Overview:

This Golgari superfriends/combo deck leverages Carth the Lion as a powerful planeswalker tutor and loyalty accelerator. The primary strategy focuses on deploying high-impact planeswalkers quickly using fast mana and ritual effects, then protecting them while activating game-winning ultimates or assembling efficient combo kills. Secondary win conditions include storm lines with Aetherflux Reservoir, Bolas's Citadel/Necropotence-enabled combos, and infinite mana into Walking Ballista. Carth is essential for consistency, enabling explosive turns by cheating planeswalkers into play and doubling their loyalty output with his static ability.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Explosive Start (Turns 1-2): Deploy fast mana (Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Mana Vault, Lotus Petal) or dorks (Birds of Paradise, Deathrite Shaman). Cast Carth on turn 2 using rituals (Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual) or Delighted Halfling. Tutor for key pieces with Vampiric Tutor, Imperial Seal, or Worldly Tutor.
2. Planeswalker Surge (Turns 2-4): Use Carth's ETB/death trigger to fetch critical planeswalkers: Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (loyalty doubling), Grist, the Hunger Tide (board control/combo), or Wrenn and Realmbreaker (ramp/recursion). Activate loyalty abilities immediately with Carth's cost reduction. The Chain Veil enables multiple activations.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 3-5):
   • Combo:
     • Chain of Smog + Witherbloom Apprentice (infinite life loss)
     • Devoted Druid + Swiftfoot Boots/Lightning Greaves + Walking Ballista (infinite mana → infinite damage)
     • Bolas's Citadel + Aetherflux Reservoir + Top-deck manipulation (storm kill)
   • Planeswalker Ultimates: Activate Liliana, Dreadhorde General's -9, Vraska, Golgari Queen's -9, or Nissa, Who Shakes the World's -8 with Vorinclex doubling counters.
   • Infinite Mana: Use Finale of Devastation (X=10+) or Walking Ballista as outlets.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 1-2 lands + 1-2 fast mana/dorks OR a ritual + Carth.
• Prioritize hands containing tutors (Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor), fast planeswalker enablers (Delighted Halfling, Mox Opal), or combo pieces.
• Reject hands lacking mana acceleration or Carth without protection/recursion.
• Hands with Ad Nauseam + low avg. CMC (1.8) are keepable even with 1 land.

Key Tips:

• Carth Triggers: Sacrifice planeswalkers to Phyrexian Tower or Vraska, Golgari Queen's +2 to trigger Carth's death search.
• Protection: Use Heroic Intervention, Veil of Summer, Defense Grid, and Yavimaya Hollow to shield planeswalkers/combo pieces.
• Recursion: Reanimate key planeswalkers or Eternal Witness for critical spells. Wrenn and Realmbreaker enables graveyard casting.
• Interaction Timing: Cast Deadly Rollick, Toxic Deluge, or Force of Vigor at instant speed via Emergence Zone.
• Vorinclex Synergy: Deploy Vorinclex before planeswalkers to double loyalty on entry. Pair with Vraska, Betrayal's Sting for instant poison kills.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severe vulnerability to graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void), shutting off recursion, Devoted Druid, and Grist/Carth triggers.
• Crippled by Drannith Magistrate/Lavinia, Azorius Renegade, preventing Carth casting and planeswalker tutoring.
• Opposition Agent nullifies 11 tutors and Carth's ability.

Moderate

• Struggles against stax like Rule of Law (limits combo turns) and Cursed Totem (shuts off dorks/Devoted Druid).
• Board wipes (Farewell) disrupt planeswalker protection via creatures and reset loyalty progress.
• The One Ring/Necropotence life loss accelerates defeat if combos fizzle.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction makes countermagic-heavy metas challenging despite Veil of Summer.
• Blood Moon effects can disrupt greedy mana base, though basics provide mitigation.

Most Important Cards:

• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Doubles loyalty counters, enables instant ultimates)
• Carth the Lion (Commander: planeswalker tutor & loyalty accelerator)
• Chain of Smog (Primary combo piece with Witherbloom Apprentice)
• Devoted Druid (Infinite mana enabler with untap effects)
• Ad Nauseam (Draws 20-30 cards with low avg. CMC, finds combo pieces)
• Bolas's Citadel (Storm engine with Reservoir/Top)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds any combo piece or answer)
• Dark Ritual (Enables T1/T2 Carth or planeswalkers)
• The Chain Veil (Activates planeswalkers multiple times per turn)
• Delighted Halfling (Uncounterable Carth, fixes mana)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 9/10

• Capable of T2-3 wins with perfect hands (e.g., Ritual → Carth → Tutor → Combo) and consistent T4-5 victories via planeswalker ultimates or combos.

Resilience: 7/10

• Extensive tutors, recursion (Reanimate, Eternal Witness), and protection spells provide recovery, but core strategy folds to specific, common hate pieces.

Consistency: 9/10

• 14 tutors, 8+ draw engines (Sylvan Library, Necropotence, Ad Nauseam), and redundant combo lines ensure reliable access to win conditions.

Interaction: 7/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy), board wipes (Toxic Deluge), and stack protection (Veil of Summer), but lacks counterspells beyond situational options.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at cEDH-viable speeds with multiple T2-4 win lines, exceptional consistency via tutors, and robust combo redundancy, aligning with tiered cEDH benchmarks. However, its vulnerability to ubiquitous graveyard/commander hate and reliance on unprotected creatures for key combos prevent it from reaching tier 1 resilience.

Power level: 8.5 - 9.0