Overview:

This Golgari deck leverages Jenova, Ancient Calamity as a central engine for a +1/+1 counter-focused aristocrats strategy. The primary game plan involves deploying high-power creatures, using Jenova to distribute counters and create Mutants, then sacrificing those Mutants for value via cards like Greater Good, Ashnod's Altar, or Skullclamp to trigger Jenova's card draw. Win conditions include overwhelming combat damage (amplified by equipment like Blackblade Reforged), aristocrat life drain (e.g., Blood Artist), and graveyard-based combos involving Mikaeus, the Unhallowed or Living Death. Jenova is essential for card advantage and counter distribution but is vulnerable to removal, requiring protection like Swiftfoot Boots or recursion. The custom Saga creatures provide significant value and alternate win angles.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize ramp (e.g., Sol Ring, Birds of Paradise, Sakura-Tribe Elder) and low-cost enablers like Carrion Feeder or Dauthi Voidwalker. Cast Jenova ASAP, protecting her with boots or counters.
2. Board Development (Turns 3-5): Play high-power creatures (e.g., Alpha Deathclaw, Agent Frank Horrigan) or custom Sagas. Use Jenova's combat trigger to put counters on another creature, turning it into a Mutant. Deploy sacrifice outlets (Ashnod's Altar, Woe Strider) and value engines (Greater Good, Skullclamp).
3. Value & Sacrifice Loops (Turns 4-7): Sacrifice Mutants during your turn to draw cards equal to their power (Jenova's ability) and fuel graveyard synergies. Recur key pieces with Reanimate, Animate Dead, or Evolution Witness.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Combat: Equip massive creatures (e.g., Alpha Deathclaw with Blackblade Reforged or Grafted Exoskeleton) and attack. Use Rogue's Passage for evasion.
   • Aristocrats: Drain opponents with Blood Artist effects combined with sacrifice loops.
   • Combo: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Walking Ballista (sac Ballista to ping, undying returns it, repeat). Living Death can also enable explosive reanimation turns.
   • Saga Finishers: Resolve custom Sagas like Summon: Primal Odin's "Zantetsuken" for instant kills or Summon: Bahamut's "Mega Flare" for direct damage.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including B/G sources), 1-2 ramp pieces, and Jenova or a sacrifice outlet.
• Prioritize hands with early protection (e.g., Swiftfoot Boots) or recursion (e.g., Reanimate).
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or with only high-cost spells.

Key Tips:

• Maximize Jenova Triggers: Sacrifice Mutants during your turn to draw cards. Use instant-speed sacrifice outlets (e.g., Carrion Feeder) in response to removal.
• Protect Key Engines: Equip Jenova or combo pieces with Swiftfoot Boots/Darksteel Plate. Feign Death effects can counter removal.
• Leverage Graveyard: Tutor creatures to the graveyard with Entomb for efficient reanimation. Living Death can win games if set up properly.
• Saga Sequencing: Time Saga chapters for maximum impact (e.g., Summon: Titan's land recursion before combat).

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Reliance: Crippled by grave hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void), shutting down recursion, Jenova draws, and combo lines.
• Commander Dependency: Jenova removal severely slows counter distribution and card draw, with limited protection redundancy.
• Combo Fragility: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed combos fold to instant-speed removal or graveyard exile.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Struggles to recover from mass removal (Damnation, Toxic Deluge) without a stocked graveyard or active draw engine.
• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: Key equipment (Blackblade Reforged, Skullclamp) and engines (Greater Good) are vulnerable.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells make resolving critical Sagas or combos risky against control.

Minor

• High Mana Curve: Several top-end cards (e.g., custom Sagas, Hoarding Broodlord) can lead to awkward early hands.
• Life Total Pressure: Paying life for cards/effects (e.g., Toxic Deluge, Reanimate) adds up in multiplayer.

Most Important Cards:

• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (Combo enabler, undying synergy)
• Greater Good (Primary card draw engine, sacrifices Mutants)
• Ashnod's Altar (Mana generation, sacrifice outlet)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation, potential win condition)
• Blood Artist (Aristocrat life drain)
• Blackblade Reforged (Combat finisher)
• Entomb (Graveyard setup for reanimation)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds any key piece)
• Swiftfoot Boots (Commander protection)
• Hoarding Broodlord (Tutors any card, enables convoke)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Can threaten wins via combat/combo as early as T5-6 with ideal draws (e.g., T3 Jenova → T4 Mikaeus + Ballista), but custom Sagas and high curve slow average goldfish.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion (Reanimate, Evolution Witness) and protection (boots, Feign Death) provide recovery options, but heavy reliance on graveyard and commander makes it vulnerable to targeted hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tutor suite (Demonic Tutor, Entomb, Eldritch Evolution) and Jenova's card draw ensure reliable access to key pieces, though some win conditions are singleton.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient removal (Assassin's Trophy, Deadly Rollick, Toxic Deluge) handles threats, but lacks stack interaction beyond protection spells.

Rating Justification:

The deck boasts high-speed potential with T5-6 combo/combat wins and strong consistency via tutors, but its critical vulnerability to graveyard hate and commander removal caps resilience. This places it in the Focused tier, capable of fast wins but fragile to disruption.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5