Overview:

This mono-black deck centers around zombie tribal synergies and sacrifice/value engines, with Zenos yae Galvus serving primarily as targeted removal rather than a core win condition. The strategy focuses on generating zombie tokens through cards like Open the Graves, Syphon Flesh, and Army of the Damned, then leveraging death triggers from Vengeful Dead, Nadier's Nightblade, and Marauding Blight-Priest for incremental life drain. Zenos provides targeted creature control but requires setup to transform, and Shinryu's alternate win condition is highly situational. The deck lacks efficient ramp and card advantage engines, relying on slow, grindy value accumulation.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Play swamps, deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), and low-cost zombies like Cryptbreaker or Mire Triton. Use removal (Murder, Shoot the Sheriff) to disrupt opponents.
2. Token Generation (Turns 3-6): Resolve key enchantments (Open the Graves, Endless Ranks of the Dead) and sacrifice payoffs (Vampiric Rites, Phyrexian Vault). Cast token generators like Syphon Flesh or Dread Summons.
3. Grind & Drain (Turns 5+):
   • Sacrifice tokens to Deadly Dispute/Fain, the Broker for cards/treasure.
   • Amplify life loss via Vengeful Dead, Marauding Blight-Priest, and Nadier's Nightblade.
   • Close games with Army of the Damned or Zenos's transform trigger if an opponent is low.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands and at least one early play (ramp, zombie, or removal).
• Prioritize hands containing token generators (Open the Graves, Cryptbreaker) or card draw (Ambition's Cost).
• Avoid hands with only high-cost spells (e.g., Zodiark, Umbral God, Army of the Damned) without ramp.

Key Tips:

• Sacrifice Sequencing: Use Eaten Alive or Deadly Dispute to sacrifice tokens before blockers to maximize death triggers.
• Zenos Utility: Cast Zenos to remove a key threat, but don't rely on transforming him. His -2/-2 effect pairs well with your deathtouch creatures (Mire Triton).
• Graveyard Management: Liliana, Untouched by Death enables zombie recursion; save Bojuka Bog for graveyard-dependent opponents.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severely lacks ramp (only 3 sources) and card draw engines, leading to resource starvation.
• No protection against board wipes; struggles to rebuild after mass removal.
• Overly dependent on slow token generators; easily outpaced by faster decks.

Moderate

• Zenos/Shinryu transformation is inconsistent and rarely impacts the game.
• Limited interaction for non-creature threats (only Feed the Swarm for enchantments).
• Weak to graveyard hate (shuts down Liliana, Diregraf Colossus, recursion).

Minor

• Life-drain effects are incremental and easily outscaled by aggressive decks.
• Temple of the False God risks being a dead draw early.

Most Important Cards:

1. Open the Graves (Primary token engine)
2. Army of the Damned (Massive zombie swarm)
3. Endless Ranks of the Dead (Scaling token production)
4. Vengeful Dead (Key life-drain payoff)
5. Cryptbreaker (Early token generator and card draw)
6. Toxic Deluge (Only scalable board wipe)
7. Ambition's Cost (Critical card draw)
8. Diregraf Colossus (Graveyard-scaled threat)
9. Invoke Despair (Versatile removal/card advantage)
10. Syphon Flesh (Token generation + disruption)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 3/10

• Wins via slow combat/drain rarely before T10-12; no fast combos or explosive turns.

Resilience: 2/10

• Minimal protection/recursion; board wipes cripple the strategy with no recovery tools.

Consistency: 4/10

• Few tutors/draw engines; relies on top-decking key pieces after initial hand.

Interaction: 5/10

• Decent targeted removal (Murderous Rider, Pile On), but lacks counterspells and artifact/enchantment answers.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as "Structured Jank" with a coherent zombie/sacrifice theme but suffers from critical flaws in ramp, draw, and win speed. Its T10-12 combat/drain victories align with lower power tiers, while fragility to disruption caps resilience.

Power level: 2.5 - 3.0