Overview:

This Anzrag, the Quake-Mole deck is a Gruul combat-phase engine focused on generating infinite or repeated combat steps to overwhelm opponents with massive creatures and damage multipliers. The strategy revolves around forcing Anzrag to be blocked (via its own ability or equipment like Hexplate Wallbreaker) to trigger untaps and additional combats. Key themes include explosive mana generation (Savage Ventmaw, Elven Chorus), creature power scaling (Unnatural Growth, Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus), and combat-phase redundancy (Moraug, Fury of Akoum, Aggravated Assault). Anzrag serves as both the primary combat enabler and a critical damage source, with the deck featuring multiple ways to protect it (Asceticism, Commander's Plate) and capitalize on its triggers.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Deploy ramp (Nature's Lore, Farseek, Sol Ring) and mana dorks (Elven Chorus, Trailtracker Scout)
   • Cast Anzrag as early as Turn 3-4 using Rhythm of the Wild for haste or Swiftfoot Boots for protection
   • Establish value engines: Sylvan Library, Tribute to the World Tree, Guardian Project

2. Combat Phase Multiplication (Turns 4-6):

   • Force Anzrag blocks using its activated ability or Hexplate Wallbreaker
   • Untap creatures post-combat to fuel:
     • Additional combats via Moraug, Fury of Akoum (landfall triggers)
     • Infinite combats with Aggravated Assault + Savage Ventmaw/Elven Chorus mana
   • Amplify damage with Fiery Emancipation, Berserkers' Onslaught, and Xenagos, God of Revels

3. Win Conditions (Turns 5-8):

   • Infinite combat loops with Anzrag triggers and untap effects
   • One-shot kills via Colossus Hammer on Anzrag (18 commander damage per hit)
   • Overwhelming board states with Unnatural Growth and Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus doubling

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands + ramp (Arcane Signet, Cultivate)
• Prioritize early Anzrag enablers: Rhythm of the Wild, Swiftfoot Boots, or Hexplate Wallbreaker
• Reject hands without combat-phase multipliers or protection

Key Tips:

• Use Nature's Will to untap lands after combat for instant-speed Aggravated Assault activations
• Sword of Feast and Famine enables land untap combos post-combat
• Defense of the Heart can cheat out Xenagos, God of Revels + Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus
• Professional Face-Breaker provides critical card advantage in grindier games

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme vulnerability to Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence (shuts off Anzrag's block-forcing ability and mana dorks)
• Relies heavily on combat phase triggers - Deflecting Palm/Settle the Wreckage can be devastating

Moderate

• Board wipes cripple the creature-dependent strategy (only Asceticism as mass protection)
• Struggles against flying/reach-heavy decks without trample enablers
• Limited stack interaction for protecting combats

Minor

• Graveyard hate marginally impacts Splendid Reclamation/Six
• Artifact removal slows equipment-based strategies but has redundancy

Most Important Cards:

1. Aggravated Assault (Infinite combat enabler with sufficient mana)
2. Anzrag, the Quake-Mole (Core engine and damage source)
3. Moraug, Fury of Akoum (Landfall-based combat duplication)
4. Hexplate Wallbreaker (Forces blocks and provides combat phases)
5. Fiery Emancipation (Triples combat damage output)
6. Savage Ventmaw (Mana generation for combat loops)
7. Unnatural Growth (Massive power doubling)
8. Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus (Second combat doubler with protection)
9. Elven Chorus (Mana generation + topdeck casting)
10. The Great Henge (Card draw and +1/+1 counters)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Can threaten infinite combats or lethal commander damage by Turn 6-7 with optimal draws, but requires specific mana/board setups.

Resilience: 5/10
Limited protection beyond hexproof equipment and Asceticism; heavily commander-dependent with minimal recursion.

Consistency: 6/10
Good ramp and card draw, but key combat enablers lack redundancy (only 3 extra combat sources).

Interaction: 4/10
Minimal removal beyond combat tricks; relies on opponents not disrupting the combat phase engine.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused combat-phase synergy with T6-7 win potential through infinite attacks or commander damage, but its reliance on maintaining board presence and vulnerability to common stax pieces caps its resilience. The balance of speed and fragility aligns with the Focused tier (6.0-6.5).

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5