Overview:

This Golgari deck helmed by Varolz, the Scar-Striped focuses on self-mill, graveyard recursion, and +1/+1 counter synergies. The strategy revolves around dumping high-power creatures like Daemogoth Titan (11 power) and Yargle and Multani (18 power) into the graveyard, then scavenging them onto resilient threats like Lotleth Troll or Varolz himself. The deck amplifies this with counter doublers like Corpsejack Menace and Hardened Scales, while leveraging sacrifice outlets like Ashnod's Altar for value. Varolz is mission-critical as the enabler of scavenge mechanics, but the deck has redundancy through recursion tools like Whisper, Blood Liturgist and Golgari Thug.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Graveyard Setup (Turns 1-4): Use Buried Alive, Entomb, and self-mill (Skull Prophet, Altar of Dementia) to stock the graveyard with high-power creatures. Ramp with Llanowar Elves, Rampant Growth, and Sol Ring.
2. Scavenge Payoff (Turns 3-6): Deploy Varolz and scavenge massive creatures onto evasive or regenerating targets (e.g., Lotleth Troll with trample). Activate Corpsejack Menace or Hydra's Growth to exponentially grow threats.
3. Sacrifice Synergies: Sacrifice scavenged creatures to Ashnod's Altar for mana, Altar of Dementia for mill, or Ghoulcaller Gisa for zombie tokens. Use Pitiless Plunderer and Pawn of Ulamog to generate resources.
4. Win Conditions:
   • Combat: One-shot opponents with a 20+/20+ trampler (via Garruk's Uprising or Whispersilk Cloak).
   • Mill: Sacrifice a scavenged Daemogoth Titan (11 power) to Altar of Dementia to mill 22 cards.
   • Drain: Blood Artist and Ayara, First of Locthwain chip away at opponents’ life totals.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Prioritize hands with early ramp (e.g., Llanowar Elves, Rampant Growth), a graveyard filler (Buried Alive, Skull Prophet), and a scavenge target.
• Ensure access to black and green mana sources.
• Avoid hands without graveyard setup or ramp.

Key Tips:

• Use Reassembling Skeleton as a recurring sacrifice fodder for Varolz’s regeneration or Smothering Abomination.
• Phyrexian Soulgorger is both a high-power scavenge target and a political tool—sacrifice it before upkeep costs escalate.
• Whispersilk Cloak on Varolz ensures safe scavenging and protects against targeted removal.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) completely shuts down scavenge and recursion.
• Relies heavily on Varolz; repeated removal without regeneration backup stalls the deck.

Moderate

• Limited board wipe recovery outside Golgari Thug recursion.
• Struggles against flyers without trample enablers.

Minor

• Low instant-speed interaction; relies on Assassin's Trophy and Putrefy for key threats.

Most Important Cards:

• Varolz, the Scar-Striped (Scavenge enabler/regenerator)
• Buried Alive (Graveyard setup)
• Corpsejack Menace (Counter doubling)
• Ashnod's Altar (Sacrifice synergy/mana)
• Daemogoth Titan (11-power scavenge fuel)
• Altar of Dementia (Mill wincon/sac outlet)
• Lotleth Troll (Resilient scavenge target)
• Hardened Scales (Counter amplification)
• Entomb (Precision graveyard filler)
• Garruk's Uprising (Trample/draw engine)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten lethal via scavenged threats by turns 6-8, but setup requires multiple steps.

Resilience: 4/10

• Vulnerable to graveyard hate and commander removal, though recursion tools provide partial recovery.

Consistency: 6/10

• Tutors (Fauna Shaman, Entomb) and self-mill ensure graveyard access, but lacks redundancy for key non-creature pieces.

Interaction: 3/10

• Limited to spot removal (Assassin's Trophy, Putrefy) and no counterspells.

Rating Justification:

This deck has a focused game plan with explosive potential through scavenged threats but falters against common disruption. Its turn 6-8 win clock and reliance on the graveyard place it in the Casual/Focused Casual tier, slightly above precons but lacking the speed or resilience of optimized lists.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5