Overview:

This mono-black lifegain/drain deck revolves around Gollum, Obsessed Stalker, leveraging skulk-enabled combat damage to trigger cascading life loss through gained life. The strategy amplifies lifegain via cards like Exquisite Blood, Sanguine Bond, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, while using drain effects (Zulaport Cutthroat, The Meathook Massacre) and explosive finishers like Exsanguinate or the infinite Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond combo. Gollum acts as both a consistent damage source and a value engine, but the deck can function independently through its dense lifegain synergies.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Deploy lifelink creatures (Vampire of the Dire Moon, Gifted Aetherborn) and ramp (Crypt Ghast, Nirkana Revenant).
   • Protect Gollum with Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots and enable unblockable attacks via Rogue's Passage or Bilbo's Ring.
2. Midgame Synergy (Turns 5-7):
   • Resolve key enchantments (Exquisite Blood, Phyrexian Arena) and drain engines (Wound Reflection, Gray Merchant of Asphodel).
   • Use Veinwitch Coven or Witch of the Moors to recur critical creatures.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-9+):
   • Infinite Combo: Pair Exquisite Blood with Sanguine Bond/Vito for instant win.
   • Mass Drain: Exsanguinate/Kokusho, the Evening Star + recursion.
   • Aetherflux Reservoir: Gain 50+ life, then nuke opponents.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, early lifelink creatures, and at least one ramp/draw piece.
• Prioritize Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, or Crypt Ghast for acceleration.
• Avoid hands lacking lifegain triggers or interaction.

Key Tips:

• Use Strionic Resonator to double Gollum’s end-step trigger.
• Alhammarret's Archive doubles life gained from triggers, exponentially increasing drain effects.
• Sacrifice Kokusho, the Evening Star repeatedly with recursion for lethal life swings.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Combo Reliance: The deck falters if Exquisite Blood/Sanguine Bond are exiled or countered.
• Commander Dependency: Gollum’s removal stalls the primary engine; limited protection beyond equipment.
• Enchantment Vulnerability: Lacks answers to mass enchantment removal (e.g., Cleansing Nova).

Moderate

• Slow Combo Assembly: High mana costs for key pieces (5+ CMC) delay wins.
• Graveyard Reliance: Recursion via Veinwitch Coven is disrupted by common graveyard hate.

Minor

• Life Total Pressure: Aggro decks can outpace the lifegain engine.
• Artifact Weakness: Key equipment (Bilbo's Ring) and Aetherflux Reservoir are fragile.

Most Important Cards:

• Exquisite Blood (Infinite combo enabler)
• Sanguine Bond/Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose (Combo finishers)
• Aetherflux Reservoir (Alternate wincon)
• Crypt Ghast (Mana acceleration)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Mass life swing)
• Wound Reflection (End-step amplifier)
• The Meathook Massacre (Board control + drain)
• Kokusho, the Evening Star (Recurring life drain)
• Alhammarret's Archive (Lifegain/draw multiplier)
• Veinwitch Coven (Recursion engine)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combo or Exsanguinate by turns 7-9, but high-cost pieces slow consistency.

Resilience: 5/10

• Limited protection for key pieces; relies on recursion but vulnerable to exile effects.

Consistency: 6/10

• Moderate card draw (Phyrexian Arena, Greed) but lacks tutors for combo assembly.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Toxic Deluge, Go for the Throat) exists but no counterspells.

Rating Justification:

The deck’s T7-9 win potential via combat, drain, or combo aligns with Optimized Casual (5.0), but its vulnerability to disruption and slower setup compared to high-power decks caps its ceiling. Resilience issues prevent higher tiers.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5