Overview:

This Karador deck is a graveyard-centric midrange strategy leveraging Abzan's recursion tools to outvalue opponents. It combines stax elements, creature-based combos, and efficient interaction to control the game while assembling win conditions through persistent graveyard access. While not cEDH-tier fast, it demonstrates focused optimization with multiple layered threats.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck grinds opponents down with stax pieces (Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben) while filling the graveyard via Hermit Druid, Survival of the Fittest, and self-mill. Key creatures are reanimated through Karador's ability or Necromancy, enabling infinite loops with Karmic Guide/Loyal Retainers and sac outlets like Phyrexian Altar. Secondary wincons include Eerie Ultimatum recoveries and Dauthi Voidwalker theft.

Key Lines:

1. T2 Hermit Druid → T3 mill 10+ cards → Reanimate Vorinclex or Elesh Norn
2. Survival of the Fittest → Discard Karmic Guide → Fetch Fiend Artisan → Sacrifice chain into combo
3. Birthing Pod lines: Sac 3-drop → Loyal Retainers → Sac to reanimate legend → Repeat

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2+ mana sources and either ramp (Birds of Paradise) or enablers (Entomb)
• Prioritize green sources for early Hermit Druid/Survival
• Avoid graveyard-dependent hands without protection against early interaction

Critical Sequencing:

• Deploy stax before developing graveyard against spell-heavy decks
• Hold Dauthi Voidwalker until opponents' key creatures hit graveyards
• Use Volrath's Stronghold to recycle Grand Abolisher during combo turns

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Foldsto grave hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void)
• Limited protection for combo turns (only Grand Abolisher/Silence)

Moderate:

• Slow against fast artifact-based combos
• Stax pieces hurt own noncreature tutors

Minor:

• Mana-intensive recursion (Eerie Ultimatum costs 7)
• Some ETB-tapped lands

Most Important Cards:

• Survival of the Fittest
• Hermit Druid
• Phyrexian Altar
• Entomb
• Birthing Pod
• Dauthi Voidwalker
• Karmic Guide
• Loyal Retainers
• Volrath's Stronghold
• Grand Abolisher

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Can establish stax locks by T3-4 (Deafening Silence + Thalia) and combo kill T5-6 with optimal draws. Hermit Druid enables explosive T3-4 reanimation.

Resilience: 6/10
Multiple recursion engines (Karador, Necromancy, Priest of Fell Rites) but relies on graveyard. Lacks free counterspells, making combos vulnerable to interaction.

Consistency: 8/10
11 tutors (including Survival, Buried Alive, fetchlands) + 8 card advantage engines. Redundant combo lines (Karmic loops, Fiend Artisan chains).

Interaction: 7/10
Premium removal (Swords, Assassin's Trophy) and stax. Lacks stack interaction beyond Silence. Force of Vigor handles artifacts/enchantments.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates at cEDH's lower fringe (T5-6 deterministic wins) but lacks free interaction and compact 2-card combos. It outpaces focused casual decks (rubric 6.0) through stax-backed combos but doesn't reliably threaten T3 wins like high-power decks. The balance of redundancy, stax, and multiple win paths aligns with 6.5-7.0 ("Optimized" tier).

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0