Overview:

This mono-black Demon tribal deck leverages Ardyn, the Usurper as a graveyard-to-battlefield engine, transforming exiled creatures into 5/5 Demons with menace, lifelink, and haste. The primary strategy combines reanimation (Animate Dead, Reanimate, Chainer, Dementia Master) with explosive mana acceleration (Cabal Coffers/Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Crypt Ghast, Nirkana Revenant) to deploy high-impact Demons. Win conditions include overwhelming combat pressure, Liliana's Contract alt-win, Gray Merchant of Asphodel drain, Torment of Hailfire, and reanimation bombs like Rise of the Dark Realms. Ardyn is essential for token generation and evasion, but the deck's high mana dependency makes it vulnerable to commander removal.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Dark Ritual, Culling the Weak) and graveyard setup (Entomb, Buried Alive). Cast cost reducers like Heartless Summoning or Urza's Incubator.
2. Mid-Game Engine (Turns 5-7): Deploy Ardyn or reanimate key Demons (e.g., Razaketh, the Foulblooded for tutoring, K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth for life-based casting). Use Ardyn's ability to exile opponents' graveyards, creating token Demons. Activate value engines like Phyrexian Arena or Grim Hireling.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 7-9+):
   • Combat: Overwhelm with Demon hordes amplified by evasion (menace/flying) and lords like Archfiend of Depravity.
   • Alt-Win: Assemble 4+ unique Demons for Liliana's Contract.
   • Drain/Combo: Loop Gray Merchant of Asphodel with reanimation or cast Torment of Hailfire with Coffers mana.
   • Reanimation Bomb: Resolve Rise of the Dark Realms or Breach the Multiverse post-wipe.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands, including Urborg/Cabal Coffers if possible.
• Prioritize early ramp (Sol Ring, Dark Ritual) or graveyard setup (Entomb, Blood Speaker).
• Include at least one reanimation spell or cost reducer. Avoid hands lacking acceleration or graveyard interaction.

Key Tips:

• Graveyard Management: Use Doom Whisperer to surveil and Rakshasa Debaser to steal creatures. Time Buried Alive for Razaketh + Vilis, Broker of Blood + combo piece.
• Life as Resource: Leverage K'rrik and Bolas's Citadel for explosive turns; offset life loss with Demon lifelink.
• Protection: Deploy threats post-wipe. Use Imp's Mischief to counter key removal. Sudden Spoiling neuters combat tricks.
• Tutor Wisely: Rune-Scarred Demon and Burning-Rune Demon fetch win cons or answers. Prioritize Liliana's Contract vs. control or Torment of Hailfire vs. go-wide.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void cripple Ardyn, reanimation, and Blood Speaker recursion.
• Commander Focus: Ardyn's high cost (8 mana) makes recastability difficult after repeated removal.
• Board Wipes: Lacks mass recursion; Toxic Deluge is the only wipe, leaving recovery challenging.

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Removal: Destroys key mana engines (Cabal Coffers, Nyx Lotus) and cost reducers (Heartless Summoning).
• Life Total Pressure: Aggro decks exploit life payment from K'rrik, Citadel, and Demonic draw effects.

Minor

• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells; relies on Imp's Mischief for redirection.
• Combo Vulnerability: Slow setup for Liliana's Contract; easily disrupted by spot removal.

Most Important Cards:

• Razaketh, the Foulblooded (Tutor engine, sac outlet)
• Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (Mana acceleration core)
• Liliana's Contract (Alt-win condition)
• K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth (Mana cheat, life synergy)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life drain, recovery)
• Rise of the Dark Realms (Late-game bomb)
• Blood Speaker (Demon tutor recursion)
• Chainer, Dementia Master (Reanimation engine)
• Torment of Hailfire (Scaling finisher)
• Buried Alive (Graveyard setup)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Capable of T7-9 wins with ideal ramp into Razaketh/Torment or Liliana's Contract, but high mana costs delay consistency.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion (Chainer, Blood Speaker) and lifegain mitigate setbacks, but over-reliance on graveyard and commander creates fragility.

Consistency: 7/10

• Extensive tutoring (Razaketh, Demonic Counsel, Rune-Scarred Demon) and card draw (Vilis, Phyrexian Arena) reliably access key pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Snuff Out, Toxic Deluge) and disruption (Sudden Spoiling, Archfiend of Depravity) are present but lacks stack control outside Imp's Mischief.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused reanimator/Demon tribal build with high consistency and explosive mana potential, threatening wins around T7-9 via combat, drain effects, or alt-conditions. However, its critical vulnerability to graveyard hate and commander dependence caps resilience, preventing higher optimization.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5