Overview:

This Alesha, Who Smiles at Death deck leverages a recursive aristocrats strategy, using the commander's raid trigger to reanimate low-power creatures with impactful enter/leave-the-battlefield effects. The deck combines sacrifice synergies, combat tricks, and incremental value engines to grind opponents down. Alesha serves as both a recursion engine and a win condition when amplified by equipment like Blackblade Reforged. Key themes include death triggers (Mayhem Devil, Grim Haruspex), forced sacrifices (Accursed Marauder), and explosive reanimation plays with Sneak Attack/Victimize.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), sacrifice outlets (Carrion Feeder), and value creatures like Fell Stinger. Use Buried Alive/Vile Entomber to stock graveyard with key tools (Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Massacre Wurm, Dualcaster Mage).
2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6): Attack with Alesha to recur creatures like Ravenous Chupacabra or Archpriest of Shadows. Activate Sneak Attack for temporary threats. Leverage Roaming Throne (naming Warrior) to double Alesha's triggers.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6+):
   • Combat: Boost Alesha with Blackblade Reforged/Champion's Helm for commander damage.
   • Life Drain: Recur Gray Merchant of Asphodel repeatedly with Alesha/Rakdos Joins Up.
   • Burst Damage: Brash Taunter + Blasphemous Act for 13 damage per opponent.
   • Sacrifice Loops: Pitiless Plunderer + Mayhem Devil + recurring sacrifice fodder.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands and early plays (mana rocks, Carrion Feeder, Grim Haruspex).
• Prioritize graveyard setup cards (Buried Alive, Vile Entomber) or protection for Alesha (Lightning Greaves).
• Avoid hands lacking early creatures or graveyard enablers.

Key Tips:

• Use Undying Malice on Alesha to preserve her through removal while increasing her power for larger reanimations.
• Cauldron Dance enables surprise reanimation during combat.
• Pariah's Shield on Brash Taunter creates a damage redirection lock.
• Roaming Throne doubles both Alesha's raid triggers and death triggers from Warrior-type creatures.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) completely shuts down the core recursion strategy.
• Lacks protection against mass exile effects or repeated board wipes.

Moderate

• Struggles with flying/evasive threats due to limited reach.
• Relies heavily on Alesha staying alive to maintain recursion tempo.

Minor

• Some high-CMC cards (Rakdos Joins Up, Coiling Rebirth) can lead to awkward draws.

Most Important Cards:

• Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Recursion engine/win con)
• Buried Alive (Graveyard setup)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life drain finisher)
• Roaming Throne (Trigger doubler)
• Sneak Attack (Cheat/reanimation enabler)
• Mayhem Devil (Sacrifice payoff)
• Blackblade Reforged (Power amplifier)
• Brash Taunter (Damage reflector)
• Pitiless Plunderer (Treasure generation)
• Massacre Wurm (Board control/life drain)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10
Can threaten wins via Gray Merchant loops or Brash Taunter combos by Turn 8-9, but lacks fast mana for explosive starts.

Resilience: 6/10
Multiple recursion options (Alesha, Coiling Rebirth, Victimize) mitigate removal, but over-reliance on graveyard creates fragility.

Consistency: 6/10
Moderate tutoring (Diabolic Tutor, Rune-Scarred Demon) and card draw, but key pieces lack redundancy.

Interaction: 5/10
Targeted removal (Bedevil, Deadly Rollick) and board wipes (Blasphemous Act), but minimal stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused synergy with multiple paths to victory but operates at a casual-optimized speed (T8-10 wins) and has notable vulnerabilities to graveyard disruption. Its resilience through recursion and moderate interaction place it just above precon level.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0