Overview:

This Golgari deck revolves around The Gitrog Monster, leveraging land sacrifice and dredge mechanics to fuel a combo-centric strategy. The commander enables massive card draw whenever lands hit the graveyard, synergizing with dredge cards like Dakmor Salvage, Golgari Grave-Troll, and Stinkweed Imp. The primary win condition is the classic Gitrog combo: using Dakmor Salvage and a discard outlet (e.g., Noose Constrictor, Wild Mongrel) to generate infinite draws, then looping Kozilek, Butcher of Truth to avoid decking and finish with Exsanguinate or combat. Secondary plans include landfall value and midrange attrition. The deck’s speed and consistency stem from tutors like Final Parting and Wishclaw Talisman, but it heavily depends on the graveyard and commander synergy.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Ramp with dorks (Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic) and land tutors (Cultivate, Rampant Growth).
   • Cast Gitrog ASAP to enable land-sacrifice draws. Use Zuran Orb or Ghost Quarter to trigger Gitrog.
   • Mill/dredge aggressively with Skull Prophet, Golgari Grave-Troll, or Grapple with the Past to fill the graveyard.

2. Combo Assembly (Turns 4-7):

   • Tutor for Dakmor Salvage (via Sylvan Scrying, Crop Rotation) and discard outlets (Noose Constrictor, Putrid Imp).
   • Dredge Dakmor with Gitrog to draw the deck, using Kozilek to recycle the graveyard.
   • Cast Exsanguinate for lethal or loop Oblivion Crown-enhanced creatures for combat wins.

3. Alternative Lines:

   • Use Oracle of Mul Daya/Azusa, Lost but Seeking for landfall value.
   • Recur threats with Riftsweeper or Lively Dirge.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with Gitrog, a land tutor, and early ramp. Prioritize Dakmor Salvage or a way to fetch it.
• Avoid hands without green/black sources or excessive high-cost spells.

Key Tips:

• Protect Gitrog: Use Tamiyo's Safekeeping or Assassin's Trophy to counter removal.
• Manage Graveyard: Time Kozilek shuffles to dodge exile effects. Shred Memory can disrupt opponents or transmute for key 2-CMC cards.
• Leverage Flash Speed: Emergence Zone lets you cast Gitrog or combo pieces at instant speed.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (e.g., Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) instantly cripples the combo and value engines.
• Commander removal disrupts the deck’s core draw engine, requiring heavy protection investment.

Moderate

• Limited stack interaction; struggles against counterspells or instant-speed combo disruption.
• Slow recovery from board wipes targeting mana dorks and key creatures.

Minor

• Vulnerable to land destruction targeting critical utility lands (e.g., Dakmor Salvage, Emergence Zone).

Most Important Cards:

• The Gitrog Monster (Engine: enables draws, combo)
• Dakmor Salvage (Combo piece: infinite dredge)
• Kozilek, Butcher of Truth (Shuffles graveyard, combo enabler)
• Final Parting (Tutors Dakmor + discard outlet)
• Wishclaw Talisman (Tutor for combo pieces)
• Exsanguinate (Primary finisher)
• Noose Constrictor (Discard outlet for combo)
• Oracle of Mul Daya (Land acceleration)
• Assassin's Trophy (Versatile removal)
• Crop Rotation (Fetches Dakmor/utility lands)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Can assemble the combo as early as Turn 5-6 with optimal draws, but lacks fast mana (e.g., Mana Crypt) for cEDH-level speed.

Resilience: 5/10

• Relies heavily on the graveyard and commander; folds to well-timed hate but has some recursion (Riftsweeper, Noxious Revival).

Consistency: 8/10

• Multiple tutors, land-searching, and Gitrog’s draw engine ensure frequent access to combo pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient spot removal (Beast Within, Feed the Swarm) but minimal stack interaction outside protection spells.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.5–7.0 power level, capable of threatening wins by Turn 5-6 through a resilient combo but held back by graveyard vulnerabilities and slower mana. Its consistency and tutors align with optimized casual tiers, while its fragility to common meta answers prevents cEDH viability.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0