Overview:

This Rakdos deck leverages Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin to exploit opponents losing exactly 1 life, transforming incidental damage into card advantage and commander growth. The primary strategy revolves around deploying numerous "pingers" (e.g., Kederekt Parasite, Stormfist Crusader) and symmetrical draw/damage effects (e.g., Underworld Dreams, Seizan, Perverter of Truth) to trigger Ob Nixilis repeatedly. This fuels potent win conditions like All Will Be One (converting +1/+1 counters into direct damage), Exquisite Blood combos, storm finishers (Grapeshot), or commander damage via evasion tools. Ob Nixilis is essential as the engine, card advantage source, and win condition enabler, though its 5 CMC and reliance on staying on board make it vulnerable to removal.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), low-cost pingers (Thermo-Alchemist, Devoted Duelist), or symmetrical draw engines (Howling Mine, Scrawling Crawler). Prioritize casting Ob Nixilis by turn 4-5 using rituals (Dark Ritual) or ramp.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Cast Ob Nixilis and protect it with Swiftfoot Boots, Deflecting Swat, or Imp's Mischief. Activate pingers/draw engines to trigger Ob Nixilis, exiling cards for additional plays. Use tutors (Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Grim Tutor) to find key pieces like All Will Be One or Exquisite Blood.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 5-8):
   • All Will Be One: Resolve AWBO and trigger Ob Nixilis counters to burn opponents out.
   • Exquisite Blood Combos: Pair with any lifeloss source (e.g., Blood Artist, Ob Nixilis triggers) for infinite life loss loops.
   • Storm: Use accumulated ping triggers and card draw to fuel Grapeshot storm kills.
   • Commander Damage: Make Ob Nixilis unblockable via Rogue's Passage or Whispersilk Cloak and attack for lethal commander damage.
   • Burst Damage: Leverage Peer into the Abyss + Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted or Bolas's Citadel for explosive turns.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including untapped B/R sources) and early plays: ramp, a pinger, or protection.
• Prioritize hands containing Ob Nixilis + protection or a key engine card (e.g., Underworld Dreams, Stormfist Crusader).
• Avoid hands lacking early interaction, ramp, or Ob Nixilis enablers.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Triggers Carefully: Ensure opponents lose life one at a time to maximize Ob Nixilis triggers (e.g., stagger Blood Artist deaths or use single-target pingers).
• Protect Ob Nixilis Aggressively: Its engine is critical; hexproof equipment and free interaction (Deflecting Swat, Deadly Rollick) are vital.
• Leverage Asymmetry: Use cards like Necropotence, Crypt Ghast, or Mayhem Devil to benefit more from symmetrical effects than opponents.
• Manage Life Totals: Necropotence, Bolas's Citadel, and Peer into the Abyss demand life payment; balance aggression with survival.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment Removal: Losing All Will Be One, Exquisite Blood, or Underworld Dreams cripples wincons/engines. Limited answers (only Feed the Swarm, Debt to the Kami).
• Commander Reliance: Repeated removal of Ob Nixilis (5+ CMC) stalls the deck. Recovery is slow despite Command Beacon.
• Board Wipes: Mass removal (e.g., Farewell) resets pingers and Ob Nixilis, with minimal recursion.

Moderate

• Graveyard Hate: Bojuka Bog/Rakdos Charm disrupt Doomsday lines and recursion (e.g., Peer into the Abyss exile).
• Anti-Draw/Stax: Narset, Parter of Veils or Hushbringer nullifies draw-based triggers and ETB pingers.
• Combo Disruption: Counterspells targeting key enchantments or tutors can delay wins significantly.

Minor

• Life Total Pressure: Aggressive decks can outpace the deck's incremental damage before combos assemble.
• Artifact Hate: Destroys mana rocks and equipment, though less critical than enchantments.

Most Important Cards:

• All Will Be One (Primary Wincon: Converts Ob Nixilis counters into direct damage)
• Exquisite Blood (Infinite Combo Enabler with any lifeloss source)
• Necropotence (Unmatched card advantage, fuels combos)
• Crypt Ghast (Mana acceleration, enables early Ob Nixilis/Peer)
• Deflecting Swat (Free protection for Ob Nixilis/key pieces)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds any wincon/interaction)
• Underworld Dreams (Engine: Draw-based pinging)
• Blood Artist (Recurring trigger source, combo piece)
• Peer into the Abyss (Burst draw/damage with Ob Nixilis triggers)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana amplification with Urborg)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Capable of T5-6 wins via All Will Be One, T4 Exquisite Blood combos, or storm kills with optimal draws/tutors.

Resilience: 5/10

• Free interaction protects key pieces, but heavy reliance on Ob Nixilis and enchantments makes it vulnerable to targeted removal/board wipes. Recursion is limited.

Consistency: 8/10

• Abundant tutors (7+) and card draw (Necropotence, Peer, engines) reliably assemble combo pieces or engine components.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Bedevil, Deadly Rollick) and stack interaction (Deflecting Swat, Red Elemental Blast), but lacks board wipes beyond Damnation/Blasphemous Act.

Rating Justification:

This deck consistently threatens T5-7 wins through efficient tutors, synergistic combos, and high card velocity, aligning with the "Optimized" tier (T6-7 wins). However, its vulnerability to commander removal and enchantment hate prevents higher resilience scores, capping its ceiling.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0