Overview:

This K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth deck leverages life-as-a-resource mechanics to fuel a sacrifice/drain strategy. The commander enables explosive mana acceleration via Phyrexian mana substitution, allowing early deployment of key threats like Gray Merchant of Asphodel or The Meathook Massacre. The deck focuses on recursive creature value engines (Reassembling Skeleton, Cult Conscript), sacrifice outlets (Ashnod's Altar, Viscera Seer), and life-drain payoffs (Blood Artist, Bastion of Remembrance). K'rrik acts as both an enabler for rapid spellcasting and a scaling threat through +1/+1 counters from black spells.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize ramping with Dark Ritual, Sol Ring, or Cabal Coffers/Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth synergy. Deploy sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or Dockside Chef and recursive creatures like Reassembling Skeleton.
2. Engine Assembly (Turns 4-6): Cast K'rrik using life payment to cheat costs. Activate Phyrexian Arena, Midnight Reaper, or Pitiless Plunderer for sustained value. Use Victimize or Chainer, Dementia Master to recur key creatures.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-8):
   • Drain: Amplify Gray Merchant of Asphodel triggers with devotion enhancers like K'rrik's counters.
   • Sacrifice Synergy: Loop creatures with Ashnod's Altar/Pitiless Plunderer to fuel Blood Artist/Bastion of Remembrance.
   • Necrotic Ooze Combos: Utilize graveyard abilities like Skirge Familiar's mana generation paired with Asmodeus the Archfiend's draw power for explosive turns.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (prioritize Cabal Coffers/Urborg).
• Ensure at least one sacrifice outlet, recursion target, or payoff card (e.g., Blood Artist + Viscera Seer).
• Avoid hands lacking black mana sources or with only high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Use K'rrik's life payment strategically – preserve life total until drain engines are online.
• Necrotic Ooze can "borrow" abilities like Skirge Familiar's discard-for-mana or Asmodeus's draw-seven effect from the graveyard.
• Elixir of Immortality protects against decking and resets key graveyard pieces.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme vulnerability to commander removal – K'rrik's cost reduction is irreplaceable, and recasting becomes life-prohibitive.
• No graveyard protection – Stone of Erech and opponents' hate cards cripple recursion strategies.

Moderate

• Life total fragility – Aggressive decks can outpace the drain strategy before it stabilizes.
• Limited board wipe recovery – Only Reassembling Skeleton/Cult Conscript provide recurring blockers.

Minor

• Weak to flyers – Minimal reach/deathtouch outside Plaguecrafter-type effects.
• Artifact reliance – Ashnod's Altar, Swiftfoot Boots, and Phyrexian Arena are soft to artifact/enchantment removal.

Most Important Cards:

• K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth (Mana acceleration/win con)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Primary life-drain engine)
• Ashnod's Altar (Sacrifice outlet/mana generator)
• Pitiless Plunderer (Treasure generation for recursive plays)
• Necrotic Ooze (Graveyard ability synergy)
• The Meathook Massacre (Board wipe + drain)
• Chainer, Dementia Master (Recurrence engine)
• Phyrexian Arena (Card advantage)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana scaling)
• Blood Artist (Drain payoff)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Can threaten wins via Gray Merchant loops or drain synergies by T7-8, but lacks fast combos or tutors to reliably accelerate further.

Resilience: 5/10
Moderate recursion and protection (Swiftfoot Boots), but over-reliant on K'rrik and graveyard.

Consistency: 5/10
Limited tutors (Diabolic Tutor, Insatiable Avarice) and situational card draw hinder plan execution.

Interaction: 6/10
Solid targeted removal (Toxic Deluge, Go for the Throat) but minimal stack interaction or stax.

Rating Justification:

The deck demonstrates focused synergy with T7-8 win potential through attrition and drain combos but suffers from commander dependency and graveyard fragility. Its speed aligns with tier 6.0 benchmarks, while resilience issues prevent higher placement.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0