Overview:

This Dimir Zombie tribal deck led by Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver focuses on generating a critical mass of Zombie tokens and leveraging death/sacrifice synergies. The primary game plan involves creating an army of decayed Zombies through Wilhelt's ability, Open the Graves, and token generators like Army of the Damned, then amplifying their impact with lords (Diregraf Captain, Death Baron) and sacrifice payoffs (Plague Belcher, Bastion of Remembrance). A secondary combo win condition exists with Gravecrawler + Rooftop Storm + a sacrifice outlet (e.g., Carrion Feeder) + Diregraf Captain to drain opponents. Wilhelt enables card draw and token generation but isn’t strictly essential to the strategy, as the deck can function through other Zombie synergies.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Dimir Signet), Zombie lords (Diregraf Captain), and value engines like Undead Augur. Use Gravecrawler and Carrion Feeder to start building a board.
2. Midgame Engine (Turns 4-6): Cast Rooftop Storm to enable free Zombie casting or drop Gray Merchant of Asphodel for life drain. Generate tokens via Liliana, Death's Majesty, Dread Summons, or Wilhelt’s decayed triggers.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-8+):
   • Combat: Overwhelm with buffed Zombies using Liliana's Mastery or Lord of the Accursed.
   • Combo: With Rooftop Storm, infinitely recast Gravecrawler (sacrificing to Carrion Feeder), triggering Diregraf Captain or Plague Belcher for lethal drain.
   • Value Drain: Loop Gray Merchant of Asphodel with recursion like Gisa and Geralf or Gravespawn Sovereign.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, at least one ramp artifact (e.g., Sol Ring), and a Zombie lord or token generator.
• Prioritize Rooftop Storm in combo-heavy metas or Grave Pact in creature-heavy pods.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or reliant solely on high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Use Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver’s end-step sacrifice to cycle decayed tokens into card draw.
• Prowling Geistcatcher lets you exile sacrificed creatures and recur them later for explosive turns.
• Bolas's Citadel can cheat out key pieces but requires careful life management.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Reliance: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples recursion and combos.
• Enchantment Vulnerability: Rooftop Storm and Grave Pact are irreplaceable linchpins with limited protection.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Recovering from mass removal (Cyclonic Rift) is slow without Zombie Apocalypse or Liliana, Death's Majesty.
• Combo Fragility: The Gravecrawler loop requires 3-4 pieces and falters to instant-speed interaction.

Minor

• Mana Constraints: Multiple enters-tapped lands (e.g., Dimir Aqueduct) slow early momentum.
• Limited Interaction: Few answers to noncreature threats beyond Feed the Swarm.

Most Important Cards:

• Rooftop Storm (Enables free Zombie casting and combos)
• Gravecrawler (Key combo piece and recursive threat)
• Diregraf Captain (Primary drain engine and lord)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life-swinging finisher)
• Grave Pact (Board control via sacrifice)
• Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver (Token generation and card draw)
• Liliana, Death's Majesty (Recurrence and board wipe)
• Bolas's Citadel (Cheat out spells and alternate wincon)
• Carrion Feeder (Sac outlet and combo enabler)
• Open the Graves (Token generation on death triggers)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten combo wins or lethal swings by turns 6-8 but lacks fast mana to accelerate further.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion (Gisa and Geralf, Gravespawn Sovereign) and card draw (Midnight Reaper) help recover, but key pieces are vulnerable.

Consistency: 6/10

• Multiple token generators and lords provide redundancy, but tutors for combo pieces are limited.

Interaction: 4/10

• Minimal stack interaction (Arcane Denial, Go for the Throat) and situational board control (Aetherspouts).

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused Zombie tribal build with a T6-8 win potential through combat or a fragile combo. While it has strong synergy and recursion, its reliance on key unprotected pieces and moderate speed place it below optimized tiers.

Power level: 5.0 - 6.0