Overview:

This Rakdos deck leverages Black Waltz No. 3 as a central damage engine, building around noncreature spell triggers to ping opponents. The strategy floods the board with Wizard tokens (e.g., Transpose, Mysidian Elder) and damage amplifiers (e.g., Torbran, Thane of Red Fell, Mechanized Warfare), aiming to win through incremental burn damage or infect via Grafted Exoskeleton/Phyresis. The commander is essential for scaling damage but vulnerable to removal, mitigated by recursion (Kaya's Ghostform, Malakir Rebirth) and protection (Swiftfoot Boots). Harmonic Prodigy acts as a critical "hidden commander," doubling all Wizard triggers.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), cheap Wizards (Kessig Flamebreather, Firebrand Archer), and value engines (Phyrexian Arena, Outpost Siege). Prioritize casting Black Waltz No. 3 by turn 4.
2. Amplify & Multiply (Turns 4-7): Resolve damage doublers (Furnace of Rath, Gratuitous Violence) or Harmonic Prodigy. Generate Wizard tokens via Transpose, Circle of Power, or Queen Brahne. Cast noncreature spells (draw, removal, adventures) to trigger board-wide damage.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 6-10):
   • Burn: Chain low-cost spells with amplifiers/prodigy for lethal cumulative damage.
   • Infect: Equip Grafted Exoskeleton or Phyresis to Black Waltz or a token army for poison kills.
   • Combat: Use tokens amplified by City on Fire or Eternal Thirst for swings.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including untapped duals), 1-2 ramp pieces (e.g., Sol Ring, Talisman of Indulgence), and an early Wizard/draw engine.
• Prioritize hands containing Harmonic Prodigy, a damage amplifier, or protection for Black Waltz.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or overloaded with high-CMC enchantments.

Key Tips:

• Protect Critical Pieces: Use Swiftfoot Boots, Kaya's Ghostform, and Not Dead After All on Black Waltz or Harmonic Prodigy.
• Maximize Triggers: Sequence noncreature spells after amplifiers/prodigy resolve. Abuse instant-speed draw (Night's Whisper, Risky Shortcut) for end-step damage.
• Leverage Adventures/Land-Faces: Cast spells like Spikefield Hazard or Reactor Raid from exile to trigger damage without card disadvantage.
• Infect as Finisher: Surprise opponents by equipping Grafted Exoskeleton mid-combat or after blockers are declared.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Mass removal (Blasphemous Act, Damnation) decimates the token army and resets damage engines with minimal recovery tools.
• Anti-Synergy Stax: Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence disable Wizard tap abilities; Torpor Orb nulls token generators like Mysidian Elder.
• Commander Reliance: Repeated removal of Black Waltz No. 3 stalls the game plan due to escalating commander tax.

Moderate

• Graveyard Hate: Exiling recursion (Kaya's Ghostform, Malakir Rebirth) cripples resilience.
• Artifact/Enchantment Removal: Losing key amplifiers (Furnace of Rath, Mechanized Warfare) significantly reduces damage output.
• Life Gain: Outpaces incremental damage without infect.

Minor

• Hand Disruption: Limited card advantage makes discarding impactful but manageable with looting effects.
• Fliers/Evasion: Struggles to block aerial threats but can burn them.

Most Important Cards:

• Harmonic Prodigy (Doubles all Wizard damage triggers)
• Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Key damage amplifier)
• Mechanized Warfare (Amplifies artifact/Wizard damage)
• Grafted Exoskeleton (Infect win condition enabler)
• Transpose (Token generation + card filter + rebound)
• Furnace of Rath (Global damage doubler)
• Kessig Flamebreather (Early damage engine)
• Phyrexian Arena (Sustained card draw)
• Sol Ring (Critical ramp)
• Swiftfoot Boots (Commander protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten wins via amplified triggers or infect by turns 8-10, but lacks fast mana or efficient combos for earlier kills.

Resilience: 4/10

• Limited protection/recursion for key pieces; heavily reliant on board state with poor recovery from wipes.

Consistency: 6/10

• Redundant damage sources (Wizards, amplifiers) and looting ensure core strategy functions, but lacks tutors for critical enchantments/equipment.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Feed the Swarm, Chaos Warp, Sundering Eruption) handles threats, but minimal counterspells or stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a Focused Casual build, leveraging synergistic damage triggers and infect for wins around turns 9-11. Its moderate speed and consistency are offset by critical vulnerabilities to board wipes and stax, preventing higher optimization. The reliance on combat/burn aligns with the 4.5-5.0 tier.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0