Overview:

This Rakdos (B/R) deck leverages Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls as a synergistic engine in a lifedrain/punishment strategy. The primary game plan revolves around deploying numerous passive damage sources (e.g., Underworld Dreams, Spiteful Visions, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse) and forced sacrifice/land entry penalties (e.g., Mogis, God of Slaughter, Zo-Zu the Punisher, Polluted Bonds) to trigger Valgavoth's draw/counter ability repeatedly. Win conditions include assembling infinite lifedrain combos (e.g., Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond/Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose/Blood Artist), overwhelming damage from amplified sources (e.g., Solphim, Mayhem Dominus/Bloodletter of Aclazotz + Torment of Hailfire), or grinding opponents out via cumulative triggers. Valgavoth acts as a resilient card advantage engine (ward: pay 2 life) and win-con enabler, but the deck functions effectively without it.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Rakdos Signet, Dark Ritual, K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth) and deploy low-cost punishment effects (Kederekt Parasite, Bloodchief Ascension, Rug of Smothering). Protect key pieces with Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots. Use tutors (Grim Tutor, Gamble) to find engines like Necropotence or Phyrexian Arena.
2. Engine Deployment (Turns 3-6): Establish multiple passive damage sources: Underworld Dreams, Spiteful Visions, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted, Roiling Vortex. Cast Valgavoth to capitalize on triggers. Leverage Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth for explosive mana. Recur threats with Whip of Erebos/Reanimate.
3. Amplification & Win (Turns 5+):
   • Combo: Assemble Exquisite Blood + any lifedrain payoff (Sanguine Bond, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Blood Artist). Trigger with any opponent life loss to create an infinite loop.
   • Damage Doubling: Deploy Solphim, Mayhem Dominus or Bloodletter of Aclazotz before casting Torment of Hailfire, Chandra's Ignition on a large creature, or activating Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin.
   • Grind: Overwhelm opponents with cumulative triggers from Painful Quandary, Mogis, God of Slaughter, Bloodchief Ascension (online), and The Lord of Pain. Use board wipes (Damnation, Blasphemous Act) to reset and trigger death effects.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including B/R sources), 1-2 ramp pieces, and at least 1 early punishment engine or tutor. Prioritize Sol Ring, Dark Ritual, Necropotence, or a low-CMC damage source.
• Hands with Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth/Expedition Map are strong. Avoid hands lacking ramp or with only high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Lifepay Wisely: Use K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth and Necropotence judiciously. Avoid putting yourself in lethal range before stabilizing with lifegain (e.g., Whip of Erebos, Bloodthirsty Conqueror).
• Protect Engines: Enchantments (Exquisite Blood, Underworld Dreams) are critical. Use Bolt Bend and Tibalt's Trickery to counter key removal. Mithril Coat protects Valgavoth/Solphim.
• Maximize Triggers: Mayhem Devil punishes all sacrifice (including fetch lands). Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin grows rapidly with multiple 1-life loss triggers. Bloodchief Ascension wins games if unchecked.
• Leverage Asymmetry: Cards like Spiteful Visions and Rug of Smothering hurt opponents more if you control draw/token generation. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is a powerhouse here.
• Timing is Crucial: Cast Torment of Hailfire/Chandra's Ignition only after deploying damage doublers. Hold Rakdos Charm for graveyard decks or combo finishes.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment Removal: Heavily reliant on key enchantments (Exquisite Blood, Underworld Dreams, Necropotence). Losing them cripples the primary game plan. Deck has limited ways to recur them.
• Graveyard Hate: Bojuka Bog, Rakdos Charm exile, etc., disrupt Reanimate, Whip of Erebos, Persistent Constrictor, and Sheoldred, Whispering One recursion.
• Combo Decks: Slow setup makes it vulnerable to faster combo decks (T4-5 wins). Interaction suite is weak against non-creature spells.

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Mass Removal: Vandalblast, Farewell can wipe mana rocks, doublers (Solphim), and key equipment (Greaves, Boots). Recovery is slow.
• Lifegain Strategies: Can outpace the deck's incremental damage if not answered quickly. Erebos, God of the Dead/Roiling Vortex help but aren't always available.
• Aggressive Decks: Life payment (K'rrik, Necropotence, pain lands) combined with early aggression can pressure life total dangerously.

Minor

• Countermagic: Limited stack interaction beyond Tibalt's Trickery/Bolt Bend. Resolving key spells can be challenging against heavy control.
• Tax Effects: Sphere of Resistance, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben slow down the deployment of multiple engines/tutors per turn.

Most Important Cards:

• Necropotence (Unmatched card advantage engine)
• Exquisite Blood (Core infinite combo piece)
• K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth (Massive mana acceleration)
• Cabal Coffers (Explosive black mana generation)
• Solphim, Mayhem Dominus (Doubles noncombat damage, enabling OTKs)
• Underworld Dreams (Persistent draw punishment)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Powerful symmetric lifedrain)
• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (Enables Coffers, fixes mana)
• Torment of Hailfire (Scalable finisher, amplified by doublers)
• Grim Tutor (Reliable tutor for combo/answers)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can win T4-5 with perfect draws (e.g., T1 Ritual + Necro, T3 Exquisite Blood + payoff) but typically threatens wins via combo or amplified X-spells around T7-9.

Resilience: 5/10

• Has recursion (Whip, Reanimate), protection (Greaves, Boots, Mithril Coat), and card draw (Necro, Valgavoth, Arena), but core enchantments are fragile and life payment risks instability against aggression.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tutor density (Grim Tutor, Gamble, Finale of Devastation missing but implied), potent card draw (Necro, Valgavoth, Sheoldred), and functional redundancy in lifedrain/punishment effects ensure key pieces are found reliably.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Terminate, Infernal Grasp, Deadly Rollick, Chaos Warp) and board wipes (Damnation, Blasphemous Act), but lacks countermagic density and struggles against resolved non-creature permanents. Rakdos Charm offers versatile utility.

Rating Justification:

The deck demonstrates high consistency and a solid speed ceiling (T6-7 wins) through potent tutors, card draw, and explosive mana, placing it above casual tiers. However, its reliance on vulnerable enchantments, moderate resilience to disruption, and slower average goldfish (T8-9) compared to true fast combo decks prevent it from reaching optimized/high-power levels. It excels in grinding value but falters against faster or highly interactive metas.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5