Overview:

This Grixis (U/B/R) deck helmed by Sauron, the Dark Lord focuses on amassing Orc Armies, leveraging The Ring's temptations, and controlling the board through attrition and theft. The commander acts as both an engine (generating Army tokens and card draw) and a finisher (7/6 body with built-in protection). Key themes include Army/Orc tribal synergies, Ring-tempting value loops, and midrange control elements. Secondary "hidden commander" elements appear via Nazgûl proliferation and Gríma, Saruman's Footman for spell theft.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (T1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Talismans), establish card advantage engines (Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora), and trigger early Army creation via Sauron's opponent-spell triggers or March from the Black Gate.
2. Midgame Pressure (T5-8): Cast Sauron to amplify Army generation. Use Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain to accelerate +1/+1 counters on Armies. Activate Ring-tempting effects through combat damage to grow Nazgûl and enable Sauron's draw-four ability. Deploy theft effects (Grishnákh, Brash Instigator, In the Darkness Bind Them) to disrupt opponents.
3. Endgame (T8+): Overwhelm with massive Armies (enhanced by Orcish Siegemaster), recurring Nazgûl threats, and stolen creatures. Use Cyclonic Rift overloaded or One Ring to Rule Them All Saga for board control.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands (prioritize untapped UB/R sources)
• Ensure at least 1-2 ramp pieces (e.g., Arcane Signet, Talisman of Dominance)
• Prioritize early card advantage (Black Market Connections, Call of the Ring)
• Mulligan away hands lacking Army generation or interaction in creature-light metas

Key Tips:

• Time Sauron's casting to maximize opponent spell triggers – deploy after T3-4 when opponents are casting multiple spells per turn cycle.
• Use Roaming Throne (naming Wraith) to double Nazgûl +1/+1 counter triggers from Ring-tempting.
• Pair Notion Thief with Sauron's draw-four ability to strip opponents' hands while refilling yours.
• Leverage Abyssal Harvester to clone key creatures from any graveyard, including stolen targets.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy reliance on combat damage for Ring-tempting makes the deck vulnerable to fog effects, Propaganda-style taxes, and flying blockers.
• Limited graveyard recursion outside Animate Dead leaves key pieces vulnerable to exile removal.

Moderate

• Board wipes reset Army progress and Nazgûl scaling (only Cyclonic Rift provides mass protection).
• Stax pieces like Cursed Totem nullify activated abilities critical to Army growth and theft effects.

Minor

• Life loss from Black Market Connections/pain lands can accumulate quickly against aggressive decks.
• Limited instant-speed interaction for resolved enchantments/artifacts beyond Chaos Warp.

Most Important Cards:

• Sauron, the Dark Lord (Army engine/card draw)
• Nazgûl (Scaling Ring-tempt threats)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board reset/protection)
• Rhystic Study (Card advantage engine)
• Black Market Connections (Flexible value generator)
• Roaming Throne (Trigger doubler for Wraiths)
• Gríma, Saruman's Footman (Spell theft enabler)
• Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain (Army accelerator)
• Vampiric Tutor (Key piece fetcher)
• The One Ring to Rule Them All (Graveyard manipulation finisher)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Primary win conditions require gradual Army building or Nazgûl scaling, typically threatening wins around T8-10. Burst potential exists with In the Darkness Bind Them theft swings.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple protection spells (Deflecting Swat, counterspells) and recursive threats (Nazgûl), but over-reliance on Sauron for engine value creates vulnerability.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card draw and tutor suite (Vampiric Tutor, Dark Ritual acceleration) ensure access to key pieces, though Army strategies require multiple synergies.

Interaction: 7/10

• Robust stack interaction (Fierce Guardianship, Counterspell) and targeted removal (Chaos Warp, Deflecting Swat), but lacks mass permanent clearance beyond Cyclonic Rift.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused casual power with optimized elements (efficient interaction, tutors) but lacks the speed and redundancy of true high-power builds. Its T8-10 win clock via combat/theft and vulnerability to common stax pieces place it squarely in upgraded precon/focused casual territory.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5