Overview:

This Golgari deck helmed by Sméagol, Helpful Guide focuses on sacrifice synergies, land theft, and incremental value from The Ring tempts you mechanic. The strategy revolves around recurring creature deaths to trigger Sméagol's land-stealing ability while amplifying value through cards like Grave Pact, Savra, Queen of the Golgari, and Nazgûl. Key win conditions include overwhelming opponents with buffed Nazgûl, Avenger of Zendikar plant armies, and Field of the Dead zombie swarms, supported by incidental mill via Altar of the Brood and Bloodchief Ascension. Sméagol acts as both an engine and win condition, enabling land acceleration while pressuring opponents' libraries.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Deploy mana dorks (Llanowar Elves, Birds of Paradise) and land-fetch effects (Nature's Lore, Farseek).
   • Establish sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or Phyrexian Altar.
   • Cast Sméagol by Turn 3-4 using ramp, prioritizing protection with Lightning Greaves.

2. Midgame Value (Turns 5-7):

   • Trigger Sméagol's Ring temptation via recurring deaths (Sakura-Tribe Elder, Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia tokens).
   • Activate Grave Pact/Savra to control opponents' boards while building zombie tokens with Field of the Dead.
   • Deploy Nazgûl and Call of the Ring to grow threats incrementally.

3. Win Conditions (Turns 7+):

   • Overrun with boosted Nazgûl (each Tempt adds +1/+1 counters) or Avenger of Zendikar plants.
   • Mill opponents via Altar of the Brood + token spam or Bloodchief Ascension triggers.
   • Steal opponents' wincons using Tinybones, the Pickpocket or Sheoldred // The True Scriptures's saga finale.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, at least one ramp spell, and a sacrifice outlet.
• Prioritize early Sméagol protection (Greaves) or key enablers like Grave Pact.
• Avoid hands without creature generation or sacrifice payoffs.

Key Tips:

• Use Phyrexian Altar + token generators (Awakening Zone, Scute Swarm) for infinite sacrifices with Altar of the Brood.
• Dauthi Voidwalker disrupts graveyards while providing stolen threats.
• Heroic Intervention protects against board wipes during critical turns.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy reliance on Sméagol staying alive; repeated removal cripples land theft engine.
• Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void nullifies recursion, Nazgûl growth, and Bloodchief Ascension.

Moderate

• Struggles against fast combo decks due to slow setup.
• Torpor Orb shuts down ETB triggers from Eternal Witness, Avenger of Zendikar, and Sméagol's token generators.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction beyond Assassin's Trophy and Golgari Charm.
• High mana costs (Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, Lord of the Void) can lead to clunky hands.

Most Important Cards:

• Sméagol, Helpful Guide (Engine/wincon)
• Nazgûl (Scalable threats)
• Grave Pact (Board control)
• Phyrexian Altar (Sacrifice synergy/combo enabler)
• Field of the Dead (Token generation)
• Altar of the Brood (Mill wincon)
• Avenger of Zendikar (Overrun potential)
• The One Ring (Card advantage)
• Sheoldred // The True Scriptures (Recurring threat/board wipe)
• Dauthi Voidwalker (Graveyard hate/thief)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Wins typically around Turns 7-9 through incremental value; lacks fast combos but can accelerate with ideal draws.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple recursion tools (Eternal Witness, Reanimate) and protection (Heroic Intervention), but commander dependency is a liability.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong ramp package and tutors (Scheming Symmetry, Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire) ensure key pieces are found.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Assassin's Trophy, Shriekmaw) and board wipes (Soul Shatter), but minimal countermagic.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a midrange value engine with multiple synergistic win paths but lacks the speed and protection of higher-tier decks. Its T7-9 win potential and moderate resilience align with Focused Casual tiers, though it can struggle against faster metas.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5