Overview:

This Grixis deck helmed by Sauron, the Dark Lord combines Orc tribal synergies, Ring temptation mechanics, and reanimation strategies. The primary game plan revolves around amassing Orc Armies through Sauron's triggered ability and cards like Saruman, the White Hand, then leveraging the Ring's temptations for evasion and card advantage. Secondary win conditions include All Will Be One +1/+1 counter combos, reanimating bombs like Archon of Cruelty, and draining opponents through Nazgûl growth. Sauron serves as both an engine (generating armies and card draw) and a resilient threat, though the deck can function through hidden commanders like Lord of the Nazgûl or Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), discard outlets (Moria Scavenger), and early value engines like Call of the Ring. Use Dark Ritual for explosive starts.
2. Army Building (Turns 3-5): Cast Sauron to trigger Orc amassing on opponent spells. Use Saruman, the White Hand and Grishnákh, Brash Instigator to accelerate Army growth. Protect key pieces with Lazotep Plating or Slip Out the Back.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 5-8):
   • Combat: Swing with massive Orc Armies made unblockable via Ring temptations or Cover of Darkness. Orcish Siegemaster and The Reaver Cleaver amplify damage.
   • Combo: Pair All Will Be One with recurring +1/+1 counters from Nazgûl triggers, The Ozolith, or Mauhúr-enhanced amassing.
   • Reanimation: Recur Archon of Cruelty with Animate Dead or Living Death for repeated drain effects.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands (including color-fixing), early ramp, and at least one Army generator or card draw engine.
• Prioritize Black Market Connections, The One Ring, or Mystical Tutor in slower metas.
• Avoid hands lacking interaction if facing aggressive pods.

Key Tips:

• Use Sauron's discard-to-draw ability strategically with Teferi's Ageless Insight for explosive refills.
• Living Death doubles as both a board wipe and reanimation tool when paired with your graveyard setup.
• Ringsight can tutor Nazgûl, combo pieces, or interaction depending on board state.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard reliance (Reanimate, Archon of Cruelty, Living Death) folds to Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void.
• Board wipes cripple Army-centric strategies; limited mass recursion outside Living Death.

Moderate

• Commander-dependent card draw makes Sauron a removal magnet despite ward.
• All Will Be One combo lacks redundancy and is vulnerable to enchantment removal.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction against resolved permanents.
• Mana base struggles with color-intensive costs (e.g., Saruman, the White Hand requires UBRR).

Most Important Cards:

• All Will Be One (Combo centerpiece, army-to-damage converter)
• Lord of the Nazgûl (Army generator, Wraith synergy)
• Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain (Army amplifier)
• The One Ring (Card advantage engine)
• Living Death (Board reset + reanimation)
• Archon of Cruelty (Reanimation target, persistent drain)
• Sauron's Ransom (Filtering + Ring synergy)
• Teferi's Ageless Insight (Draw multiplier)
• Black Market Connections (Flexible value engine)
• Mystical Tutor (Key spell fetcher)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combat or All Will Be One combos by turns 7-8, accelerated by reanimation.

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate recursion and protection spells, but over-reliance on graveyard and commander leaves it vulnerable to hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tutoring (Ringsight, Mystical Tutor) and card draw smooths strategy execution.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Terminate, Go for the Throat) and counterspells (Swan Song), but lacks board wipes beyond symmetrical options.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused synergy with multiple win paths and strong card selection, but its T7-8 goldfish speed and vulnerability to common hate pieces place it below optimized tiers. The balance of resilience and speed aligns with the "Focused" range.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5