Overview:

This Golgari (Black/Green) Squirrel tribal deck helmed by Hazel of the Rootbloom leverages token generation, sacrifice synergies, and life-drain effects to overwhelm opponents. The primary strategy involves creating abundant Squirrel and Food tokens through cards like Chatterfang, Squirrel General, Deep Forest Hermit, and Peregrin Took, then using them for mana acceleration (via Hazel), card draw, and draining life with cards like Mirkwood Bats and Bastion of Remembrance. Hazel serves as the core engine—her token-copying ability exponentially grows the board, while her mana ability fuels big plays. The deck wins through wide combat (boosted by anthems like Beastmaster Ascension), incremental life drain, or finishers like Exsanguinate. However, the strategy heavily relies on maintaining a board presence and is vulnerable to disruption.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramping with lands/dorks (e.g., Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Rampant Growth) and deploying initial token generators like Prosperous Innkeeper, Gilded Goose, or Squirrel Nest. Cast Hazel by turn 4-5 if possible.
2. Token Proliferation (Turns 5-7): Drop key engines like Chatterfang, Squirrel General, Doubling Season, or Academy Manufactor to amplify token production. Use Hazel’s end-step trigger to copy tokens (prioritizing Squirrels for double tokens). Activate her mana ability to fuel high-impact spells.
3. Value Conversion: Sacrifice tokens to Deadly Dispute, Plumb the Forbidden, or Ravenous Squirrel for card draw, while triggering death/drain effects from Mirkwood Bats and Zulaport Cutthroat.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Combat: Deploy anthems like End-Raze Forerunners or Chitterspitter and swing with an overwhelming Squirrel army. Champion of Lambholt ensures unblockable attacks.
   • Drain: Accumulate life loss through token deaths/sacrifices. Finish with Exsanguinate or Swarmyard Massacre.
   • Recovery/Alternate: Reanimate threats with Rise of the Dark Realms or leverage Osteomancer Adept for graveyard recursion.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including B/G sources), early ramp, and at least one token generator (e.g., Squirrel Nest, Prosperous Innkeeper).
• Prioritize hands with a card-draw engine (Toski, Bearer of Secrets, Idol of Oblivion) or key synergy piece (Chatterfang, Academy Manufactor).
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or overloaded with high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Maximize Token Value: Use Academy Manufactor to convert Food/Treasure/Clue triggers into all three tokens. Chatterfang doubles all tokens (including Foods), creating Squirrels for each.
• Protect Engines: Regenerate key Squirrels with Swarmyard. Save removal (Putrefy, Tear Asunder) for hate pieces like Cursed Totem.
• Exploit Sacrifice Loops: Sacrifice Foods to Peregrin Took for card draw or to Insatiable Frugivore for combat pumps. Skullclamp on 1-toughness tokens draws 2 cards.
• Hazel Synergy: Copy non-Squirrel tokens first to maximize her end-step trigger (e.g., copy a Food, then use the trigger to copy a Squirrel for two tokens).

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board wipes (e.g., Damnation) devastate the token-dependent strategy, with limited recovery outside graveyard recursion.
• Anti-token/ETB hate (Torpor Orb, Cursed Totem) shuts down key generators, mana abilities (Hazel), and death triggers.
• Graveyard exile (e.g., Bojuka Bog) disrupts recursion from Rise of the Dark Realms and Osteomancer Adept.

Moderate

• Spot removal on engines like Chatterfang or Doubling Season slows the deck significantly.
• Artifact/enchantment removal targets critical pieces like Bastion of Remembrance or Skullclamp.
• Flying threats can evade ground-based defenses if not answered by Mirkwood Bats or Scurry of Squirrels.

Minor

• Mana base inefficiency due to tapped lands (e.g., Golgari Rot Farm) can delay early plays.
• Limited stack interaction makes countering game-winning spells difficult.

Most Important Cards:

• Chatterfang, Squirrel General (Token doubler and sacrifice outlet)
• Doubling Season (Doubles tokens and +1/+1 counters)
• Academy Manufactor (Amplifies token generation into triple value)
• Mirkwood Bats (Primary life-drain engine for token strategies)
• Hazel of the Rootbloom (Commander: mana generation and token copying)
• Peregrin Took (Extra Food generation and card draw)
• Bastion of Remembrance (Drain/lifegain on token deaths)
• Skullclamp (Card draw from sacrificing tokens)
• Toski, Bearer of Secrets (Guaranteed card draw on combat damage)
• Deep Forest Hermit (Mass Squirrel generation and anthem effect)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can establish a threatening board by turn 5-6 and win via combat/drain around turns 7-9, but lacks fast combos or turbo mana.

Resilience: 4/10

• Vulnerable to board wipes and hate pieces; relies on limited regeneration (Swarmyard) and recursion for recovery.

Consistency: 6/10

• High redundancy in token generators and drain effects, supported by card draw, but lacks tutors for specific combo pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Putrefy, Tear Asunder, Haywire Mite) handles artifacts/enchantments/creatures, but lacks counterspells and struggles against resolved board wipes.

Rating Justification:

This deck consistently threatens wins around turns 7-9 through token swarms and life drain, aligning with the T8-10 benchmark of Optimized Casual decks. Its vulnerability to common disruption and slower combo potential caps its ceiling at the lower end of High-Power Casual.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5