss/gain ability 4x in a turn. Transform Sephiroth to gain the emblem, doubling all future death triggers.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Drain: Amplify death triggers with Drivnod, Carnage Dominus or the emblem. Overwhelm opponents with Zulaport Cutthroat effects.
   • Combo: Resolve Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond/Enduring Tenacity for an instant win loop.
   • Big Mana: Generate treasures/sac fodder, then cast Exsanguinate for lethal.
   • Combat: Use Westvale Abbey to flip into Ormendahl, Profane Prince for a hasty, lifelinking finisher.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including utility (Bojuka Bog).
• Prioritize early sac outlets (Carrion Feeder), token generators, or Sephiroth enablers (Gravecrawler).
• Look for ramp (Dark Ritual, Jet Medallion) or card draw (Skullclamp, Night's Whisper).
• Avoid hands lacking sacrifice fodder or with only high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Sacrifice Sequencing: Sacrifice creatures before forced-sac effects resolve to maximize triggers. Use Ashnod's Altar for instant-speed mana.
• Protect Key Engines: Guard Pitiless Plunderer, Drivnod, and drain effects with Malakir Rebirth or Lightning Greaves.
• Maximize Triggers: Plumb the Forbidden sacrifices count toward Sephiroth's transformation trigger. Drivnod, Carnage Dominus doubles emblem triggers.
• Recursion Loops: Gravecrawler + Carrion Feeder + Pitiless Plunderer generates infinite death triggers/mana.
• Timed Interaction: Use Toxic Deluge/Force of Despair to clear boards while advancing your death-trigger count.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Bojuka Bog, Rest in Peace cripple recursion (Gravecrawler, Dread Return, Victimize).
• Enchantment Removal: Losing Exquisite Blood/Sanguine Bond disrupts the primary combo.
• Board Wipes: Recovering from mass removal is slow without established engines.

Moderate

• Anti-Sacrifice Effects: Tajuru Preserver/Sigarda, Host of Herons nullifies forced sacrifices.
• Artifact/Enchantment Focused Hate: Destroys key pieces like Ashnod's Altar or Skullclamp.
• Life Gain Strategies: Outpaces incremental drain; requires combo to overcome.

Minor

• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells make resolving combo pieces risky.
• Mana Constraints: Heavy black pip requirements strain mana base under Blood Moon effects.

Most Important Cards:

• Pitiless Plunderer (Mana generation, combo enabler)
• Exquisite Blood (Primary combo piece)
• Ashnod's Altar (Sac outlet, mana acceleration)
• Drivnod, Carnage Dominus (Trigger doubler, win accelerator)
• Sanguine Bond (Combo finisher, drain amplifier)
• Skullclamp (Card draw engine)
• Zulaport Cutthroat (Incremental drain, redundancy)
• Diabolic Intent (Tutor for win conditions)
• Gravecrawler (Recurrable sac fodder, combo piece)
• Crypt Ghast (Mana doubling for Exsanguinate)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten T5-7 wins with ideal draws (combo/Exsanguinate) but relies on setup for consistent pressure.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion and redundancy mitigate single-target removal, but graveyard/enchantment hate causes major setbacks. Limited protection for key pieces.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong draw (Necropotence, Skullclamp) and tutors (Diabolic Intent, Fleshwrither) reliably access combo pieces and engines.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Infernal Grasp, Tragic Slip) and board wipes (Toxic Deluge), but lacks stack interaction beyond Force of Despair.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused speed (T6-8 wins) through combos and drain synergies, supported by strong consistency via tutors and draw. However, its reliance on graveyards and key enchantments lowers resilience against common disruption, preventing higher optimization.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5