Overview:

This Syr Konrad, the Grim deck is a mono-black aristocrats strategy focused on leveraging death triggers, graveyard filling, and creature recursion to drain opponents. The commander amplifies damage from creature deaths, mill, and graveyard exile/return effects. The deck wins primarily through incremental life loss from Konrad's ability combined with drain effects like Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Bastion of Remembrance, supported by explosive turns with Living Death or the Mindcrank + Konrad combo. Syr Konrad is essential as the primary damage engine and enabler, though vulnerable to removal. "Hidden commanders" include Blood Artist effects and Mindcrank.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Play mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Jet Medallion) or self-milling creatures (Stitcher's Supplier, Millikin). Cast Konrad ASAP with rituals (Dark Ritual) or cost reducers. Establish sac outlets like Viscera Seer or Ashnod's Altar.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Deploy sacrifice fodder (Gravecrawler, Ophiomancer tokens) and drain effects (Zulaport Cutthroat, Bastion of Remembrance). Force sacrifices with Fleshbag Marauder/Plaguecrafter to trigger Konrad. Mill aggressively with Konrad's ability or Perpetual Timepiece.
3. Win Execution (Turns 5-8):
   • Incremental Drain: Sacrifice loops with Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer/Phyrexian Altar (not in list but implied) + drainer.
   • Combo: Activate Konrad's mill ability with Mindcrank in play for potentially infinite damage.
   • Burst: Cast Living Death with a full graveyard, triggering massive death/ETB damage. Use Gray Merchant of Asphodel for life swings.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, early ramp (e.g., Sol Ring), and at least one of: Konrad enabler (mill/sac outlet), payoff (drain effect), or interaction.
• Prioritize hands containing Dark Ritual for T2 Konrad or Ashnod's Altar/Viscera Seer for early sac.
• Avoid hands lacking black sources, Konrad, or engine pieces.

Key Tips:

• Protect Konrad: Equip Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots immediately. Recast him aggressively; his damage scales with graveyard activity.
• Sequence Sacrifices: Stack death triggers by sacrificing in response to Konrad's ability activation for maximum damage.
• Leverage Recursion: Use Tortured Existence or Undead Butler to rebuy key creatures like Gray Merchant or drainers. Wake the Dead can surprise-burst during opponents' turns.
• Manage Graveyard: Protect against hate with Perpetual Timepiece or Bojuka Bog (use on yourself if needed). Angel of Suffering prevents life loss but mills you massively.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples Konrad's damage, recursion, and Living Death. Only Bojuka Bog answers this.
• Commander Reliance: Konrad removal severely slows the deck. Limited protection beyond boots/greaves.
• Board Wipes: Mass removal (Damnation) before establishing recursion engines can cause irrecoverable setbacks.

Moderate

• Exile Effects: Targeted exile (Swords to Plowshares) bypasses death triggers and recursion.
• Combo Disruption: Mindcrank is fragile to artifact removal; the combo lacks redundancy.
• Life Gain Decks: Outpaces incremental drain without a combo finish.

Minor

• Limited Card Draw: Relies on death-trigger draw (Morbid Opportunist), which can be inconsistent.
• Artifact/Enchantment Vulnerability: Key pieces (Ashnod's Altar, Bloodchief Ascension) lack protection.

Most Important Cards:

• Mindcrank (Combo piece with Konrad for potential instant win)
• Ashnod's Altar (Sac outlet, mana generation for loops)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation + board wipe, triggers Konrad massively)
• Blood Artist (Primary drain effect)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life swing finisher)
• Pitiless Plunderer (Generates mana on death for sac loops)
• Gravecrawler (Recursive sac fodder)
• Zulaport Cutthroat (Secondary drain effect)
• Dark Ritual (Enables early Konrad)
• Bastion of Remembrance (Drain + token generation)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combo or Living Death turns 6-7, but requires setup. Incremental drain is slower.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion (Tortured Existence, Gravecrawler) and sac outlets mitigate creature loss, but heavily reliant on graveyard and commander. Minimal protection against hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• High density of sac fodder, drain effects, and self-mill ensures engine pieces are accessible. Tutors like Ripples of Undeath and Deadly Dispute find key cards.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Infernal Grasp, Deadly Rollick) and edicts (Fleshbag Marauder) handle threats, but lacks countermagic and struggles against non-creature permanents.

Rating Justification:

This deck achieves focused T7-8 wins through synergistic aristocrats loops or combo bursts but is highly vulnerable to graveyard hate and commander removal, reducing resilience. Its speed and consistency align with Focused tiers, but fragility caps optimization.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5