Overview:

This mono-black aristocrats deck leverages Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER as a resilient value engine and win condition enabler. The strategy revolves around sacrificing creatures to generate card advantage, drain opponents' life totals through death triggers, and transform Sephiroth for an emblem that amplifies the drain effects. Key themes include token generation (e.g., Bitterblossom, Ophiomancer), sacrifice outlets (e.g., Ashnod's Altar, Viscera Seer), and payoff cards like Blood Artist and Zulaport Cutthroat. Sephiroth acts as both a card-draw engine and a transformative threat, with the deck aiming to win via incremental life drain, combo finishes (Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond), or overwhelming board states.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy token generators (Bitterblossom, Ophiomancer, Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia) or recursive creatures (Reassembling Skeleton, Bloodghast). Establish sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or Ashnod's Altar. Prioritize ramping with Sol Ring, Cabal Coffers, or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.
2. Value Engine Activation (Turns 3-6): Cast Sephiroth, sacrificing tokens to draw cards. Deploy death-trigger payoffs (Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Bastion of Remembrance) and engines like Dark Prophecy or Grim Haruspex. Use forced-sacrifice effects (Fleshbag Marauder, Plaguecrafter) to disrupt opponents while triggering your own effects.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 5-8+):
   • Life Drain: Amplify death triggers with Drivnod, Carnage Dominus or Pitiless Plunderer. Activate Sephiroth's transform condition by enabling 4+ death triggers in a turn.
   • Combo: Assemble Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond for an infinite life-drain loop.
   • Overwhelm: Generate massive zombie armies via Ghoulcaller Gisa or Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder, finishing with Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Craterhoof Behemoth-esque effects (e.g., Avenger of the Fallen).

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including a Swamp.
• Prioritize early token generators/sac outlets (e.g., Viscera Seer + Bitterblossom).
• Include at least one payoff card (e.g., Blood Artist) or engine (e.g., Dark Prophecy).
• Avoid hands lacking ramp, sac outlets, or payoff synergy.

Key Tips:

• Transform Sephiroth Efficiently: Use instant-speed sacrifices (e.g., Deadly Dispute) during opponents' turns to hit the 4-death trigger threshold faster. The emblem ensures drain effects persist even if Sephiroth is removed.
• Protect Key Pieces: Equip Lightning Greaves to Sephiroth or Drivnod. Save Deadly Rollick/Infernal Grasp for combo disruptors.
• Maximize Recursion: Recur Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Massacre Wurm with Victimize or Will of the Abzan. Reanimate high-impact targets like Liliana, Dreadhorde General.
• Leverage Ashnod's Altar: Sacrifice tokens to fuel big spells (e.g., Bolas's Citadel) or combo with Pitiless Plunderer for infinite mana.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples recursion (Reassembling Skeleton, Bloodghast, Victimize) and disrupts key engines.
• Enchantment Removal: Exquisite Blood/Sanguine Bond combo is vulnerable without protection; losing Grave Pact/Dark Prophecy slows the engine.
• Board Wipes: Mass removal (e.g., Farewell) before establishing recursion leaves the deck resource-starved.

Moderate

• Anti-Token Effects: Torpor Orb nulls token generators; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite shuts down small creatures.
• Life-Gain Prevention: Sulfuric Vortex/Tainted Remedy counters the drain strategy.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells make resolving critical sorceries (e.g., Toxic Deluge) risky against blue decks.

Minor

• Artifact Hate: Vandalblast threatens mana rocks/Ashnod's Altar, but redundancy mitigates this.
• Commander Tax: Repeated Sephiroth removal strains mana resources despite ramp.

Most Important Cards:

• Ashnod's Altar (Mana generation, combo enabler)
• Exquisite Blood (Primary combo piece)
• Pitiless Plunderer (Treasure generation, combo potential)
• Blood Artist (Core life-drain payoff)
• Bitterblossom (Consistent token generation)
• Drivnod, Carnage Dominus (Doubles death triggers)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Game-ending life swing)
• Sanguine Bond (Combo finisher)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana acceleration)
• Viscera Seer (Free sac outlet, scry)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Goldfish wins typically occur T7-T8 via combo or amplified drain effects, accelerated by fast mana (Dark Ritual, Cabal Coffers).

Resilience: 7/10

• High recursion (Reassembling Skeleton, Will of the Abzan), card draw engines (Sephiroth, Dark Prophecy), and redundancy in payoffs mitigate disruption.

Consistency: 8/10

• Numerous token generators, tutors (Deadly Dispute, Victimize), and card draw ensure reliable access to key pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Infernal Grasp, Sheoldred's Edict) and board wipes (Damnation, Toxic Deluge) are solid but lack stack interaction outside Deadly Rollick.

Rating Justification:

The deck demonstrates high consistency and resilience with redundant engines and recursion, enabling T7-8 wins through efficient combos or synergistic drain effects. While faster than casual builds, it lacks the speed/protection for cEDH, fitting the "Focused" tier.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5