Overview:

This mono-black deck revolves around accelerating "speed" counters via life loss triggers, leveraging The Speed Demon's card draw engine to fuel life-drain synergies and reanimation value. While lacking infinite combos, it aims to overwhelm with incremental advantage from speed-scaling payoffs, recursion loops, and late-game bombs like Exsanguinate or Rise of the Dark Realms. The strategy balances life payment as a resource with extort/aristocrats-style lifegain to offset commander damage.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
The deck seeks to cast The Speed Demon by T4-5 using 29 Swamps and moderate ramp. Speed increases via cards like Creeping Bloodsucker and Twilight Prophet trigger the commander's end-step draw. This card advantage fuels graveyard recursion (Victimize, Reanimate) and powers life-drain payoffs (Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Psychosis Crawler). Key Raceway lands provide speed acceleration and utility at max speed.

Mulligan Priorities:

• 3+ lands (prioritize untapped)
• 1-2 ramp pieces (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet)
• Early speed enablers (Basilica Screecher, Changeling Outcast)
  Avoid hands without black sources or reliant on 4+ cmc plays.

Key Tips:

• Time commander casts post-board setup to avoid removal.
• Use Library of Leng + discard outlets (Avishkar Raceway) for card selection.
• K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth enables explosive turns by converting life to mana.
• Protect critical engines like Crypt Ghast with Fake Your Own Death.

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending creatures pre-wrath.
• Wasting speed triggers on low-impact life loss.
• Keeping hands with multiple high-cmc cards early.

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) cripples recursion.
• Repeated commander removal stalls card draw.

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes.
• Limited redundancy in speed acceleration.

Minor:

• Life total management via lifegain offsets self-damage.

Most Important Cards:

• Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• Crypt Ghast
• Exsanguinate
• Psychosis Crawler
• K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
• Twilight Prophet
• Unholy Annex
• Demonic Pact
• Library of Leng
• Gixian Puppeteer

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• T5-7 wins via Exsanguinate/overwhelming board. No fast mana beyond Sol Ring.

Resilience: 6/10

• Moderate recursion (4 reanimation spells) and protection (Fake Your Own Death). Vulnerable to graveyard disruption.

Consistency: 6/10

• 8 draw engines but only 3 tutors. Speed mechanics provide scaling card advantage.

Interaction: 5/10

• 10 targeted removal spells (Infernal Grasp, Go for the Throat). Lacks counterspells/graveyard hate.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 4.5-5.0 power level - above precons but below optimized lists. Its T5-7 wins and moderate interaction align with "Focused Casual" (4.5), while recursion engines and commander reliance place it near "Optimized Casual" (5.0). It lacks the fast mana, infinite lines, and protection seen in 5.5+ decks.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0