This is a deck is designed for 1v1 games of Pauper Commander (Commander with only commons in your 99 and an uncommon general). The focus of this deck is playing a control game until you have a big enough graveyard to win by attacking with a huge, unblockable, general. Additionally, you get to play with one of the most powerful and classic magic cards of all time, Psychatog.
The overall strategy for this deck is to control the game through card advantage until you can attack with Psychatog for the win. During the game you'll trade cards 1-for-1 with your opponent while you refill your hand, filter cards and fill up your graveyard. Once you have enough cards between your hand & graveyard, play Psychatog, give him haste, make him unblockable and attack for the win.
During the early game, you are at a disadvantage. Your opponent will be playing cards out quicker then you can deal with them and you'll often have to decide between either killing their creatures/counterspelling their spells, playing spells to draw more cards or otherwise developing your board. During the early game your priorities should be:
First)Play any of the artifact ramp spells you have.
Second) Make sure you are keeping up with hitting almost every land drop, if not play a draw spell / filter spell to ensure that you're hitting them. You can miss one or two but you want to have six mana by turn seven, latest.
Third) Dealing with your opponent's cards. If the first two go smoothly, this is what you'll be doing the most of.
Fourth)It is your last priority to develop your board with cards like equipment or card draw while you're hitting your lands. You can do this when you have extra mana later in the game.
Try to keep up with your opponent as much as you can, but don't worry, you can catch up in the mid game.
The deck is designed so that as many as possible of your cards will put cards back into your hand. From discard spells such as Brainbite to bounce such as Into the Roil to counterspells such as Bone to Ash you should expect to have many cards in your hand throughout the game. These spells cost a little bit more mana but if you manage your spells properly and pay attention to your opponent's cards in hand and mana, you should be alright.
Once you have a developed a mana base (6-7 mana) you can start playing two cards a turn and really getting ahead. Drawing extra cards and filtering bad cards out for good ones (with cards like Catalog or Probe) are your priority once you can do so and keep up enough mana to counter or kill what your opponent plays. Drawing Pestilence/Crypt Rats will let you clean up the straggling creatures from the early game and will transition you into the mid game.
During the mid game you'll want to fill your graveyard up with as many cards as you can. This is done by cycling lands, by playing those filter cards or just playing the discard spells and control spells that you draw.
Some cards you should put into your graveyard if you have the chance are: Oona's Grace, Raven's Crime, Traitor's Clutch, Artful Dodge, Fleetfeather Sandals (if you already have Strider Harness), Writ of Passage / Distortion Strike (if you already have another card to make Psychatog unblockable in your hand/GY). It's ok to put Crippling Fatigue in the graveyard but its also pretty good in your hand. If your opponent's hand is low, its a good idea to pitch the extra discard spells.
It may be tempting to put Think Twice, Mystical Teachings, Deep Analysis or Forbidden Alchemy in your graveyard after a filter spell (as they have flashback). In reality they're even better when you cast them from your hand AND flash them back later on, so hold onto them!
You will have to be careful doing so, but do not be afraid to play out Psychatog at this point as a defensive measure. He should be able to kill just about anything he blocks, but pumping him will make it harder to win later. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. If you time it right, Psychatog may hold off an entire army if your opponent is afraid to attack!
It takes 18 commander damage to win the game and you'll need 7 mana to make it happen. Psychatog costs 3 to cast, giving him haste will cost max 2 and making him unblockable will cost max 2. That is the minimum 7 mana. In reality you should have 10-13 when you are ready to win, so you should have mana for a counterspell or two. You'll likely need that because your opponent will have been holding onto all those instant speed removal spells the entire game.
You will get one damage out of Psychatog's natural power. You will often want to hold onto at least one counterspell. Which means that excluding the counterspell you'll hold onto for any kind of trick, you'll need:
0 cards in hand, 34 cards in the graveyard
1 card in hand, 31 cards in the graveyard
2 cards in hand, 28 cards in the graveyard
3 cards in hand, 25 cards in the graveyard
4 cards in hand, 22 cards in the graveyard
5 cards in hand, 19 cards in the graveyard
6 cards in hand, 16 cards in the graveyard
7 cards in hand, 13 cards in the graveyard
Remember, DO NOT count traitor's clutch or Artful dodge as a card in your graveyard if you need to flash it back to make Psychatog unblockable. Likewise do not count Distortion Strike or Writ of Passage as a card in your hand if you'll need to cast them. You may also one power from Distortion Strike, Strider Harness and/or Traitor's Clutch which can reduce the number of cards in your graveyard you'll need. Get used to not only looking for an opening on the board to play Psychatog but also get used to being aware of how many cards you have in your graveyard. There is no time when it is more true that "Your graveyard is a resource" then now.
If you suspect that your opponent has graveyard hate, there are a few ways around them. If it comes in the form of permanents like Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt or Nihil Spellbomb, once you have a counterspell and a bounce spell, attempt to bounce them. Either they will pop them or it will go back to their hands. If they try to recast them, counter them. Hope they don't have a counter-counter.
There aren't many instant speed ways to remove alot of cards from your graveyard. Most spells will only hit a card or three. I try to give myself a buffer on the numbers above but you should be fine as long as you're not cutting it absolutely close.
There is a very real chance that you do have your graveyard exiled (by, say Bojuka Bog or that Relic of Progentius they played turn one.). This isn't as bad as it seems. The longer the game goes, the better it is for you. Your deck revolves around card advantage so even if Bojuka Bog sets your graveard back to zero, you should have no problem filling it up and controlling the game in the meanwhile. Be wary of the amount of cards left in your deck, you don't want to run out. Eventually you'll be able to rebuild your graveyard and attack.
Another tool at your disposal is that you don't HAVE to attack with Psychatog for lethal in just one turn. You can attack with him over multiple turns. His natural one power will add up (especially if you have a strider harness). Writ of Passage forcasted is great in this situation. This might be your path to victory if your graveyard gets hit.
Finally you have a back up creature in Ulamog's Crusher. Few decks can withstand a 8/8 that causes you to sac two permants a turn when he is backed up by spells to remove blockers and counter their removal spells.
Sideboarding: You should develop a sideboard for your local metagame, but the archtype that gave me trouble trouble is the hexproof-voltron commanders that win through commander damage. Traditional removal is useless against these decks, so my SB is full of edicts so that you can make that general more and more expensive. Eventually you can let them have their commander as you'll win with Psychatog before they do. If you play against a deck that has alot of black in it you may also want to take out Doom Blade, Dark Withering and Terror for Chainer's Edict, Innocent Blood and Geth's Verdict.
Card Notes:
Gush: Gush is a powerhouse if you save it till the turn you want to win. Playing it will put 4 cards into your hand (two new cards and the two islands you return), which will translate to 6 of the 18 damage you need with this card alone. Don't be afraid to play it mid game to draw, but don't forget how much this card will do for you.
Obsessive Search/Dark Withering: If you draw one of these madness cards, try to hold onto them until you draw one of the filter cards. Playing them when you discard them to a card like Catalog is the kind of card advantage that this deck lives for.
Deranged Assistant: Good for mana ramp but he'll also fill your GY by a card every turn for you. Even if you don't use him for mana, be sure to tap him to mill yourself everyt turn!
Deny Reality: It might seem like its bad to play a cascade card in a deck with so many counterspells, but in my experience it usually works out. This is an easy cut if there is a card you're looking to add. Make sure you keep a good amount of bounce spells though!
Notable Cards that Could be Included:
Circular Logic was recently reprinted as common in vintage masters so it should go into this deck. I haven't decided which card to remove for it but it definitely belongs in here.
Flood: This is a pauper staple, I just never included it in the deck. It likely has a spot but I never took the time to look for it.
Ideas Unbound: I tried to avoid the draw/discard cards that actually left you with less cards, but ideas unbound would be bonkers the turn you decide to win.
Dreamscape Artist: He will fill up your GY pretty fast (and enable madness) but I never tried him out. Its worth giving him a shot.
Augur of Skulls: A possible blocker and making your opponent discard two cards for two mana is good, but I could never get excited enough to put him in the deck. Another cards worth giving a shot.