Overview:

This Grixis (U/B/R) deck helmed by Sauron, the Dark Lord focuses on reanimator strategies, leveraging discard synergies and graveyard recursion to deploy high-impact threats. The commander enables the deck's core mechanics: amassing Orc armies to pressure opponents, triggering Ring temptations for card advantage via discard/draw cycles, and fueling graveyard setups. Key reanimation targets like Archon of Cruelty, Toxrill, the Corrosive, and Massacre Wurm create oppressive board states, while discard engines like Bone Miser, Windfall, and Faithless Looting synergize with Sauron's draw-four ability. The deck can pivot between attrition, combo-like reanimation loops, and overwhelming combat damage via Nazgûl buffs or reanimated beaters.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Ramp with Sol Ring, Talismans, or Dark Ritual.
   • Cast discard outlets (Bone Miser, Faithless Looting) or Sauron to start filling the graveyard.
   • Deploy interaction (Counterspell, An Offer You Can't Refuse) to protect key plays.

2. Mid-Game Reanimation (Turns 4-6):

   • Reanimate Archon of Cruelty, Toxrill, or Sheoldred, Whispering One using Reanimate, Animate Dead, or Necromancy.
   • Use Living Death or Rise of the Dark Realms for mass recursion after self-mill.
   • Trigger Sauron’s draw-four ability via Ring temptations (e.g., Call of the Ring, Nazgûl triggers) to refill hand and fuel Bone Miser.

3. Win Conditions (Turns 6+):

   • Grind opponents out with repeated Archon of Cruelty triggers or Toxrill’s board control.
   • Swing with a massive Orc army (amplified by Nazgûl +1/+1 counters) or The Balrog of Moria.
   • The Meathook Massacre + Living Death for a life-drain finish.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with early ramp (e.g., Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) and discard/reanimation enablers (Faithless Looting, Reanimate).
• Prioritize interaction (counterspells, Toxic Deluge) if facing aggressive metas.
• Avoid hands lacking graveyard setup or payoff cards.

Key Tips:

• Use Bone Miser with Sauron’s discard trigger to generate Zombies, mana, and card draw.
• Necromancy/Animate Dead on Archfiend of Ifnir turns every discard into a board wipe.
• Living Death doubles as a wincon and recovery tool after board wipes.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) cripples reanimation lines.
• Commander reliance: Sauron’s discard-draw engine is pivotal; repeated removal slows the deck.

Moderate

• Slow setup: High-CMC threats require precise sequencing to reanimate early.
• Artifact/Enchantment removal: Targets Bone Miser, The One Ring, and reanimation auras.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction: Only 4 counterspells; struggles against resolved noncreature combos.
• Life loss: Reanimate, Toxic Deluge, and pain lands add up.

Most Important Cards:

• Archon of Cruelty (Recurring value engine and wincon)
• Bone Miser (Discard synergy, generates tokens/mana/cards)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation and board reset)
• Reanimate (Efficient recursion for key threats)
• Toxrill, the Corrosive (Board control and token generation)
• Windfall (Mass discard/refill, fuels graveyard)
• The One Ring (Card advantage and protection)
• Sauron, the Dark Lord (Core engine for tokens and draw)
• Nazgûl (Scalable threats with Ring synergy)
• Toxic Deluge (Board wipe that dodges indestructible)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can reanimate game-winning threats as early as turn 3-4 with Dark Ritual or Jeska's Will, but relies on setup turns for discard/graveyard filling.

Resilience: 5/10

• Multiple reanimation spells and Living Death provide recovery, but graveyard dependency creates fragility.

Consistency: 7/10

• High redundancy in reanimation effects and discard outlets, though lacks tutors for specific creatures.

Interaction: 6/10

• Targeted removal (Feed the Swarm, Toxic Deluge) and counterspells (Mana Drain, Disallow), but light on stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.0 - 6.5 power level, capable of explosive reanimation turns (T4-6 wins) with robust value engines. However, its reliance on the graveyard and slower setup compared to top-tier combo decks limits its ceiling. Resilience is moderate but meta-dependent.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5