Overview:

This is a combat-focused deck built around Maarika, Brutal Gladiator, utilizing forced combat, fight mechanics, and creature buffs to control the board while generating value through the commander's sacrifice trigger.

Primer:

The deck's primary strategy revolves around making Maarika an efficient combat threat while using fight mechanics and forced combat to clear the board and generate value through the commander's sacrifice ability. The deck includes various forms of protection and combat tricks to ensure Maarika survives combat, while cards like Tergrid, God of Fright and Professional Face-Breaker provide additional value engines.

The deck operates by establishing early ramp through cards like Sol Ring and Elvish Mystic, then deploying Maarika with protection. The deck uses fight spells and combat tricks to clear blockers and generate advantage through forced sacrifices. Secondary win conditions include commander damage and value accumulation through cards like Whip of Erebos and Professional Face-Breaker.

Weaknesses:

• The deck is heavily reliant on its commander and can struggle if Maarika becomes too expensive to cast.
• Limited answers to flying creatures outside of direct combat.
• Vulnerable to mass exile effects and graveyard hate.
• The deck can struggle against go-wide strategies that can provide multiple blockers.

Most Important Cards:

1. Sol Ring
2. Lightning Greaves
3. Heroic Intervention
4. Tergrid, God of Fright
5. Demonic Tutor
6. Professional Face-Breaker
7. Shadowspear
8. Vampiric Tutor
9. Champion's Helm
10. Whip of Erebos

Attribute Ratings:

• Speed: 5/10
• Resilience: 6/10
• Consistency: 6/10
• Interaction: 5/10

Rating Justification:

This deck falls into the 5.5-6.0 range on the power scale. While it has strong tutors and protection pieces, its reliance on combat damage and creature-based interaction makes it slower than higher-powered decks. The presence of efficient tutors and protection pieces elevates it above casual level, but the combat-focused strategy and lack of infinite combos keeps it from reaching higher power levels. The deck can consistently execute its gameplan around turns 7-8, which aligns with a power level rating of 6.0.

Final power level rating: 5.5 - 6.0

The deck has good tutor density and protection pieces, but its combat-focused strategy and reliance on the commander make it more suited for focused mid-power tables rather than high-powered environments. While it can generate significant value through its commander's ability, it typically won't threaten wins before turn 7-8 without perfect draws.