Overview:

This mono-black deck leverages Starscream's monarch mechanics to fuel a life-drain strategy centered around punishing opponents for drawing cards. The primary game plan involves establishing the monarchy early via cards like Thorn of the Black Rose and Court of Locthwain, then deploying synergistic permanents such as Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Underworld Dreams, and Fate Unraveler to amplify damage. Win conditions include incremental life loss from forced draw, explosive X-spells like Exsanguinate, and combos enabled by Exquisite Blood. Starscream serves as both a monarch enabler and damage amplifier, though the deck functions adequately without it due to redundant monarch sources and standalone payoffs.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Establish Monarchy (Turns 1-4): Prioritize early monarch enablers like Thorn of the Black Rose, Marchesa's Decree, or Custodi Lich. Use low-cost evasive creatures (Changeling Outcast, Gingerbrute) to trigger Starscream's conversion if necessary.
2. Deploy Engines (Turns 3-6): Resolve key draw-punishment permanents: Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Underworld Dreams, Fate Unraveler, Psychosis Crawler, and Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted. Supplement with card advantage via Phyrexian Arena, Black Market Connections, or Greed.
3. Force Draw & Amplify Damage (Turns 4-7): Activate symmetrical draw effects like Howling Mine, Teferi's Puzzle Box, and Master of the Feast to trigger damage stacks. Leverage Bloodletter of Aclazotz to double life loss during your turn.
4. Execute Win Conditions (Turns 5-8):
   • Life Drain: Cast Exsanguinate or Gray Merchant of Asphodel with amplified mana from Cabal Coffers/Crypt Ghast.
   • Combo: Pair Exquisite Blood with any opponent life-loss source (e.g., Sheoldred, Custodi Lich) for infinite triggers.
   • Burst Draw: Resolve Peer into the Abyss with damage enhancers for lethal.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including Bojuka Bog/utility lands if applicable).
• Prioritize early monarch enablers, ramp (Sol Ring, Jet Medallion), or a critical mass of payoffs (2+ damage engines).
• Include at least one card draw/advantage piece (e.g., Black Market Connections, Sign in Blood).
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or with only high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Monarchy Defense: Use deathtouch tokens from Ophiomancer and combat tricks like Darkness to retain the crown. Rogue's Passage/Whispersilk Cloak make Starscream unblockable.
• Life Management: Balance life payments (Necrologia, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor) with lifegain from Sheoldred/Exquisite Blood. K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth enables explosive plays but requires caution.
• Tutor Targets: Fetch Exquisite Blood for combos, Cabal Coffers for mana, or Toxic Deluge for board control.
• Timing: Cast symmetrical draw effects after establishing damage engines. Hold Imp's Mischief to protect key pieces or redirect removal.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Minimal board wipe recovery; relies on fragile recursion like Mortuary Mire.
• Severely weak to enchantment/artifact removal targeting Exquisite Blood, Underworld Dreams, or mana engines.
• Graveyard hate (Bojuka Bog, Dauthi Voidwalker) disrupts Gray Merchant/Mortuary Mire.

Moderate

• Struggles against fast aggro due to limited early blockers.
• Life-loss effects can backfire without consistent lifegain.
• Rule of Law effects hinder the deck's ability to chain spells.

Minor

• Monarch theft forces reactive gameplay.
• High life-payment costs risk self-elimination.

Most Important Cards:

• Exquisite Blood (Combo enabler/win condition)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Primary damage engine/lifegain)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana amplification for X-spells)
• Peer into the Abyss (Burst draw/win condition)
• Underworld Dreams (Redundant damage engine)
• Exsanguinate (Scalable finisher)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds critical pieces)
• Crypt Ghast (Mana doubling/extort)
• Toxic Deluge (Primary board wipe)
• Teferi's Puzzle Box (Forces draws/disrupts opponents)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Capable of T5-7 wins via Peer into the Abyss + damage engines or Exsanguinate with amplified mana, but reliant on setup turns for monarch/damage stacks.

Resilience: 5/10

• Limited protection (Swiftfoot Boots, Imp's Mischief) and recursion; folds to targeted hate on enchantments/artifacts. Recovers poorly from wipes.

Consistency: 7/10

• High redundancy in damage engines and monarch sources; efficient tutors (Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor) and card draw ensure key pieces are accessible.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Go for the Throat, Deadly Rollick) and wipes (Toxic Deluge, Mutilate) are present but lacks stack interaction beyond Imp's Mischief.

Rating Justification:

The deck achieves T6-8 wins consistently through synergistic damage engines and tutors, placing it in the Optimized Casual tier. However, its fragility to disruption and slow board development prevent higher resilience scores, capping its ceiling.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0