# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype

Red Stompy is a Legacy red prison-stompy deck registered as 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, with active validation passing under the stated Legacy construction contract. The maindeck is built around fast mana, mana denial, high-impact red threats, and card-advantage permanents: 4 Ancient Tomb; 4 City of Traitors; 4 Chrome Mox; 4 Simian Spirit Guide; 3 Blood Moon; 4 Magus of the Moon; 4 The One Ring; 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker; 4 Broadside Bombardiers; 4 Caves of Chaos Adventurer; 4 Fury; 4 Pyrogoyf; 2 Shatterskull Smashing; 4 Sundering Eruption; 6 Snow-Covered Mountain; 1 Wild Wasteland.

The sideboard is exactly 15 cards and is legal under the supplied registration: 1 Boil; 2 Ruination; 3 Hexing Squelcher; 4 Fiery Confluence; 2 Disruptor Flute; 3 Trinisphere. Sideboard plans must only move these registered sideboard cards into the deck and may only remove registered maindeck cards. Runtime sideboarding should preserve the registered 75 and should reject any plan that names absent cards, exceeds available copies, or attempts to side in maindeck cards as if they were sideboard cards.

The archetype tags are stompy and prison, with duplicate submitted tags normalized conceptually to `stompy, prison`. The deck should be piloted as a proactive lock-and-pressure strategy, not as a pure aggro deck and not as a draw-go control deck. Its defining early decisions are whether to deploy a moon effect, a fast threat, The One Ring, or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and those choices must be made from legal engine output, visible opposing mana, known public cards, current life totals, and the exact available mana line.

The stock status is hybrid. The core shell of Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, and Fury is recognizably Legacy Red Stompy, while the configuration with The One Ring, Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Sundering Eruption, Wild Wasteland, Hexing Squelcher, and Disruptor Flute requires deck-specific tactical handling rather than generic Red Prison heuristics. The decision agent should treat familiar stompy instincts as a starting point only, because this registered list has multiple competing four-mana engines and several cards whose text or current Oracle behavior may need runtime confirmation.

The legality concern is not deck construction but in-game certainty. Veles must never assume that Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Sundering Eruption, Wild Wasteland, Hexing Squelcher, Disruptor Flute, Pyrogoyf, or Broadside Bombardiers works a particular way unless the rules engine exposes the legal action, visible board state, or prompt text that supports the action. Card text check required for any unfamiliar or recently printed registered card before using non-obvious modes, costs, triggers, activated abilities, or replacement effects as strategic premises.

The mana concern is extreme compression. Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Snow-Covered Mountain, Sundering Eruption, Shatterskull Smashing, and Wild Wasteland create many opening hands that are powerful but fragile, especially when City of Traitors sequencing, Chrome Mox imprint cost, Simian Spirit Guide exile timing, and Blood Moon effects all compete in the first two turns. The pilot must value hands by whether they produce a meaningful first permanent and a credible second play, not merely by raw mana count.

The role concern is that Red Stompy wins by converting early mana advantage into an asymmetrical game state before the opponent's deck operates normally. Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon are role-defining against greedy mana, The One Ring and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker are role-defining against attrition, Fury and Fiery Confluence are role-defining against creature boards, and Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, and Pyrogoyf are the main pressure engines that close before the opponent escapes the prison turn.

Opponent information status is unspecified. No opposing decklist, matchup label, known metagame spread, revealed hand, public graveyard pattern, or game-history clue is supplied in this batch, so all matchup assumptions must stay conditional until Veles provides public information at runtime. The pilot may infer broad archetype pressure from visible lands, spells, companions if present, graveyards, battlefield texture, and sideboarded game number, but it must not invent hidden cards or name absent opponent cards in policy fields without the `opponent:` prefix in later sections.

## Thesis

Red Stompy assembles fast mana, a prison permanent, and a closing engine before the opponent can spend mana normally. The ideal opening converts Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Snow-Covered Mountain, Sundering Eruption, Shatterskull Smashing, or Wild Wasteland into an early Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Fury, or Pyrogoyf. Prioritize the first legal play that creates either immediate mana denial or a board/card-advantage engine with a credible follow-up.

Red Stompy wins by making the opponent stumble while a single high-impact permanent compounds the advantage. Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon punish nonbasic-dependent mana; Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and The One Ring keep cards flowing; Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, and Fury convert early tempo into lethal pressure. When the opponent is already constrained by mana, prefer adding a clock over spending resources on low-impact smoothing.

Red Stompy is not trying to hold every answer, sculpt a perfect hand, or play a long draw-go game. The deck should not pass early turns with unused Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors mana unless Veles shows that the only legal plays are strategically destructive, illegal through prompts, or clearly worse into visible public information. It should also avoid treating The One Ring as an excuse to ignore battlefield pressure when life total, creature combat, or initiative/damage pressure makes a stabilizing Fury, Fiery Confluence, or blocker more urgent.

Prioritize visible mana denial when Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon cuts the opponent off more than it cuts this deck off. Prioritize engine deployment when the opponent has basic lands, stable mana, or attrition pressure that can outlast a single threat. Prioritize Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Fiery Confluence, or combat trades when visible creatures threaten to race through the lock. Prioritize preserving a second red source when Chrome Mox imprint, Simian Spirit Guide exile, or City of Traitors sequencing could strand follow-up red cards.

## Role Package

- Threats: Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Fury, Magus of the Moon, and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker are the main pressure bodies. Deploy threats after or alongside prison when the opponent is constrained; deploy threats first when the hand lacks a lock but has a fast, legal clock.

- Payoffs: Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon are the prison payoffs that turn early mana into asymmetry, while The One Ring, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, and Broadside Bombardiers are the payoff permanents that snowball once the opponent is slowed. Card text check required for Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Sundering Eruption, and Wild Wasteland before relying on any non-obvious trigger, mode, or special action.

- Engines: The One Ring is the primary attrition engine when life total and battlefield pressure allow time to draw extra cards. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is the flexible development engine that can create material, filter redundant lock pieces or excess mana, and become a later threat if the rules engine exposes those steps legally.

- Velocity: Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Sundering Eruption, Shatterskull Smashing, and Wild Wasteland provide explosive setup rather than card selection. Use velocity to create a real permanent advantage, not merely to empty the hand; avoid Chrome Mox imprints that leave no red follow-up unless the immediate play is decisive.

- Interaction: Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Sundering Eruption, Wild Wasteland, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, and sideboard Fiery Confluence, Boil, Ruination, Hexing Squelcher, Disruptor Flute, and Trinisphere are the registered interaction suite. Treat interaction as proactive disruption first and reactive cleanup second, with legal engine prompts deciding exact modes, costs, targets, and timing.

- Protection: The deck has no dedicated creature-protection package, so protect wins by constraining mana, sequencing around visible removal pressure, and choosing resilient engines. The One Ring may create a protection or time-buying window only when the rules engine exposes the relevant effect; do not assume it solves every combat or life-total problem.

- Recursion: The registered list has no recursion module. Do not make decisions that depend on rebuying Fury, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, or sideboard cards from the graveyard unless Veles exposes a legal action from a visible card.

- Mana: Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors are the strongest starts but create sequencing risk; Snow-Covered Mountain is the most stable red source; Chrome Mox and Simian Spirit Guide are burst resources; Sundering Eruption, Shatterskull Smashing, and Wild Wasteland need card-text and runtime-action confirmation for land/spell or utility decisions. Preserve enough red mana to cast the hand after deploying colorless acceleration.

- Sideboard modules: Fiery Confluence is the broad creature-board and artifact/utility pressure card when legal modes matter; Trinisphere is the prison tax card for low-curve or spell-chain opponents; Ruination and Boil attack mana bases where public lands justify them; Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher are targeted disruption tools whose exact use requires visible card text, opponent pattern, and rules-engine prompts.

## Primary Win Conditions

- Prison-plus-clock is the main win path: cast Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon early, then end the game with Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Fury, or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker pressure before the opponent naturally draws out of the mana constraint. Prioritize this line when visible opponent lands are mostly nonbasic, when their first turns show color or mana dependence, or when your hand can deploy a lock without sacrificing all red follow-up.

- Fast engine into pressure is the main win path when the lock is weak or unavailable: use Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Snow-Covered Mountain, Sundering Eruption, Shatterskull Smashing, or Wild Wasteland to land Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, or Broadside Bombardiers ahead of curve. Prioritize this line when the opponent already has basic lands, when Blood Moon effects would be symmetrical, or when your hand needs cards rather than a single disruptive permanent.

- The One Ring wins attrition games by converting early mana into repeated cards while the rest of the deck converts those cards into locks, removal, and threats. Prioritize The One Ring when life total is stable, visible attackers are manageable, or the hand has no immediate high-impact prison play; delay it when Ancient Tomb damage, existing pressure, or an exposed initiative race makes a creature, Fury, or Shatterskull Smashing survival play more urgent.

- Caves of Chaos Adventurer is the pressure snowball when a body plus dungeon or initiative text matters; Card text check required before relying on any exact trigger or dungeon payoff. Prioritize it when the opponent is mana-constrained, creature-light, or unable to attack profitably, and defend the initiative or similar public advantage with Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers, and blockers when Veles shows legal choices.

- Broadside Bombardiers is the burst-combat closer when the board contains expendable material or the opponent is already under pressure; Card text check required before relying on exact sacrifice, trigger, or damage math. Prioritize it when haste, attack triggers, or sacrifice damage are legal and materially shorten the clock, but do not sacrifice essential mana, a needed lock body, or the only blocker unless the visible race or lethal line justifies it.

- Pyrogoyf is the efficient pressure plan that improves when graveyards and board texture support it; Card text check required before assuming exact power, toughness, triggers, or damage. Prioritize Pyrogoyf when you need a cheap threat under your own resource constraints, when The One Ring needs a blocker to buy time, or when a lock is already in place and the game only requires a clock.

## Secondary Win Conditions

- Fury is both a stabilizer and a win condition: use it to clear visible creatures, protect initiative-style pressure, or turn a stalled board into a credible attack. Prioritize hard-casting Fury when mana is available and the body matters; use alternate-cost or pitch lines only when the rules engine offers them and the removed red card is less important than surviving, clearing blockers, or preserving the lock.

- Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is the flexible secondary engine that turns weak resources into a threat chain; Card text check required for exact chapter behavior and transformed-card actions. Prioritize Fable when the hand has redundant Blood Moon, extra lands, stranded expensive cards, or no clean turn-two lock, and use any legal filtering to keep red sources, one lock effect, one threat, and interaction over duplicate legendary or low-impact pieces.

- Shatterskull Smashing gives the deck a mana sink, removal spell, and possible land decision point; Card text check required for exact modal land and damage rules. Use it as interaction when visible creatures would race The One Ring or steal initiative pressure, and use it as mana only when early deployment matters more than retaining a future removal spell.

- Sundering Eruption is a flexible registered mana-or-spell slot whose exact text must be checked before treating it as removal, land interaction, or a land. Use the legal action Veles exposes, and prioritize it as mana when the hand needs a fast Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer; preserve it as a spell only when the visible board makes the spell mode clearly relevant.

- Wild Wasteland is a single-copy utility slot with card text check required before any tactical reliance. Treat it as a land or utility action according to Veles prompts, and avoid building a game plan around drawing it or using it unless it is visible and the legal action text directly supports the line.

## Emergency Lines

- When behind on life, stop treating Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, and Simian Spirit Guide as pure speed if the fast line does not stabilize. Prefer Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Fiery Confluence after sideboarding, Pyrogoyf as a blocker, or a legal The One Ring timing line only when it buys enough time under visible combat math.

- When behind on board, trade resources for time before adding more prison pieces that do not affect combat. Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers combat damage, Pyrogoyf blocks, and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker bodies matter more than a second Blood Moon when attackers are already lethal or initiative-style pressure is being lost.

- When behind on cards, prioritize The One Ring and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker over low-impact duplicate lock effects. Do not imprint the only remaining threat or engine on Chrome Mox unless the immediate legal play is a decisive Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, or survival action.

- When behind on mana, preserve real red sources and avoid City of Traitors sequencing that strands the hand. Chrome Mox imprint and Simian Spirit Guide exile should produce a permanent advantage now, not merely make a temporary mana burst that leaves no follow-up.

- When prison pieces are removed or ineffective, pivot to creature pressure plus card advantage instead of chasing another lock at all costs. Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Fury, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and The One Ring can still win fair games if the pilot keeps attacking, trading, and drawing.

- When graveyard recursion or combo pressure is visible from the opponent, use the registered disruption actually available in hand or sideboarded configuration, not imagined hate. Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Disruptor Flute, Hexing Squelcher, Ruination, Boil, Fiery Confluence, Fury, and Shatterskull Smashing can matter only when Veles shows legal actions and public information supports the target or timing.

## Resource Model

- Life is a spendable resource only when the visible board says the deck is ahead or stabilizing. Ancient Tomb and The One Ring can convert life into speed and cards, but stop taking avoidable damage when opposing attackers, burn-like public pressure, or initiative loss makes the next combat step dangerous.

- Hand size is the fuel for explosive starts, Chrome Mox imprint, Fury alternate-cost lines, and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker filtering. Protect at least one payoff after spending cards for mana; a hand that deploys Blood Moon but loses every threat can still give the opponent time to draw out.

- Mana advantage is the deck's first currency. Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Sundering Eruption, and Shatterskull Smashing should convert into a lock, The One Ring, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Broadside Bombardiers, Fury, or Pyrogoyf, not into a temporary burst with no follow-up.

- Board presence is the pressure resource that makes prison effects lethal. Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon buy time, but Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Fury, and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker bodies turn that time into a clock.

- Graveyards matter mostly as public texture for Pyrogoyf and as opponent-resource context. Card text check required for exact Pyrogoyf sizing or triggers; use Veles-visible graveyards to decide whether Pyrogoyf is a blocker, attacker, or fragile low-impact play.

- Exile is a real cost zone for this deck. Simian Spirit Guide and Fury pitch decisions permanently spend material, and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker or Caves of Chaos Adventurer may create exile-related prompts; Card text check required before relying on exact play permissions.

- Lands are both mana and lock leverage. Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon punish nonbasic-heavy opponents, but they also change how your own Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Wild Wasteland, Sundering Eruption, and Shatterskull Smashing function once resolved, so sequence specialty land use before the lock when needed.

- Sacrifice fodder is valuable only when Broadside Bombardiers or another legal prompt turns it into damage or tempo. Do not sacrifice Chrome Mox, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker material, a needed blocker, or a key threat unless the legal action visibly creates lethal, prevents a worse loss, or preserves a decisive advantage.

- Tempo is the deck's core exchange rate. Spending two cards to deploy turn-one Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere after sideboarding, or a fast threat is correct only when the resulting board state constrains the opponent or starts a fast clock.

- Information is mostly public-board and legal-action information. Do not infer hidden cards; use revealed hands, visible mana, graveyards, stack objects, known sideboard stage, and Veles legal actions to choose whether to lock, pressure, draw, remove, or pass.

- Sideboard bullets change which resource matters most. Trinisphere and Disruptor Flute emphasize tempo denial, Fiery Confluence emphasizes board control and reach, Ruination and Boil emphasize mana punishment, and Hexing Squelcher requires card text check before assigning exact tactical purpose.

## Mana Guide

- Prioritize red plus acceleration in opening hands. Keep hands that can produce an early red action and a high-impact play through Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Snow-Covered Mountain, Sundering Eruption, or Shatterskull Smashing; mulligan hands that only make colorless mana with no Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, or red land path.

- Treat Snow-Covered Mountain as the safest red source. It survives your own Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon cleanly, does not cost life, and lets later Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors sequencing focus on colorless-heavy payoffs.

- Use Ancient Tomb for decisive acceleration, not casual mana. Ancient Tomb is strongest when it casts Chrome Mox-assisted lock pieces, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Fury, Broadside Bombardiers, Pyrogoyf plus another action, or sideboard haymakers; avoid repeated taps when life total is under visible pressure.

- Sequence City of Traitors before additional land drops only when the immediate mana burst matters. Because City of Traitors can be lost after playing another land, prefer it for the turn that casts The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Ruination, or Fiery Confluence, then plan the next land drop deliberately.

- Deploy Chrome Mox when the imprinted card is less important than the accelerated permanent. Imprint redundant Blood Moon effects, extra expensive cards, or matchup-low-impact red cards before imprinting the only threat, only removal, only engine, or only red spell needed for Fury pitch lines.

- Spend Simian Spirit Guide for a specific permanent advantage. Exile it to cast turn-one Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Pyrogoyf plus pressure, or urgent removal; preserve it when the hand already curves and may need red mana later through disruption.

- Decide Shatterskull Smashing and Sundering Eruption as mana only when early deployment beats future spell value. Card text check required for exact modal rules; if Veles offers a land mode, use it when the hand otherwise cannot cast a lock, threat, or The One Ring on time.

- Play lands before draw or filtering when mana is needed for known legal actions this turn. Delay land drops before The One Ring draws or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker filtering only when you can still make the required mana afterward and the extra information could change whether City of Traitors, Shatterskull Smashing, Sundering Eruption, Wild Wasteland, or Snow-Covered Mountain is the correct land.

- Resolve Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon after extracting needed specialty mana when possible. If Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors is required for the same turn's play, tap it before the lock resolves when legal; afterward, plan as though nonbasic utility may become plain red mana according to the rules engine.

- Sideboard mana pressure changes sequencing. Against decks vulnerable to Trinisphere, Ruination, or Boil, prioritize hands that cast the hate card before the opponent can stabilize; against fast creature pressure, preserve enough red and untapped mana for Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, or Fiery Confluence instead of spending all acceleration on a non-combat lock.

## Mulligan Guide

- Strong keep: keep hands with two mana sources or one land plus Chrome Mox or Simian Spirit Guide that cast a turn-one or turn-two lock piece and still have pressure. Ancient Tomb plus Chrome Mox plus Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon plus Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer is the deck's preferred opener.

- Strong keep: keep hands that cast The One Ring quickly when the rest of the hand has a threat or prison piece. The One Ring without pressure can recover cards, but the best keep pairs it with Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Pyrogoyf, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer.

- Medium keep: keep Snow-Covered Mountain plus Ancient Tomb hands that curve Pyrogoyf, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Broadside Bombardiers, Fury, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer without needing perfect topdecks. These hands are less explosive but preserve material and play better through visible interaction.

- Risky keep: keep one-land Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors hands only when Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Sundering Eruption, or Shatterskull Smashing gives a real second mana path. A hand that spends everything on one Blood Moon and has no follow-up threat is a trap against opponents who can play basics, artifacts, or cheap answers.

- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no land, only colorless mana and no Chrome Mox or Simian Spirit Guide, or all expensive permanents with no castable turn-one or turn-two action. Ship hands where Chrome Mox must imprint the only red card and still fails to cast a meaningful spell.

- Matchup-dependent keep: keep fast Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon hands more aggressively against nonbasic-heavy opponents, but value Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, and postboard Fiery Confluence more against fast creature boards. Postboard, Trinisphere hands are strong against low-curve spell decks when they can resolve before the opponent empties their hand.

- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, prefer explosive Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Ancient Tomb, and City of Traitors hands that deploy Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, or Trinisphere before the opponent develops. On the draw, require either resilient pressure, Fury interaction, The One Ring recovery, or a lock that still matters after one opposing turn.

- Trap hand: do not keep multiple The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Broadside Bombardiers, and Fury with only City of Traitors as mana unless a legal early cast is clear. Do not keep Blood Moon plus Magus of the Moon plus no threat when the visible matchup demands a clock.

## Turn Arc

- Turn 1: prioritize a decisive prison piece when it is likely to constrain the opponent immediately. Preferred lines are Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, or Simian Spirit Guide into Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, or postboard Trinisphere; deviate to Pyrogoyf or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker when the lock is weak or the hand needs pressure first.

- Turn 1: deploy Chrome Mox only when the imprint preserves a coherent plan. Imprint redundant Blood Moon effects, extra expensive threats, or matchup-low-impact cards before sacrificing the only Fury, only Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, only threat, or only red card needed for later actions.

- Turn 2: convert the lock into a clock. Preferred plays are Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, or The One Ring depending on legal mana; deviate to Fury or Shatterskull Smashing when the opponent's visible board can race or invalidate the prison plan.

- Turn 2: sequence City of Traitors and modal lands around the current legal action. Use Sundering Eruption or Shatterskull Smashing as land when missing the second or third mana would delay the main play; preserve spell mode only when the hand already casts its lock and threat on time. Card text check required for exact modal choices.

- Turn 3: pull ahead with a durable advantage engine or hard-hitting threat. The One Ring is preferred when life total and board allow a draw engine, Caves of Chaos Adventurer is preferred when initiative pressure is safe, and Broadside Bombardiers is preferred when sacrifice material or attack pressure can convert tempo into damage.

- Turn 3: use Fury as interaction when the opponent's board threatens the race or blocks your best attack. Do not pitch-cast Fury merely because it is available if the board is stable and the hand needs Fury as a later body or answer.

- Turns 4-5: protect the advantage by choosing high-impact actions over extra lock redundancy. Add Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon only if the first lock is absent, answered, or insufficient; otherwise advance with The One Ring draws, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker value, Caves of Chaos Adventurer pressure, Broadside Bombardiers damage, or Pyrogoyf attacks.

- Turns 4-5: spend removal and damage to preserve lethal pressure or survival. Shatterskull Smashing, Fury, and postboard Fiery Confluence should clear blockers, answer must-kill creatures, or finish the opponent only when Veles legal actions and visible life totals support the line.

- Late game: lean on The One Ring, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and topdecked threats to rebuild after early acceleration costs. Reassess Ancient Tomb taps carefully, because life loss can matter more than speed once both players have developed.

- Late game: treat extra Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, and redundant lands as low-value unless they enable an immediate cast or sacrifice line. Use visible board state and legal actions to decide whether Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Pyrogoyf, Fury, or The One Ring is the strongest route to closing the game.

## Card Roles

- The One Ring: use The One Ring as the main recovery engine after early acceleration spends extra cards. Cast it when a prison piece or threat has already bought time, or when protection from everything is needed to survive the opponent's next combat or damage window. Hold it when tapping out leaves an immediate visible battlefield problem unanswered, because the burden counter clock can punish slow stabilization. Multiple copies are not pure extras; a later The One Ring can refresh protection or replace a high-counter copy only when Veles shows the legal line and the legend-rule outcome is acceptable.

- Blood Moon: treat Blood Moon as the cleanest noncreature prison effect against visible or inferred nonbasic mana. Cast it early when it meaningfully constrains the opponent before they can develop basics, artifacts, or low-cost answers. Do not stack redundant Blood Moon effects instead of adding pressure unless the first lock is absent, removable, or insufficient. Postboard, Blood Moon is still a role-player, but against creature-heavy or basic-heavy opponents it can be less important than stabilizing with Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, or sideboard removal.

- Magus of the Moon: use Magus of the Moon as Blood Moon with a clock and a vulnerability. Lead on Magus of the Moon when the body matters, when Chrome Mox or Simian Spirit Guide enables a fast lock, or when Blood Moon is unavailable. Prefer Blood Moon when visible opposing removal can easily kill a creature and reopen mana. Do not attack Magus of the Moon into bad trades if its static effect is locking the opponent; the 2 damage is secondary to the mana denial unless the opponent has already escaped the lock.

- Fable of the Mirror-Breaker: use Fable of the Mirror-Breaker as the bridge from prison into advantage. It supplies an early creature, filters redundant locks, extra lands, Chrome Mox, or Simian Spirit Guide, and can become a late-game value engine if the reflection side survives. Cast it early when the hand needs smoothing or sacrifice material for Broadside Bombardiers. Avoid discarding live interaction or the only threat just because rummage is available; decide from visible pressure, matchup role, and current mana.

- Broadside Bombardiers: use Broadside Bombardiers as a pressure-and-reach card, not just a creature. Attack when Veles shows safe or necessary combat and use legal sacrifice actions only when the sacrificed permanent is expendable or the damage changes the race. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker tokens, redundant Chrome Mox, excess artifact permanents, and low-value creatures can become damage, but do not sacrifice The One Ring, Magus of the Moon, or another key permanent while that permanent is carrying the game unless the visible result is lethal or prevents losing. Card text check required for exact damage math and legal sacrifice scope.

- Caves of Chaos Adventurer: use Caves of Chaos Adventurer as the high-impact threat that punishes opponents trapped under mana denial. Cast it when the opponent is constrained, when trample pressure matters, or when the initiative can be defended through the next combat. Hold it when a faster answer is needed to avoid losing initiative immediately to visible attackers. Do not assume the initiative is safe just because Caves of Chaos Adventurer resolved; compare blockers, removal, life totals, and whether The One Ring or Fury is the better stabilizing play.

- Pyrogoyf: use Pyrogoyf as the cheapest large-pressure threat when the board needs a clock. Cast it early under Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon to shorten the game, especially after Chrome Mox or Simian Spirit Guide produces a fast start. Card text check required for exact power, toughness, trigger, and target behavior; evaluate the visible graveyards and Veles-provided stats before attacking, blocking, or assigning targets. Do not treat Pyrogoyf as automatically large in opening turns if graveyards are empty or card types are limited.

- Fury: use Fury as the deck's emergency board control and a secondary hard-cast threat. Pitch-cast Fury when the opponent's visible creatures would race, protect a key planeswalker-like advantage state, steal initiative, or invalidate a Blood Moon plan. Hard-cast Fury when Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, or normal lands make five mana and the body matters. Do not exile the only meaningful red card unless the damage prevents a concrete loss or unlocks a decisive attack; Fury is often better held than spent on low-impact creatures.

- Shatterskull Smashing: use Shatterskull Smashing as a modal mana source first when the hand otherwise fails to cast early lock pieces or threats. Preserve the spell side when the hand already has enough mana and the opponent's visible board makes a scalable removal spell important. Card text check required for exact land-entry cost, target limits, damage division, and large-X modifier. Do not hold it as a spell if missing a land drop delays Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or The One Ring by a full turn.

- Sundering Eruption: use Sundering Eruption as a land when early mana is the bottleneck and as a spell only when the legal text and visible target make the exchange worth delaying development. Card text check required for exact spell effect, target restrictions, damage, and modal land behavior. In most opening hands, the land side is part of the deck's functional mana count; do not get greedy by preserving it for a future spell if the current hand needs red mana to cast Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or Fury.

- Chrome Mox: use Chrome Mox to convert redundant red spells into turn-one or turn-two action. Imprint extra Blood Moon effects, excess expensive threats, or matchup-low-impact cards when doing so produces a decisive Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or fast threat. Do not imprint the only red card needed to cast future spells, the only Fury against visible creatures, or the only threat in a hand that otherwise locks without pressure. Late Chrome Mox is often sacrifice material or discard fodder rather than a mana plan.

- Simian Spirit Guide: use Simian Spirit Guide for burst timing more than long-term mana. Exile it when one red mana changes the turn, such as casting Blood Moon before the opponent untaps, accelerating Magus of the Moon, enabling Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or paying for a critical postboard lock. Hold it when the hand already curves naturally and the extra mana has no immediate purpose. Casting Simian Spirit Guide as a creature is a fallback when resources are exhausted, but it is rarely better than preserving surprise mana in early turns.

- Ancient Tomb: use Ancient Tomb as the strongest opener and reassess its life cost every turn after stabilization. It enables fast The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Broadside Bombardiers, and prison pieces, but repeated taps can turn a stable board into a losing race. Against aggressive visible boards, prefer Snow-Covered Mountain, Chrome Mox, or City of Traitors when they cast the same spell without life loss. Do not ignore Ancient Tomb damage after The One Ring burden counters begin accumulating.

- City of Traitors: use City of Traitors for explosive deployment before committing later land drops. Sequence it when it casts the key spell now, and avoid playing another land afterward unless the lost City of Traitors is acceptable. Under Blood Moon effects, reassess the legal text Veles provides instead of assuming the old mana and sacrifice profile. City of Traitors hands are strongest when they spend the burst on Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer immediately.

- Snow-Covered Mountain: value Snow-Covered Mountain as the stable red source that works cleanly through your own Blood Moon plan. Fetch-free, pain-free red mana matters when Ancient Tomb life loss, The One Ring burden counters, or City of Traitors sequencing create risk. Keep hands with Snow-Covered Mountain plus acceleration more often than hands that rely only on fragile modal lands or City of Traitors. Do not discard or devalue Snow-Covered Mountain in long games if repeated red mana is needed for Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers, or postboard spells.

- Wild Wasteland: use Wild Wasteland only according to the exact legal actions Veles exposes. Card text check required for its mana ability, land type, activation timing, and any disruptive function. Treat it as a flexible utility land only after confirming that it does not prevent casting red spells on time. Do not keep a hand that depends on Wild Wasteland as a red source unless the rules-engine state says it produces the required mana, and do not spend it on utility if Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, or a threat is delayed.

## Interaction Priorities

- Remove first the visible permanent that invalidates the prison plan before it snowballs. Use Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Fiery Confluence after sideboarding, or a legal Broadside Bombardiers sacrifice line on creatures that produce mana, break through Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon, attack The One Ring life-buffer plan, or steal the initiative back immediately. Card text check required for Shatterskull Smashing and Broadside Bombardiers target and damage details; follow Veles legal targets and damage prompts exactly.

- Remove second the creature that makes combat math impossible. Kill evasive attackers, high-power attackers that shorten the Ancient Tomb plus The One Ring clock, creatures that profitably block Caves of Chaos Adventurer, and utility creatures whose activated or triggered abilities remain strong under Blood Moon. Ignore small creatures when they cannot race a Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, or transformed Fable of the Mirror-Breaker board unless they threaten lethal, initiative, or a key engine.

- Spend Fury only when the damage changes the game this turn cycle. Pitch Fury to stop a lethal or near-lethal attack, clear blockers for an initiative swing, protect a Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon lock from creature pressure, or recover from an opponent who developed faster. Do not exile the last important red card for a low-impact target when The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker can stabilize instead.

- Use Broadside Bombardiers as interaction only when the sacrificed object is expendable and the damage matters immediately. Chrome Mox, a Treasure token from Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, a spent Simian Spirit Guide body, or an otherwise outclassed creature can become removal or reach if Veles exposes the line. Preserve Broadside Bombardiers when sacrificing a real threat would reduce the clock more than the damage improves the position.

- Treat The One Ring protection as a one-turn interaction spell, not only a draw engine. Cast it when the next opposing combat step is the problem, when Ancient Tomb life loss has made racing unsafe, or when a protected turn lets Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, or Pyrogoyf take over. Stop leaning on The One Ring once burden counters plus Ancient Tomb taps make passing dangerous.

- Counter, discard, exile, or bounce actions are not native to the main deck except exile-as-cost lines such as Simian Spirit Guide, Chrome Mox imprint, and Fury pitch-casting. If Veles exposes an unusual copied, stolen, or generated counter/discard/bounce action, choose only from visible legal text and prioritize threats to lethal, The One Ring survival, initiative, or the active prison lock. Do not assume off-plan utility actions are correct just because they are legal.

- Change interaction priorities by archetype. Against fast creature decks, spend cards early to preserve life and stabilize before maximizing prison; against spell-combo decks, prioritize Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Disruptor Flute, and fast clock over creature removal; against blue or mana-heavy control, bait interaction with redundant Blood Moon effects, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or Pyrogoyf before committing The One Ring or Caves of Chaos Adventurer when waiting does not give them a clean recovery window.

## Combat And Trading Rules

- Attack when the combat step preserves the lock while shortening the opponent's recovery window. Pyrogoyf and Caves of Chaos Adventurer should pressure quickly under Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon, but do not attack into a visible trade that loses the only clock while the opponent can rebuild. Card text check required for Pyrogoyf exact stats and triggers; use Veles visible power, toughness, damage, and legal targets.

- Defend the initiative when Caves of Chaos Adventurer has made it the main advantage engine. Hold back a blocker if losing initiative would give the opponent more material than the attack gains, especially when The One Ring is not available to absorb the crack-back. Attack more freely when the opponent cannot profitably take initiative back or when lethal pressure forces them to block.

- Trade Fury and Broadside Bombardiers bodies only when the exchange protects a higher-value engine or lethal clock. Fury can become a real attacker after hard-cast stabilization, and Broadside Bombardiers often threatens reach by staying alive. Do not trade either for a small blocker unless the trade opens initiative, clears lethal, or prevents a dangerous counterattack.

- Use Simian Spirit Guide as a creature only in resource-empty games. A hard-cast Simian Spirit Guide can block, carry pressure under prison, or become sacrifice material for Broadside Bombardiers, but early turns usually value its hidden burst mana more than its body. Once both players are top-decking and prison is established, the body matters more.

- Block based on life thresholds created by Ancient Tomb and The One Ring. At high life, accept some damage to keep Pyrogoyf, Magus of the Moon, or Broadside Bombardiers attacking; at medium life with repeated Ancient Tomb activations likely, block sooner; at low life or with The One Ring burden counters growing, preserve survival over damage unless the attack creates lethal this turn.

- Preserve Magus of the Moon in combat when the opponent's mana is still locked by it. Do not trade Magus of the Moon for a marginal attacker if Blood Moon is absent and the opponent has visible nonbasic lands that regain functionality after Magus dies. Trade it more readily when Blood Moon is already active, the opponent has basics, or the body is needed to prevent lethal.

- Treat Fable of the Mirror-Breaker combat material as flexible, not disposable. Its generated creature and later transformed body can ramp, pressure, copy threats, or feed Broadside Bombardiers depending on Veles legal actions. Attack or trade those bodies when the immediate damage, mana, or sacrifice line beats holding them; preserve them when future copies of Fury, Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer would dominate.

- Adjust combat by archetype. Against creature decks, force trades that reduce incoming power and protect The One Ring turns; against combo, attack aggressively and block only to avoid dying before prison or lethal lands; against control, commit enough pressure to punish cantrips and removal without overextending all threats into a reset unless The One Ring can reload.

## Selection And Tutor Rules

- Treat this list as a pseudo-selection deck, not a tutor deck. There are no true search effects in the registered main deck, so runtime decisions should improve card quality through Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, Chrome Mox imprint choices, Fury pitch choices, modal land/spell choices, and target selection from visible legal actions.

- Use Fable of the Mirror-Breaker filtering to convert redundant or mistimed pieces into pressure or mana. Discard extra Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon when one lock effect is already active and protected, discard excess legendary The One Ring copies when life and cards are stable, and discard land-heavy draws when Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Snow-Covered Mountain, or a modal land already supports the next play. Preserve redundant prison pieces against decks likely to remove the first one.

- Use The One Ring draws when the gained cards matter more than burden damage. Activate it before committing a land drop if the drawn cards may reveal Snow-Covered Mountain, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Shatterskull Smashing, Sundering Eruption, or Wild Wasteland as the correct land for the turn. Delay unnecessary activations when life is low, Ancient Tomb damage is still needed, or the current hand already has a lethal or lock-preserving line.

- Choose Chrome Mox imprint by protecting the hand's role. Imprint the least necessary red card that still leaves a castable threat, lock piece, or stabilizer; do not imprint the only Blood Moon effect against mana-greedy opponents, the only Fury against creature pressure, or the only Fable of the Mirror-Breaker when the hand needs smoothing. Imprinting an extra Simian Spirit Guide or redundant high-cost threat is better when the acceleration unlocks turn-one Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere after sideboard, or a fast Caves of Chaos Adventurer.

- Sequence modal spell-lands by current need rather than defaulting to land mode. Shatterskull Smashing is a land when the hand needs stable mana, and it is a spell when visible creatures make damage allocation decisive; Card text check required for exact damage scaling and legal targets. Sundering Eruption is a land or spell according to the visible legal text; Card text check required before treating it as removal, land destruction, or artifact interaction.

- Make land drops after selection when possible. If The One Ring, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or a visible rummage/draw action can change the land decision, take the legal draw/filter action first unless delaying the land drop blocks a required spell, floating mana is at risk, or City of Traitors timing would punish the sequence.

- Bottom or discard excess acceleration once the lock and clock are established. Extra Chrome Mox, late Simian Spirit Guide, and redundant City of Traitors lose value after mana is sufficient; keep them only when Broadside Bombardiers sacrifice lines, Fury hard-cast lines, or The One Ring burden pressure make spare resources meaningful.

## Priority And Stack Rules

- Pass priority when the stack does not threaten the lock, lethal race, or survival. Red Stompy is mostly proactive, so do not spend generated or unusual instant-speed actions merely because Veles exposes them. Use the legal action list first, then visible stack contents, then deck plan.

- Commit prison before giving the opponent clean development windows. Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, and sideboard Trinisphere are high-value priority plays when the opponent's visible mana depends on nonbasic lands or cheap spells. If both a lock and a threat are legal, choose the lock when it will materially reduce the opponent's next turn; choose pressure when the opponent already has functional mana or the clock must end the game quickly.

- Resolve opposing spells that do not change the race, unlock mana, or answer the current engine. The deck has little stack interaction, so most responses are battlefield or mana decisions. If Veles exposes Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers, or another legal action at instant speed, use it only when the visible target changes lethal math, protects initiative, removes a key blocker, or prevents an opposing engine from taking over.

- Use Fury timing according to pressure and card cost. Pitch-cast Fury before combat when visible attackers or blockers make the current turn dangerous or decisive; hard-cast Fury when mana is available and keeping the card body matters. Avoid pitching a needed red spell if the board can be stabilized by The One Ring protection, Fiery Confluence after sideboard, or ordinary combat.

- Use Broadside Bombardiers activated or triggered choices only when the sacrifice and damage are both justified by visible state. Sacrifice Chrome Mox, a Treasure from Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, an expendable creature, or another low-value object when the resulting damage removes a key creature, creates lethal, protects initiative, or finishes a planeswalker-like permanent if Veles shows that target as legal. Do not sacrifice the only meaningful clock for cosmetic damage.

- Treat The One Ring as a stack-speed shield only at the casting decision. Cast it before the opponent's combat when protection from everything is needed, or before a removal-heavy turn when drawing next turn is worth the burden risk. Once burden counters are dangerous, prioritize winning or stabilizing over drawing extra cards.

- Handle optional payments and exile costs conservatively. Exile Simian Spirit Guide when the mana enables a current lock, initiative threat, The One Ring, Fury, or lethal line; keep it when waiting preserves surprise mana for a stronger follow-up. Pay optional costs only when Veles shows the cost and result clearly and the payment does not block a higher-priority spell.

- Use sideboard instant and sorcery windows for the matchup role. Cast Boil or Ruination when visible lands and timing make the mana hit decisive and the opponent is unlikely to recover before your clock matters. Cast Fiery Confluence when one mode or combination visibly stabilizes, clears blockers, attacks artifacts, or creates lethal; Card text check required for exact mode text and damage allocation if Veles does not expose it clearly. Cast Disruptor Flute or Hexing Squelcher only when the named or targeted visible ability/spell line is strategically important; Card text check required for exact restrictions and legal timing.

## Sideboard Map

- Sideboard by role, not by card volume. Red Stompy should preserve the opening-hand density of acceleration, prison, and fast threats; avoid plans that overload on reactive cards and leave hands unable to cast Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, The One Ring, or Broadside Bombardiers on time.

- Boil is for blue mana systems that depend on Islands or Island-typed lands. Add it when the opponent's visible or known manabase makes a resolved land sweeper likely to strand interaction, protect an initiative or The One Ring turn, or force through a prison piece. Boil is bad against blue decks that function mostly from non-Island mana, artifacts, or cheap threats already on board; do not keep slow hands because Boil might matter later.

- Ruination is for nonbasic-heavy decks where Blood Moon effects are strong but not always permanent enough. Add Ruination when the opponent can answer Blood Moon, has already developed several nonbasic lands, or can cast through a Moon by using basics, artifacts, or float-and-remove lines. Ruination is weaker when the opponent is basic-heavy, already locked under Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon, or when your own City of Traitors and Ancient Tomb are essential to casting follow-up threats.

- Hexing Squelcher is a targeted role card for activated or triggered lines only when its Oracle text and legal prompt confirm the relevant function. Card text check required. Add it when Veles exposes a legal action that directly answers a visible engine, ability, or permanent class that Red Stompy otherwise cannot profitably fight. It is bad when the opponent's plan is mostly creatures, lands, or spells that can be answered by Fury, Fiery Confluence, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, or pressure.

- Fiery Confluence is the flexible stabilizer and artifact-pressure card. Add it against creature decks with multiple small bodies, artifact decks, boards where a sweeper plus pressure is the cleanest catch-up line, and matchups where direct damage can end games through stalled combat. It is bad when the opponent presents few creatures or artifacts and the matchup is decided by stack interaction, large single threats, graveyard engines, or mana denial before turn four.

- Disruptor Flute is for name-based disruption against compact engines, combo payoffs, and activated abilities that are visible or strongly inferred from public information. Add it when one named card or one visible source can define the next turn cycle, especially when Trinisphere or Blood Moon is too slow or too broad. It is bad against redundant creature pressure, decks with many interchangeable threats, or situations where naming requires hidden-information certainty that the runtime state does not justify.

- Trinisphere is the cleanest anti-cheap-spell prison card. Add it against low-curve combo, tempo, storm-like sequencing, cascade-like cheap-spell chains, and decks that need to deploy multiple one-mana actions per turn. It is bad on the draw against creature boards already ahead unless the hand also has Fury, Fiery Confluence, or a fast blocker, and it is weaker when the opponent's spells naturally cost three or more.

Delver / blue tempo, balanced plan
Side in: 1 Boil; 3 Trinisphere; 2 Disruptor Flute
Cut: 2 Shatterskull Smashing; 1 Wild Wasteland; 1 The One Ring; 2 Caves of Chaos Adventurer

- Plan rule: prioritize Trinisphere, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, and fast Pyrogoyf pressure over slow card advantage. Boil is a punisher after they commit Islands or tap low; do not keep a hand that only becomes good if Boil resolves. Disruptor Flute should name only a visible or matchup-defining card when the choice is justified by public information.

Artifact creature / artifact engine, balanced plan
Side in: 4 Fiery Confluence; 2 Disruptor Flute
Cut: 3 Blood Moon; 1 Magus of the Moon; 1 Wild Wasteland; 1 The One Ring

- Plan rule: become a removal-heavy prison deck that still kills quickly. Fiery Confluence is the highest-impact sideboard card when it can clear small creatures, pressure artifacts, or create lethal damage. Reduce Blood Moon emphasis when the opponent's artifacts let them operate through red mana constraints.

Nonbasic mana control / lands, balanced plan
Side in: 2 Ruination; 1 Boil; 3 Trinisphere
Cut: 4 Fury; 2 Shatterskull Smashing

- Plan rule: overload mana punishment while keeping enough threats to close before the opponent rebuilds. Ruination complements Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon by punishing boards that have already developed nonbasics. Boil joins only when Islands are part of the opponent's actual mana structure; if not, use the same role with fewer sideboard cards rather than diluting the threat base.

Fast spell combo, balanced plan
Side in: 3 Trinisphere; 2 Disruptor Flute; 3 Hexing Squelcher
Cut: 4 Fury; 2 Shatterskull Smashing; 1 Wild Wasteland; 1 The One Ring

- Plan rule: lock first, clock second, cards third. Trinisphere is the preferred turn-one or turn-two play when acceleration enables it. Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher are useful only when legal text and public information identify the card, ability, or engine being constrained; otherwise, pressure with Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or Caves of Chaos Adventurer.

Creature swarm, balanced plan
Side in: 4 Fiery Confluence; 3 Hexing Squelcher
Cut: 3 Blood Moon; 1 The One Ring; 1 Wild Wasteland; 2 Caves of Chaos Adventurer

- Plan rule: stabilize the battlefield before protecting a prison plan. Fiery Confluence is preferred over slower initiative plays when the opponent can attack around one large blocker. Hexing Squelcher is conditional; keep it only if the opponent has visible or known creature abilities that matter under the card's confirmed text. Fury remains important because it can prevent early snowballing before Fiery Confluence is castable.

Blue control, balanced plan
Side in: 1 Boil; 2 Ruination; 3 Trinisphere; 2 Disruptor Flute
Cut: 4 Fury; 2 Shatterskull Smashing; 1 Wild Wasteland; 1 Pyrogoyf

- Plan rule: attack mana and card economy from multiple angles. Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Ruination, Boil, and Trinisphere make the opponent answer different prison types; The One Ring and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker then keep threats flowing. Disruptor Flute should name only a card or activated ability whose importance is clear from public information, not a guessed hidden answer.

- Add role cards: use Boil and Ruination together only when the opponent's lands make both effects live. Reduce main-deck emphasis: lower Fury and Shatterskull Smashing when there are few creature targets, but preserve enough red cards for Chrome Mox and enough threats to end the game.

- Add role cards: use Fiery Confluence when the opponent can beat Blood Moon by flooding the board. Reduce main-deck emphasis: lower slow initiative and extra The One Ring copies when life total, tempo, or creature pressure makes four-mana card advantage too slow.

- Add role cards: use Trinisphere when the opponent's first three turns depend on cheap spells. Reduce main-deck emphasis: lower creature removal in matchups with few targets, and lower excess top-end when the opening hand needs a prison artifact more than a second four-drop.

- Add role cards: use Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher as precision disruption, not generic filler. Reduce main-deck emphasis: remove the lowest-impact removal or slowest card-advantage pieces only after confirming the opponent presents a specific name, activated ability, or engine that these cards can legally affect.

- Role changes after sideboard should keep Red Stompy proactive. Against combo, mulligan toward Chrome Mox, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Simian Spirit Guide, Trinisphere, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, or Disruptor Flute. Against creature decks, value Fury and Fiery Confluence higher than speculative prison pieces. Against control, value The One Ring, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Boil, Ruination, and threat density because the game may continue after the first lock is answered.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: Stabilize the first two combat steps before spending mana on slow card advantage. Fury, Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, Shatterskull Smashing, and sideboard Fiery Confluence are the important battlefield cards; Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon matter only if the opponent's visible lands or known archetype make mana denial faster than creature pressure. Avoid hands that make The One Ring the first relevant play while already taking repeated attacks, because Ancient Tomb and burden counters can make the race worse.

- Tempo: Present one must-answer prison piece or oversized threat before trading resources. Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Ancient Tomb, and City of Traitors should accelerate Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Pyrogoyf, or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker while the opponent is still constrained on mana. Add role cards: Trinisphere, Boil, and Disruptor Flute when cheap spells, Islands, or a named engine card are observable matchup pressures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow four-drops when the hand cannot protect life total or force through an early lock.

- Control: Diversify threats and mana attacks rather than committing every resource into one answer window. The One Ring and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker are stronger here because the game can continue after the first Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, or threat is answered. Caves of Chaos Adventurer is strongest when the opponent cannot immediately take initiative back; do not tap low for it if a lower-risk Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, or The One Ring line is clearly stronger from visible mana and stack context. Add role cards: Boil, Ruination, Trinisphere, and Disruptor Flute when public lands and action text justify them.

- Combo: Mulligan and sequence for the earliest lock plus a real clock. Trinisphere is the cleanest broad disruption against cheap-spell chains, while Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon punish combo shells that rely on nonbasic mana. Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher are precision cards; use them only when public information or legal action text identifies the card, ability, or engine being constrained. Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and Caves of Chaos Adventurer close the game after the lock; The One Ring is usually secondary unless it protects a stable locked position.

- Midrange: Convert fast mana into a lasting advantage source before the opponent trades one-for-one profitably. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, and Broadside Bombardiers give Red Stompy follow-up after early removal, but Fury and Fiery Confluence remain important when the opponent's creatures can invalidate initiative or pressure burden counters. Preserve red cards for Chrome Mox and Fury only when the current legal action needs them; do not pitch the last threat in a removal-heavy game unless the lock or removal action is decisive.

- Big mana: Attack lands before the opponent's high-impact plays come online. Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Ruination, Wild Wasteland, and any legal land-destruction mode from Sundering Eruption are the pressure points, with Trinisphere useful when the opponent needs multiple setup spells in one turn. Use Simian Spirit Guide and Chrome Mox aggressively for a turn-one or turn-two lock if the hand also contains pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only removal when the opponent presents few early creatures, but keep enough threats to end the game before mana recovers.

- Graveyard: Win through prison and speed because this registered sideboard does not contain a broad graveyard-exile card. Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Disruptor Flute, and Hexing Squelcher are the relevant tools only when they constrain mana, spells, a named card, or an activated ability exposed by the rules engine. Pyrogoyf can be a fast threat, but do not assume graveyard scaling or exact combat math unless Forge's visible state confirms current power, toughness, counters, and legal attacks.

- Artifact/enchantment: Use Fiery Confluence as the main artifact and swarm punisher, then maintain pressure while the opponent rebuilds. Against artifact-heavy boards, Blood Moon may be less decisive if artifacts already produce functional mana, so favor Fury, Fiery Confluence, Broadside Bombardiers, and fast Pyrogoyf pressure. Against enchantment-heavy boards, this deck has limited direct enchantment interaction; rely on Trinisphere, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Disruptor Flute when a name is justified, and a fast clock rather than assuming removal exists.

- Go-wide: Prioritize sweep effects and blocks over prison pieces that do not affect combat. Fury and Fiery Confluence should answer early volume, while Pyrogoyf can hold the ground and Broadside Bombardiers can turn excess permanents into removal or reach when legal action text confirms the sacrifice and target. The One Ring is acceptable only when its protection turn and future cards stabilize the race; otherwise, four mana spent without changing the board can lose initiative, life total, or both.

- Single-threat: Answer or race the exact visible threat instead of overvaluing broad sweepers. Fury, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers, and Fiery Confluence can matter depending on legal targets and damage text, while Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon can prevent follow-up interaction. The One Ring can buy a turn if its protection ability resolves, but track burden counters and the opponent's clock before drawing extra cards. Disruptor Flute is strongest when one card name or one visible activated ability defines the threat plan.

- Burn: Treat life total as a scarce resource, including Ancient Tomb damage and The One Ring burden counters. Trinisphere is a high-impact role card when it slows multiple cheap spells, but do not keep a hand that casts it too late without a blocker or clock. Fury and Fiery Confluence should control creatures when creature damage is the pressure source, while Pyrogoyf and Broadside Bombardiers shorten the race. Avoid unnecessary Ancient Tomb activations once red mana from Snow-Covered Mountain, Chrome Mox, or Simian Spirit Guide can cover the legal play.

- Removal-heavy decks: Preserve threat density and card advantage rather than spending all acceleration on one fragile permanent. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and The One Ring are priority engines, Caves of Chaos Adventurer is best when initiative is defensible, and Broadside Bombardiers punishes stalled boards if legal sacrifice actions are available. Chrome Mox imprint choices should avoid exiling the only follow-up threat unless the immediate Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, or Fury action is clearly necessary from visible state.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only: Exact opponents were not supplied, so revealed cards, public lands, stack objects, and Forge legal actions override these assumptions. Use these notes as retrieval cues, not as permission to infer hidden cards or force illegal lines.

- Blue control shells: Prioritize early mana denial, then diversify threats through Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The One Ring, and Caves of Chaos Adventurer. Add role cards: Boil, Ruination, Trinisphere, and Disruptor Flute when Islands, slow cantrip density, or one named answer/engine is visible. Priority targets are blue mana, activated engines named by public information, and planeswalker-like or permanent engines only when legal action text exposes them.

- Fast spell combo: Mulligan toward Trinisphere, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Chrome Mox, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, and Simian Spirit Guide plus a clock. Add role cards: Trinisphere, Disruptor Flute, Hexing Squelcher, Ruination, and Boil only when the observed mana or engine justifies them. Priority targets are the first engine action, the enabling activated ability, or the mana source that lets the opponent act through the prison piece.

- Creature tempo and go-wide pressure: Stabilize before chasing card draw. Fury, Fiery Confluence, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers, and Pyrogoyf matter more than a slow The One Ring if life total or initiative is under pressure. Add role cards: Fiery Confluence and Trinisphere when cheap creatures and multiple-spell turns are visible. Priority targets are evasive attackers, creatures that steal initiative, and boards where one sweep mode changes the race.

- Artifact-heavy decks: Treat Fiery Confluence as the cleanest sideboard pressure card and verify every mode through legal action text. Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon are still strong against nonbasic lands, but artifact mana already on board can reduce their immediate effect. Add role cards: Fiery Confluence, Trinisphere, Disruptor Flute, and Hexing Squelcher when artifacts, named abilities, or cheap chained spells are public.

- Big-mana and land-centric decks: Attack mana early and keep a fast closer. Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Ruination, Wild Wasteland, Sundering Eruption, Ancient Tomb starts, and City of Traitors starts are the key pressure points. Add role cards: Ruination and Trinisphere when visible lands or setup spells show that mana development is the opponent's plan. Priority targets are nonbasic mana, utility lands, and setup permanents before the opponent can ignore prison.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, and Simian Spirit Guide create explosive starts but punish loose sequencing. Avoid spending the only red source, imprinting the only relevant red card, or sacrificing City of Traitors before the chosen legal action is clearly stronger than waiting.

- Matchup risk: Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon are not equally decisive in every game. If the opponent already has basic mana, artifact mana, or a board that can race, shift toward Fury, Fiery Confluence, Broadside Bombardiers, Pyrogoyf, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, or The One Ring instead of overvaluing prison.

- Draw risk: The One Ring can stabilize and refuel, but burden counters and Ancient Tomb damage can make it lethal to its controller. Use it as a bridge to lock pieces, sweepers, or lethal pressure, not as automatic card draw when the visible clock is short.

- Over-sideboarding risk: Red Stompy still needs acceleration, lock pieces, and closers after sideboarding. Do not dilute the deck into narrow answers; Add role cards only when public information makes Boil, Ruination, Hexing Squelcher, Fiery Confluence, Disruptor Flute, or Trinisphere better than the main-deck pressure they displace.

- Graveyard risk: The registered sideboard has no broad graveyard-exile card. Do not rely on graveyard hate that is not present; fight graveyard decks with speed, Trinisphere, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Disruptor Flute, Hexing Squelcher, and legal pressure.

- Sweeper/removal risk: Fury, Fiery Confluence, Shatterskull Smashing, and Broadside Bombardiers require exact visible targets, costs, and damage outcomes. Card text check required for Pyrogoyf, Sundering Eruption, Wild Wasteland, and Hexing Squelcher before assuming non-obvious timing, sizing, or ability coverage.

- Closer risk: Caves of Chaos Adventurer is powerful only when initiative can be defended. If the opponent can immediately attack back, prefer a lock, sweeper, Fury line, or The One Ring protection line when legal actions and visible board state support it.

- Interaction risk: Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher are precision tools, not generic answers. Name or use them only from revealed cards, public stack context, visible activated abilities, or legal action text.

- Sequencing risk: Fast mana should produce a lock, engine, removal swing, or fast clock. A turn-one threat without disruption is weaker when the opponent's visible plan can ignore combat or answer one creature cleanly.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: Record whether the game was decided by an early Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, fast Pyrogoyf or Broadside Bombardiers pressure, The One Ring or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker engine, Fury or Fiery Confluence stabilization, or the opponent successfully ignoring the prison plan.

- Mulligans: Capture the opening hand, keep or mulligan reason, and whether the kept hand had a clear first impactful legal play. Flag hands that lacked red mana, relied on Chrome Mox without a safe imprint, had too many four-mana cards, or kept acceleration without either lock piece, engine, removal, or clock.

- Mana: Track Ancient Tomb damage, City of Traitors sacrifice timing, Chrome Mox imprint cost, Simian Spirit Guide use, and whether Snow-Covered Mountain access mattered. Note every game where Shatterskull Smashing, Sundering Eruption, or Wild Wasteland was needed as mana or interaction, with Card text check required before inferring non-obvious modal details.

- Velocity: Check whether the deck converted fast mana into a meaningful turn-one or turn-two play. A hand that spends Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox, or Simian Spirit Guide should create a lock, protect life total, start a clock, or produce a card-advantage engine.

- Engines: Review whether The One Ring and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker gained enough cards, filtering, protection, or board presence to justify their timing. Note if The One Ring burden counters or Ancient Tomb damage shortened the pilot's clock.

- Removal: Record whether Fury, Fiery Confluence, Shatterskull Smashing, Broadside Bombardiers, or combat trades changed the race. Mark missed spots where a visible creature, initiative threat, or go-wide board should have been answered before deploying another prison piece.

- Sideboard: For each post-board game, record which sideboard cards were drawn, cast, stranded, or irrelevant. Check whether Boil, Ruination, Hexing Squelcher, Fiery Confluence, Disruptor Flute, and Trinisphere matched public information rather than assumed hidden cards.

- Closing: Identify whether the deck ended the game after establishing disruption. Flag games where Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon slowed the opponent but no Pyrogoyf, Broadside Bombardiers, Caves of Chaos Adventurer, Fury, or engine follow-up ended the game quickly.

- Role: Record whether the pilot correctly played as prison, beatdown, stabilizing control, or resource engine. Flag role conflicts such as drawing cards with The One Ring while under lethal pressure, attacking with needed blockers, or overcommitting threats into visible sweep risk.

- Mistakes: Log illegal-action rejections, stale-action rejections, missed lethal, missed blocks, unnecessary Ancient Tomb activations, premature City of Traitors sacrifice, weak Chrome Mox imprint, or passing priority with a visible stabilizing action available.

- Stranded cards: List main-deck and sideboard cards stranded in hand at game end. Separate mana-stranded cards from low-impact cards, because a stranded Caves of Chaos Adventurer means something different from an irrelevant Blood Moon.

- Overperformers and underperformers: Compare card performance by matchup and role. Count not just cast frequency, but whether each card advanced the actual winning axis or sat in hand while another plan was needed.

## First Tuning Questions

- Lock density: Are 3 Blood Moon, 4 Magus of the Moon, and 3 sideboard Trinisphere enough against mana-combo and land-centric decks, or are too many games lost before the prison axis matters?

- Threat density: Are 4 Pyrogoyf, 4 Broadside Bombardiers, 4 Caves of Chaos Adventurer, 4 Fury, 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and 4 The One Ring too many expensive or engine-like cards when fast closing is required?

- Mana pressure: Does Ancient Tomb damage plus The One Ring burden counters cost too many close races, and should play patterns reduce optional Ancient Tomb use before changing card quantities?

- Red source reliability: Do Chrome Mox, Simian Spirit Guide, Snow-Covered Mountain, and modal land choices produce enough red mana for Fury, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Magus of the Moon, Broadside Bombardiers, and sideboard Fiery Confluence?

- Aggro plan: Are Fury and Fiery Confluence enough against creature pressure, or does the deck need a different split between sweepers, blockers, and faster closers after sideboarding?

- Control plan: Does the deck beat slow interactive opponents through The One Ring, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Boil, Ruination, Disruptor Flute, and resilient threat sequencing, or does it over-rely on Blood Moon effects that may be prepared for?

- Sideboard slots: Are Hexing Squelcher and Disruptor Flute winning enough games from visible activated abilities or named-card pressure, or are those slots too narrow compared with more broad pressure or removal?

- Role conflict: Does the deck sideboard into too many answers and lose the stompy identity, or does it keep too much pressure when specific sideboard interaction is required?

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Mulligan For One Impactful Opening
Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan
Cards: Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Chrome Mox; Simian Spirit Guide; Blood Moon; Magus of the Moon; Fable of the Mirror-Breaker; The One Ring; Pyrogoyf; Broadside Bombardiers; Fury
Phase windows: opening hand, London mulligan
Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan, visible opening hand
Use when: deciding keep, mulligan, or bottom after mulligan.
Avoid when: no legal mulligan action is pending.
Instructions: Keep hands with red mana plus a turn-one or turn-two lock, engine, removal swing, or fast clock. Mulligan hands with no red source, no deployable action, or acceleration that only produces stranded four-drops.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: London Bottoms Preserve First Plan
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mulligan, selection
Cards: Snow-Covered Mountain; Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Chrome Mox; Simian Spirit Guide; Blood Moon; Magus of the Moon; The One Ring; Caves of Chaos Adventurer
Phase windows: opening hand after mulligan
Runtime cues: prompt:bottom, action:put on bottom
Use when: choosing cards to bottom after a mulligan.
Avoid when: bottom choice would remove the only red source or the only legal first impactful play.
Instructions: Bottom redundant expensive cards before mana. Preserve one lock or pressure card, one red-producing path, and enough mana to execute the first two turns.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Early Prison Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority, mana
Cards: Blood Moon; Magus of the Moon; Trinisphere; Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Chrome Mox; Simian Spirit Guide
Phase windows: precombat main, postcombat main, early turns
Runtime cues: action:cast Blood Moon, action:cast Magus of the Moon, action:cast Trinisphere
Use when: a prison piece is legal and fast mana can cast it.
Avoid when: visible board already demands Fury or Fiery Confluence to survive, or the prison card is visibly low-impact against current public mana.
Instructions: Commit to the lock when it constrains visible lands, slows the opponent before they establish resources, or buys time for a threat. Prefer Magus of the Moon when creature pressure matters; prefer Blood Moon when creature removal is the visible concern.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Threat Or Engine Setup
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority, mana
Cards: Pyrogoyf; Fable of the Mirror-Breaker; Broadside Bombardiers; Caves of Chaos Adventurer; The One Ring
Phase windows: precombat main, postcombat main
Runtime cues: action:cast Pyrogoyf, action:cast Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, action:cast Broadside Bombardiers, action:cast Caves of Chaos Adventurer, action:cast The One Ring
Use when: no decisive prison commitment is available or prison is already established.
Avoid when: visible lethal or near-lethal pressure requires interaction first.
Instructions: Start with the threat or engine that fits the visible race. Use Pyrogoyf or Broadside Bombardiers to close quickly, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker to rebuild and filter, Caves of Chaos Adventurer when initiative can be defended, and The One Ring when protection or cards matter more than board damage.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Chrome Mox Imprint Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana, selection
Cards: Chrome Mox
Phase windows: pregame, precombat main, postcombat main
Runtime cues: action:imprint, action:exile
Use when: Chrome Mox asks for an imprint choice.
Avoid when: imprinting removes the only threat, only prison piece, or only interaction needed for the visible matchup role.
Instructions: Imprint the least important red nonartifact card for the current line. Preserve Fury against creature boards, preserve Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon against vulnerable mana, and preserve the only follow-up threat after an early lock.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Simian Spirit Guide Use
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana, priority
Cards: Simian Spirit Guide
Phase windows: any phase with mana abilities or payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:exile Simian Spirit Guide, action:add red
Use when: exiling Simian Spirit Guide completes a visible lock, engine, removal, or lethal/near-lethal sequence this turn.
Avoid when: the same legal play can be paid with lands without sacrificing a future turn, or the action spends the last red card for low impact.
Instructions: Treat Simian Spirit Guide as tempo, not a card to cash casually. Spend it to move a decisive card ahead of schedule or pay a tax that would otherwise stop the selected line.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: City Of Traitors Timing
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: City of Traitors; Ancient Tomb; Snow-Covered Mountain; Wild Wasteland; Shatterskull Smashing; Sundering Eruption
Phase windows: land play, mana payment
Runtime cues: action:play City of Traitors, action:tap City of Traitors
Use when: City of Traitors is a legal land play or mana source.
Avoid when: a later land play is needed and another land pays the current cost without losing City of Traitors.
Instructions: Use City of Traitors for immediate high-impact mana. Sequence Snow-Covered Mountain or modal lands first when the hand needs stable red or future land drops more than burst mana.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Exact Mandatory Mana Payment
Priority: Low
Decision families: mana
Cards: Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Snow-Covered Mountain; Chrome Mox; Simian Spirit Guide
Phase windows: mana payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:pay mana
Use when: exactly one legal mana-payment action is shown and it pays the currently selected spell or ability.
Avoid when: two or more legal mana-payment actions differ by source, life loss, sacrificing City of Traitors, or spending Simian Spirit Guide.
Instructions: Submit the single legal payment action when the rules engine exposes only one payment path.
Pilot skill floor: no-api
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: The One Ring Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority, mana
Cards: The One Ring; Ancient Tomb
Phase windows: precombat main, postcombat main
Runtime cues: action:cast The One Ring, action:activate The One Ring
Use when: The One Ring is legal to cast or activate.
Avoid when: visible board pressure makes burden counters or tapping out more dangerous than interacting or adding blockers.
Instructions: Cast The One Ring to survive a combat step, reload after trading resources, or overpower slow interaction. Activate it when extra cards are needed and visible life pressure plus Ancient Tomb damage does not make the activation reckless.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Fury Stabilization Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction, selection, mana
Cards: Fury; Chrome Mox; Simian Spirit Guide
Phase windows: main phases, priority windows, combat trick windows when legal
Runtime cues: action:cast Fury, action:evoke Fury, action:target Fury
Use when: Fury is legal and visible creatures can be assigned damage.
Avoid when: Fury would not change combat, preserve life total, remove a key permanent, or enable an attack this turn.
Instructions: Use Fury before additional pressure when visible creatures threaten the race, initiative, planeswalkers, or survival. Preserve it when the board is empty or the opponent is constrained by prison.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Broadside Bombardiers Target Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction, combat, priority
Cards: Broadside Bombardiers
Phase windows: combat, priority windows with legal trigger or ability choices
Runtime cues: action:target Broadside Bombardiers, action:sacrifice
Use when: Broadside Bombardiers exposes legal sacrifice or target choices.
Avoid when: target or sacrifice choice requires hidden information or the visible damage result is unclear.
Instructions: Route target and sacrifice selection through light reasoning. Favor lines that produce lethal damage, remove a blocking or attacking creature, or turn a redundant permanent into a race swing.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Attack Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat
Cards: Pyrogoyf; Broadside Bombardiers; Caves of Chaos Adventurer; Magus of the Moon; Fury
Phase windows: declare attackers
Runtime cues: prompt:declare attackers
Use when: attackers must be declared.
Avoid when: attacking exposes the only blocker against a lethal crack-back or loses initiative defense without compensation.
Instructions: Attack when the clock matters more than blocking. Hold back creatures that protect initiative, preserve life against visible lethal pressure, or keep a prison creature alive.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Single Forced No-Attack
Priority: Low
Decision families: combat
Cards: none
Phase windows: declare attackers
Runtime cues: action:attack with none
Use when: the only legal declare-attackers action is attacking with no creatures.
Avoid when: any legal action declares at least one attacking creature.
Instructions: Submit the no-attack action when it is the only attack declaration exposed by the engine.
Pilot skill floor: no-api
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Block For Survival Or Initiative
Priority: High
Decision families: combat
Cards: Pyrogoyf; Magus of the Moon; Broadside Bombardiers; Caves of Chaos Adventurer; Fury
Phase windows: declare blockers
Runtime cues: prompt:declare blockers
Use when: blockers must be declared.
Avoid when: no legal blockers exist.
Instructions: Block to prevent lethal damage, protect initiative, or preserve enough life for The One Ring and Ancient Tomb costs. Do not trade away Magus of the Moon if the lock is the only reason the opponent is constrained unless survival requires it.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Fable Selection And Token Use
Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection, combat, priority
Cards: Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
Phase windows: chapter triggers, combat, main phases
Runtime cues: action:discard, action:create Treasure, action:copy
Use when: Fable of the Mirror-Breaker creates selection, attack, mana, or copy choices.
Avoid when: the action text does not identify the Fable-related choice.
Instructions: Discard stranded duplicates or matchup-low-impact cards before functional mana and threats. Use Treasure to bridge four-mana plays. Copy only from visible legal targets whose copied body advances damage, interaction, or resource production.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sweeper And Artifact Pressure Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction, priority, mana
Cards: Fiery Confluence; Fury; Shatterskull Smashing
Phase windows: main phases, priority windows when legal
Runtime cues: action:cast Fiery Confluence, action:cast Shatterskull Smashing
Use when: a visible board of creatures, artifacts, or low life totals makes a damage mode legal.
Avoid when: casting the spell leaves a stronger visible threat unanswered or spends mana needed for a prison piece that wins the current turn cycle.
Instructions: Use Fiery Confluence as the broad sideboard reset when go-wide creatures or artifacts matter. Use Shatterskull Smashing only from visible legal text and available mana; Card text check required for modal details.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Precision Sideboard Interaction
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction, sideboard, selection
Cards: Disruptor Flute; Hexing Squelcher; Boil; Ruination; Trinisphere
Phase windows: sideboarded games, main phases, priority windows
Runtime cues: action:cast Disruptor Flute, action:cast Hexing Squelcher, action:cast Boil, action:cast Ruination, action:cast Trinisphere
Use when: sideboard cards are legal and public information supports their role.
Avoid when: the card only guesses at hidden cards without revealed hand, stack, activated ability, land board, or known matchup context.
Instructions: Use Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher from revealed or visible action context. Use Boil and Ruination when visible lands make them materially disruptive. Use Trinisphere before the opponent can convert cheap spells into a board or combo turn.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Plan Selection
Priority: High
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Boil; Ruination; Hexing Squelcher; Fiery Confluence; Disruptor Flute; Trinisphere; Blood Moon; Magus of the Moon; Fury; The One Ring; Caves of Chaos Adventurer; Fable of the Mirror-Breaker; Pyrogoyf
Phase windows: between games
Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard, action:submit sideboard
Use when: choosing a legal post-board plan.
Avoid when: the proposed plan violates registered 75 preservation or cuts more copies than the main deck contains.
Instructions: Select exact executable plans only from the Sideboard Map. Match Boil and Ruination to land-heavy blue or nonbasic-resource games, Fiery Confluence to creature or artifact pressure, Trinisphere to cheap-spell velocity, and precision cards to revealed abilities or names.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Pass Priority With Purpose
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority
Cards: Fury; Broadside Bombardiers; The One Ring; Fiery Confluence; Disruptor Flute; Hexing Squelcher
Phase windows: all priority windows
Runtime cues: action:pass priority
Use when: pass priority is legal and no immediate legal action improves survival, lock strength, damage, or resource position.
Avoid when: a visible stack object, combat step, or threatening board gives a legal interaction that changes the outcome.
Instructions: Pass when holding actions is stronger than spending them into current public information. Do not pass through combat or stack windows with visible lethal prevention, removal, or tax interaction available without comparing that action.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
