Overview:

This Wilhelt Zombie tribal deck leverages aristocrats strategies, utilizing death triggers, token generation, and sacrifice outlets to drain opponents while maintaining card advantage. Wilhelt serves as the engine: enabling token generation from dying Zombies and providing card draw through end-step sacrifices. The deck wins through incremental life loss from death triggers (e.g., Blood Artist, Diregraf Captain), explosive drain effects (Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Exsanguinate), or infinite combos enabled by free Zombie casting (Rooftop Storm) and recursion loops. While Wilhelt accelerates the strategy, the deck functions semi-independently through redundant payoffs and recursion.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Dimir Signet), value Zombies (Cryptbreaker, Undead Augur), or tutors (Entomb + Reanimate). Prioritize establishing Wilhelt by turn 3-4.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Use Wilhelt's decayed tokens or expendable Zombies with sacrifice outlets (Ashnod's Altar, Phyrexian Altar, Carrion Feeder) to generate mana, mill opponents (Altar of Dementia), or draw cards. Deploy key payoffs like Diregraf Captain or Grave Pact.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 5-8):
   • Aristocrats Drain: Loop Zombie deaths with Gravecrawler + Sac Outlet + Plague Belcher/Blood Artist for incremental life loss.
   • Burst Drain: Resolve Gray Merchant of Asphodel with high devotion or cast Torment of Hailfire/Exsanguinate for X≥10.
   • Combo: Rooftop Storm + Gravecrawler + Sac Outlet + Death Payoff (e.g., Diregraf Captain) = Infinite death triggers.
   • Reanimation: Living Death or Victimize to overwhelm with Zombie hordes after setup.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including UB sources. Prioritize hands with:
  • Early ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) or a turn 1-2 play (Gravecrawler, Cryptbreaker).
  • A sacrifice outlet (Carrion Feeder, Ashnod's Altar) or card engine (Undead Augur, Midnight Reaper).
  • Wilhelt + protection (Malakir Rebirth) against removal-heavy pods.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or with only high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Exploit Decayed Tokens: Sacrifice decayed tokens before combat to Wilhelt for card draw or to altars for mana. They die anyway after attacking.
• Protect Key Engines: Use Counterspell, Deadly Rollick, or Malakir Rebirth to defend Rooftop Storm, Necropotence, or combo pieces.
• Maximize Recursion: Relentless Dead, Lord of the Undead, and Unholy Grotto retrieve critical Zombies. Entomb sets up Reanimate or Living Death.
• Leverage Asymmetric Wipes: Toxic Deluge and Damnation clear boards while sparing your death-trigger engines. Follow with a reanimation spell.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (e.g., Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) cripples recursion, combos (Gravecrawler), and reanimation plans.
• Enchantment removal targeting Rooftop Storm, Necroduality, or Grave Pact disrupts core engines with limited answers.

Moderate

• Board wipes force heavy reliance on recursion; multiple wipes can exhaust resources despite Living Death.
• Anti-sacrifice effects (Torpor Orb, Hushbringer) nullify death triggers and Wilhelt's token generation.

Minor

• Fast combo decks may outpace this deck's setup turns. Interaction is present but not extensive.
• Lifegain strategies can offset incremental drain, requiring larger Gray Merchant or Torment of Hailfire turns.

Most Important Cards:

• Rooftop Storm (Enables free Zombie casting and combos)
• Gravecrawler (Recursive combo piece/sacrifice fodder)
• Ashnod's Altar/Phyrexian Altar (Mana generation and sacrifice outlet)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Primary life-drain finisher)
• Necropotence (Unrestricted card advantage engine)
• Diregraf Captain (Key aristocrats payoff)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation/reset)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds any critical piece)
• Grave Pact (Asymmetric board control)
• Undead Augur (Card draw tied to Zombie deaths)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combat/drain turns 7-8 consistently; combos with Rooftop Storm enable T5-6 wins with ideal draws.

Resilience: 7/10

• Robust recursion (Relentless Dead, Living Death), card draw (Necropotence, The One Ring), and redundancy in payoffs mitigate disruption. Vulnerable to graveyard/enchantment hate.

Consistency: 8/10

• Multiple tutors (Demonic Tutor, Sidisi, Undead Vizier), card draw engines, and functional redundancy (4+ sacrifice outlets, 5+ drain effects) ensure strategy execution.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient removal (Dismember, Go for the Throat, Cyclonic Rift) and counterspulls (Counterspell, Perplex) handle threats, but lacks stack interaction for noncreatures.

Rating Justification:

The deck achieves focused T7-8 wins through aristocrats drains or combos, supported by high consistency and resilience via recursion/tutors. Its speed and interaction prevent cEDH viability but place it solidly in the optimized casual tier, slightly above strong precons.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5