Overview:

This Nekusar, the Mindrazer deck focuses on a "group slug" strategy, leveraging forced card draw and discard effects to burn opponents. The commander amplifies damage through his triggered ability, while redundancy comes from cards like Underworld Dreams, Phyrexian Tyranny, and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. The deck aims to win by chaining wheel effects (e.g., Windfall, Whispering Madness) to trigger multiple damage instances per turn. Secondary threats include token generation via The Locust God and incremental value from Waste Not. Nekusar is critical to maximizing damage output but can be supplemented by other enchantments if removed.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), card draw engines (Howling Mine, Font of Mythos), and key damage amplifiers (Underworld Dreams, Kederekt Parasite). Cast Nekusar as soon as possible (ideally T3-4 with ramp).
2. Midgame Pressure (Turns 5-7): Resolve high-impact wheels (Windfall, Molten Psyche, Peer into the Abyss) to trigger mass damage. Use Propaganda and Aetherize to deter attacks while setting up.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-8+):
   • Burn: Stack multiple damage triggers (Nekusar + Phyrexian Tyranny + Fate Unraveler) and cast a wheel to drain the table.
   • Discard Synergy: Waste Not generates mana and tokens, while Megrim and Liliana's Caress punish discards.
   • Combo Potential: Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension (not present) is absent, but Forced Fruition can deck opponents with repeated spellcasting.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands, at least one ramp artifact, and a damage engine (Nekusar, Underworld Dreams, or Sheoldred).
• Prioritize early interaction (Counterspell, Terminate) if facing aggressive metas.
• Avoid hands lacking card draw or wheels.

Key Tips:

• Cast wheels during opponents’ turns with Jace's Archivist or Geier Reach Sanitarium to maximize damage triggers.
• Use Reliquary Tower and Thought Vessel to maintain hand advantage after wheeling.
• Protect Nekusar with Mana Drain or Aetherize—losing him cripples the primary damage engine.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy reliance on Nekusar and fragile enchantments (no hexproof/shroud sources).
• Minimal graveyard recursion; countered wheels or removed engines are hard to recover.

Moderate

• Vulnerable to enchantment/artifact removal (Phyrexian Tyranny, Howling Mine are prime targets).
• Opponents benefiting from forced draw (e.g., Narset, Parter of Veils or The One Ring users).

Minor

• Limited lifegain mitigation; opponents stabilizing with Authority of the Consuls or Aetherflux Reservoir can outpace burn.

Most Important Cards:

• Nekusar, the Mindrazer (Primary damage engine)
• Underworld Dreams (Redundant damage trigger)
• Windfall (Mass draw/discard enabler)
• Phyrexian Tyranny (Scaling damage amplifier)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Passive lifeloss and lifegain)
• Waste Not (Mana/card advantage from discards)
• Peer into the Abyss (Game-ending burst damage)
• Howling Mine (Early draw acceleration)
• Mana Drain (Protection and ramp)
• The Locust God (Alternate win condition via tokens)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten lethal via wheels + damage triggers by T7-8, but lacks fast mana for explosive starts.

Resilience: 5/10

• Minimal protection for key pieces; relies on counterspells and limited recursion (e.g., Mystic Sanctuary).

Consistency: 7/10

• High redundancy in wheels and damage engines ensures consistent pressure despite low tutor density.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient removal (Terminate, Drown in the Loch) and counterspulls, but lacks stack control for combo-heavy metas.

Rating Justification:

This deck’s T7-8 win potential via wheels and group burn aligns with the "Focused" tier (6.0), but its vulnerability to removal and slower setup compared to optimized lists caps its ceiling. Resilience issues prevent it from reaching higher tiers.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5