Pestilent Bloom

An aggressive Golgari Brawl deck led by Dina, Soul Steeper that floods the board with 1/1 Pest tokens and turns every one of their deaths into drain triggers for lethal reach.

Pest tokens from Pest Summoning, Tend the Pests, Sedgemoor Witch, Hunt for Specimens, and Beledros Witherbloom each have "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life," which turns every sacrifice outlet into a damage engine. Dina, Soul Steeper, Bastion of Remembrance, Ayara, First of Locthwain, Vraan, Executioner Thane, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose all convert that life gain into damage to the opponent, so a single Pest dying can drain multiple life. Free outlets like Woe Strider, Witch's Oven, Priest of Forgotten Gods, and Cauldron Familiar let you sac Pests at instant speed, and cards like Deadly Dispute, Village Rites, Reckoner's Bargain, Eaten Alive, and Plumb the Forbidden turn the sacrifice into card advantage or removal. Midnight Reaper and Moldervine Reclamation refill your hand as creatures die, and Tend the Pests plus Infuse with Vitality reward you for attacking first and cashing in the creature afterward. Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Syr Konrad, the Grim give the deck huge drain finishes as your black devotion and graveyard grow.

Keep any hand with 2-4 lands, at least one cheap creature or Pest producer (Gilded Goose, Shambling Ghast, Witherbloom Apprentice, Cauldron Familiar, Pest Summoning, Arboreal Grazer), and preferably one drain payoff. Since Dina is always available from the command zone, prioritize Bastion of Remembrance, Ayara, Vraan, or Blood Researcher for the finish. Mulligan any hand with fewer than two lands, or all-ramp hands with no way to make Pests. Because Dina costs only two mana, an early three-land hand with two one-drops is excellent.

Early (turns 1-3): Deploy mana dorks and one-drops, cast Dina on turn 2-3, and start jamming cheap Pest makers like Pest Summoning and Hunt for Specimens. Trade freely and let Pest death triggers drain the opponent. Mid (turns 4-6): Commit Bastion of Remembrance, Ayara, Vraan, Syr Konrad, or Vito, then sacrifice Pests repeatedly with Woe Strider, Witch's Oven, and Priest of Forgotten Gods. Use Deadly Dispute, Village Rites, Reckoner's Bargain, Plumb the Forbidden, and Midnight Reaper to convert dead Pests into fresh cards, and use Rushed Rebirth, Find // Finality, and Infuse with Vitality to rebuild after wipes. Late (turn 7+): Beledros Witherbloom makes a Pest every upkeep and untaps your lands for double-spell turns, while The Great Henge, Vraska, Betrayal's Sting, Izoni, Thousand-Eyed, and Gray Merchant of Asphodel close games through overwhelming drain or a wide Pest board supported by Questing Beast.

Mass removal without a drain payoff in play can leave you with an empty board and no damage. Graveyard hate shuts off Find // Finality, Cauldron Familiar loops, and Old Stickfingers. Exile-based removal and cards that prevent life gain blank a lot of your drain. Because the deck leans on many small creatures, big blockers and trample-less boards can stall you out, so keep a sacrifice outlet ready to convert chump-blocked Pests into drain instead of letting them sit idle.