Overview:

This Golgari deck helmed by Aphelia, Viper Whisperer focuses on deathtouch synergies, token multiplication, and life-drain effects. The commander enables a swarm of deathtouch Snakes, amplified by doublers like Doubling Season and Parallel Lives, while Hooded Blightfang and Bloodletter of Aclazotz turn combat damage into life loss. Secondary win conditions include Vorpal Sword one-shots, planeswalker ultimates (e.g., Vraska the Unseen), and Triumph of the Hordes infect kills. Aphelia acts as a critical engine for token generation and a late-game finisher via her activated ability, though the deck includes "hidden commanders" like Seshiro the Anointed for card draw and Seedborn Muse for mana acceleration.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy fast mana (Sol Ring, Mox Diamond, Gaea's Cradle) and ramp (Burgeoning, Exploration) to accelerate into Aphelia or token doublers. Use tutors (Demonic Tutor, Worldly Tutor) to find key pieces.
2. Token Generation (Turns 3-5): Cast Aphelia and attack to create Snake tokens. Activate her ability with Saryth, the Viper's Fang to untap lands for repeated activations. Multiply tokens with Doubling Season/Parallel Lives.
3. Life Drain & Combat Wins (Turns 4-7):
   • Use Hooded Blightfang and Bloodletter of Aclazotz to convert deathtouch damage into life loss.
   • Equip Vorpal Sword to a deathtoucher for instant kills.
   • Overrun with Triumph of the Hordes or Beastmaster Ascension.
4. Alternate Lines: Reanimate Sidisi, Undead Vizier for tutoring, or leverage infinite mana via Seedborn Muse + Gaea's Cradle to fuel Aphelia’s ability multiple times per turn cycle.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, fast mana, and at least one engine piece (Aphelia, token doubler, or Survival of the Fittest).
• Prioritize Gaea's Cradle, Necropotence, or tutors if available.
• Avoid hands without early ramp or token generation.

Key Tips:

• Use Dauthi Voidwalker to disrupt opponents’ graveyards while stealing their win conditions.
• Opposition Agent turns enemy fetches into your card advantage.
• Heroic Intervention and Veil of Summer protect against board wipes and targeted removal.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Aphelia’s removal cripples token generation and slows the primary engine.
• Artifact/Enchantment Vulnerability: Key pieces (Vorpal Sword, Doubling Season) are soft to mass removal like Austere Command.
• Board Wipes: Lacks mass recursion; relies on Eternal Witness or Journey to Eternity for recovery.

Moderate

• Graveyard Hate: Bojuka Bog or Rest in Peace disrupts reanimation lines and Dauthi Voidwalker.
• Anti-Token Tech: Cursed Totem nullifies Aphelia’s activation and Seedborn Muse.

Minor

• Life Gain Decks: Prolonged games reduce the efficacy of incremental life loss.
• Fliers: Limited reach outside deathtouch blockers.

Most Important Cards:

• Aphelia, Viper Whisperer (Token generation, life-drain enabler)
• Doubling Season/Parallel Lives (Token/damage multiplier)
• Vorpal Sword (Instant-win combo piece)
• Gaea's Cradle (Mana acceleration for activations)
• Necropotence (Card advantage engine)
• Seedborn Muse (Untap synergy with Cradle/Aphelia)
• Survival of the Fittest (Tutor for key creatures)
• Triumph of the Hordes (Infect finisher)
• Bloodletter of Aclazotz (Life-drain amplifier)
• Demonic Tutor (Consistency for combos)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Fast mana enables explosive starts (Aphelia + doublers by T3), with potential T5-6 wins via Vorpal Sword or Triumph.

Resilience: 6/10

• Protection spells (Heroic Intervention, Snakeskin Veil) and recursion mitigate disruption, but board wipes and commander removal are punishing.

Consistency: 8/10

• High tutor density (7+), card draw (Necropotence, The Great Henge), and redundancy in token/damage multipliers ensure reliable access to win conditions.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Abrupt Decay, Force of Vigor) and stax (Opposition Agent) are present but lacks counterspells beyond Veil of Summer.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 7.0 - 7.5 power level, capable of T5-6 wins through efficient combos and combat synergy. While its speed and consistency rival cEDH decks, vulnerabilities to board wipes and reliance on key non-creature permanents prevent higher-tier placement.

Power level: 7.0 - 7.5