Overview:

This Sauron, Lord of the Rings deck focuses on graveyard recursion, Orc army building, and spelllinglinging synergies. The core strategy leverages Sauron's ETB effect to cheat out creatures while using mill/discard effects to fuel reanimation targets. Secondary themes include goad mechanics, treasure generation, and instant/sorcery payoffs like Guttersnipe. While the deck has multiple avenues for value generation, it lacks focused win conditions and struggles with consistency.

Primer:

Core Strategy: This deck seeks to exploit Sauron's powerful ETB effect by combining ramp, self-mill, and reanimation packages. Key phases include: Early Game: Use mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) and card selection (Consider, Faithless Looting) to accelerate Sauron's 8MV cost while filling the graveyard. Midgame: Cast Sauron to amass Orcs 5 and reanimate key threats like Inferno Titan or Voracious Fell Beast. Maintain pressure with board wipes (Languish, Blasphemous Act) and goad effects (Shiny Impetus). Late Game: Leverage recurring value engines like Living Death and Shelob, Dread Weaver while finishing with commander damage or accumulated Orc armies.

Mulligan Priorities:

• 3+ lands with color fixing
• At least 1 ramp artifact
• Graveyard enablers or reanimation spells Avoid hands without early mana development or graveyard interaction.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Sauron casts after milling/discarding high-value targets
• Use Treasure Nabber to disrupt opponents' mana while accelerating your own plays
• Pair Fiery Inscription with flashback spells for repeated damage triggers
• Preserve Arcane Denial for protecting game-winning reanimation attempts

Avoid Traps:

• Overcommitting to board before casting Sauron
• Wasting removal on minor threats instead of holding for combo pieces
• Activating Relic of Sauron's draw ability without graveyard recursion

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Heavy graveyard reliance vulnerable to Rest in Peace effects
• No infinite combos or deterministic win conditions

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from commander tax accumulation
• Limited protection for key pieces

Minor:

• Some vulnerability to flyers despite Voracious Fell Beast

Most Important Cards:

• Living Death
• Reanimate
• Blasphemous Act
• Hostage Taker
• Guttersnipe
• Fiery Inscription
• Treasure Nabber
• Inferno Titan
• Shelob, Dread Weaver
• Extract from Darkness

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can deploy Sauron by turn 5-6 with optimal draws, but lacks early game-ending threats

Resilience: 4/10

• Graveyard dependency creates fragility, though some recursion exists via Living Death and flashback spells

Consistency: 5/10

• Moderate card selection but limited tutors (only Fact or Fiction/Forbidden Alchemy)

Interaction: 6/10

• Good mix of removal (Feed the Swarm, Bitter Downfall) and counterspells (Arcane Denial)

Rating Justification:

The deck shows elements of Focused Casual (4.5) through synergistic packages but lacks the speed and redundancy of Optimized Casual (5.0). While superior to precons in interaction quality, its reliance on an 8MV commander and absence of compact win conditions keep it below tiered high-power builds. Comparable to upgraded precons with focused themes but inconsistent execution.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5