Overview:

This mono-black Rat tribal deck helmed by Marrow-Gnawer focuses on swarming the board with Rat tokens, leveraging their numbers for life drain, poison proliferation, and combat wins. The commander enables evasion (fear) and exponential token generation via its sacrifice ability. Key themes include token multiplication (Piper of the Swarm, Twisted Sewer-Witch), sacrifice payoffs (Mirkwood Bats, Ayara, First of Locthwain), and alternate wincons like poison (Ichor Rats, Blightbelly Rat) and recursion (Patriarch's Bidding). Marrow-Gnawer is critical for scaling token production but requires significant setup to maximize its ability.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy low-cost Rats (Typhoid Rats, Rat Colony), mana rocks (Sol Ring, Charcoal Diamond), and hand disruption (Burglar Rat).
2. Token Explosion (Turns 4-6): Cast Marrow-Gnawer or token generators like Chittering Witch/Lord Skitter, Sewer King. Sacrifice Rats to Marrow-Gnawer to create exponential tokens.
3. Wincon Activation:
   • Combat: Overwhelm with fear-enabled Rats boosted by Bad Moon/Heraldic Banner.
   • Drain: Mirkwood Bats, Ayara, and Gray Merchant of Asphodel convert token generation into life loss.
   • Poison: Spread counters via Ichor Rats/Blightbelly Rat, then proliferate.
   • Recursion: Rebuild boards post-wipe with Patriarch's Bidding/Revenge of the Rats.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 Swamps and early Rats/mana accelerants.
• Prioritize Rat Colony/Pack Rat for early pressure or Marrow-Gnawer enablers.
• Avoid hands without a turn 1-2 play or excessive high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Use Piper of the Swarm’s steal ability with a critical mass of Rats.
• Save Crippling Fear/Kindred Dominance to clear blockers or protect your board.
• Sacrifice Rats to Old Flitterfang or Village Rites before board wipes.
• Haunted One gives undying to bypass removal and boost combat damage.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board wipes (e.g., Blasphemous Act, Damnation) cripple the deck’s momentum with minimal recovery outside Patriarch's Bidding.
• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Bojuka Bog) nullifies recursion and Revenge of the Rats.

Moderate

• Anti-token tech (Cursed Totem, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite) stifles token generation and combat plans.
• Slow setup: Relies on 5-CMC commander and incremental token growth, struggling against fast combo decks.

Minor

• Limited card draw beyond Sign in Blood/Ayara risks running out of gas.
• Minimal stack interaction (no counterspells, few instant-speed answers).

Most Important Cards:

• Marrow-Gnawer (Token generator + evasion enabler)
• Mirkwood Bats (Life drain engine)
• Patriarch's Bidding (Mass recursion)
• Piper of the Swarm (Token generation + steal effect)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life swing finisher)
• Ichor Rats (Poison starter)
• Rat Colony (Scaling combat threat)
• Ayara, First of Locthwain (Drain + card draw)
• Haunted One (Protection + power boost)
• Kindred Dominance (One-sided board wipe)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• Wins via combat/drain typically around T8-10. Poison lines are slower and require setup.

Resilience: 3/10

• Vulnerable to board wipes and lacks robust protection. Limited recursion beyond Patriarch's Bidding.

Consistency: 5/10

• Redundant Rat generators but few tutors (only Ratcatcher). Relies on drawing key payoffs.

Interaction: 3/10

• Minimal removal (Feed the Swarm, Defile) and no counterspells. Focused on board control via wipes.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Casual/Precon level (T10-12 wins) through incremental token pressure and synergy-based drains but lacks the speed, interaction, and resilience of optimized builds. Its dependence on Marrow-Gnawer and vulnerability to common disruption tools caps its ceiling.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5