# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Red Deck Wins is a Historic mono-red aggro-burn deck registered as 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards under the supplied validation contract. The active format is Historic, the main/sideboard counts pass the stated rule of at least 60 main-deck cards and at most 15 sideboard cards, and the strategic tags are aggro and burn. The exact registered main deck is built around A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Lightning Strike, Shadowspear, Mountain, Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, and Rockface Village. The exact registered sideboard is Grafdigger's Cage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Shadowspear, Magebane Lizard, Urabrask's Forge, and Witchstalker Frenzy.

- Archetype identity: Treat this as a low-curve red pressure deck whose default role is attacker, damage-pusher, and tempo punisher rather than long-game controller. The deck should ask the rules engine for legal attacks, legal burn targets, legal pump targets, and legal activated-land lines, then choose lines that convert visible mana and combat steps into damage before the opponent stabilizes.

- Stock/rogue/hybrid status: Classify this as a stock-family Historic Red Deck Wins shell with an Arena-specific creature-pump package, not as a rogue brew. The deck is hybridized between classic mono-red burn, combat-focused red creatures, and permanent-based pressure from creature lands and utility lands; it should still pilot as proactive aggro unless visible board state forces a survival or removal role.

- Validation status: The supplied registration is format-aware validated as passing, but runtime play must still obey the engine's current legal actions. Do not assume any spell, attack, activation, target, equip line, or sideboard configuration is legal until Veles receives that action from the rules engine.

- Mana profile: The deck is overwhelmingly red with one colorless equipment card, so red-source availability is the primary mana concern. Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, and Rockface Village give utility and reach, but the pilot should still protect early red sequencing for Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Lightning Strike, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Magebane Lizard, Urabrask's Forge, and Witchstalker Frenzy when those cards are visible and legal.

- Role concern: The deck has little interest in speculative defense unless the visible opponent board presents lethal pressure or a creature must be preserved for a damage race. It should prefer hands and lines that produce an early permanent, keep damage flowing, and avoid spending burn on low-impact targets when the same card can legally shorten the clock.

- Card-text caution: Card text check required for any exact tactical claim about A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Rockface Village, and other Arena/Historic-specific objects unless Veles supplies the text, actions, or visible annotations at runtime. Use the engine's legal action labels as the source of truth for targeting, triggers, activations, and combat modifiers.

- Opponent info status: No specific opponent deck is supplied for this guide, so pregame policy should treat the opponent as unknown Historic until public information appears. Matchup adjustments must derive from revealed lands, visible permanents, graveyards, exile, stack actions, life totals, hand counts, and logged game history rather than invented hidden cards.

- Sideboard status: The registered sideboard supports anti-red interaction, anti-creature interaction, graveyard or library-cast pressure, attrition threats, and supplemental lifegain/equipment access, but exact sideboarding belongs in Sideboard Map. Outside exact plans, describe additions as role cards and reductions as main-deck emphasis shifts rather than illegal or unvalidated swaps.

## Thesis
This Red Deck Wins list assembles early red permanents, combat leverage, and direct damage into a short clock before the opponent can stabilize. The deck wins by curving pressure from A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, and Sunspine Lynx into attack steps backed by Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Shadowspear, creature lands, and damage lands.

Prioritize damage that compounds across turns over one-shot exchanges that leave the battlefield empty. A one-mana or two-mana threat that survives to attack is often more important than spending a burn spell immediately, unless the visible blocker, lifegain source, combo piece, or lethal attacker changes the race.

Treat combat as the deck's main engine, not as incidental chip damage. Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Manifold Mouse, Rockface Village, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, and Shadowspear all point the pilot toward using legal attacks, pump choices, equipment choices, and land activations to turn small board edges into lethal pressure.

Do not pilot this deck as a draw-go burn control deck. Burst Lightning and Lightning Strike can finish games or remove blockers, but the deck is not trying to preserve every spell for the opponent's life total while passing turns with no board; it is trying to make the opponent answer recurring combat damage while every visible red mana threatens more damage.

Do not invent card text or assume a trigger, bonus, prevention effect, or target is available from memory. Card text check required for exact details of A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Rockface Village, and any Arena-specific object unless Veles exposes legal actions, visible annotations, or current card text at runtime.

## Role Package
- Threats: A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, and Sunspine Lynx are the primary pressure package. Prefer hands and sequences that deploy at least one early threat, then keep attacking unless the visible board makes a trade clearly race-losing or exposes a key creature to a bad exchange without adding damage.

- Payoffs: Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Shadowspear, Rockface Village, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Ramunap Ruins, and Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance convert established mana or creatures into extra pressure. Use these payoffs after the rules engine confirms legal targets and activations, and favor lines that either push immediate lethal, preserve a fast two-turn clock, or remove the blocker that matters most.

- Engines: Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Rockface Village, Den of the Bugbear, Mutavault, and Ramunap Ruins give the deck repeatable or staged pressure rather than pure spell count. Protect this engine shape by avoiding low-impact spell use when attacking plus land utility can force the opponent to spend mana defensively.

- Velocity: The deck has limited true card flow, so its velocity comes from low mana costs, dense threats, and using all mana each turn. Emberheart Challenger may provide additional action depending on exact runtime text; Card text check required, and any selection or cast-from-exile line must follow Veles legal action output.

- Interaction: Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Witchstalker Frenzy, and combat itself are the interaction suite. Aim interaction at blockers, lifegain creatures, must-answer threats, planeswalkers or battles if legal and tactically relevant, and lethal race points; avoid spending removal on creatures that do not change the damage race.

- Protection: The deck has little conventional protection, so protect threats through sequencing, target discipline, and pressure timing. Monstrous Rage and Shadowspear can change combat outcomes only when legal action text supports the line; do not assume they save a creature from removal or damage without engine confirmation.

- Recursion: The registered main deck has no dedicated graveyard recursion plan. Treat graveyard contents as public information for opponent assessment and Ramunap Ruins-style reach if legal, but do not hold cards for a nonexistent recovery engine.

- Mana: Mountain is the stable red source, while Rockface Village, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, and Mutavault are damage, activation, or utility lands with opportunity costs. Prioritize red access for early spells, then spend utility lands when doing so does not strand a higher-damage legal spell or combat line.

- Sideboard modules: Grafdigger's Cage is the graveyard or library-cast hate module; Redcap Melee and Rending Volley are efficient anti-red or anti-creature interaction modules; the second Shadowspear is a lifegain and combat-swing module; Magebane Lizard is a pressure-punisher module; Urabrask's Forge is an attrition threat module; Witchstalker Frenzy is a larger removal or tempo module. Sideboard choices should reinforce the matchup role without diluting the deck below a credible early clock.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Early permanent pressure wins by opening on A-Heartfire Hero or Kumano Faces Kakkazan, adding Emberheart Challenger or Manifold Mouse, then forcing the opponent to answer repeated attacks before Sunspine Lynx and Screaming Nemesis extend the clock. Prioritize this path in Game 1 and against unknown opponents because it uses the deck's highest-density cards, asks the opponent for immediate interaction, and leaves Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, and Monstrous Rage available to clear blockers or finish the last life points.

- Combat amplification wins by turning one legal attacker into a high-impact damage event with Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Rockface Village, Shadowspear, or Manifold Mouse. Set this up by keeping at least one creature on the battlefield, reading legal targets from Veles, and waiting until the pump or fight line either produces lethal, removes the blocker that stops the clock, or preserves an attack that otherwise fails. Disruption comes from instant-speed removal, first-strike or damage prevention effects, and poor target timing; do not assume any pump, role, trigger, or stat change unless the rules engine shows the resulting legal action or visible effect. Card text check required for exact A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, and Rockface Village text.

- Burn reach wins when early attacks have reduced the opponent to a range where Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Mutavault, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, or a final creature attack can end the game. Set this up by preserving enough red mana sources to cast spells while using creature lands and damage lands only when they do not strand higher-damage legal actions. Prioritize burn to face when the opponent is at immediate lethal or on a one-turn clock; aim burn at blockers, lifegain creatures, or lethal attackers when those permanents visibly prevent the damage plan from resolving.

- Three-mana threat pressure wins by landing Screaming Nemesis or Sunspine Lynx after the opponent has spent early resources on smaller threats. Execute this path when the hand already has early red sources and the battlefield can support an attack next turn; avoid keeping slow hands that rely only on three-mana threats without a one- or two-mana play. Prioritize this path against removal-heavy opponents when a single larger threat plus burn is more reliable than overcommitting small creatures.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Creature-land pressure wins stalled games through Mutavault and Den of the Bugbear after both players trade resources. Activate them when Veles shows legal attacks and the activation does not consume mana needed for Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, or an equipment line that produces more immediate damage. Respect visible instant-speed removal and blockers; creature lands are valuable because they survive sorcery-speed sweepers only while they remain lands.

- Ramunap Ruins reach wins attrition games when the opponent stabilizes the battlefield at a low life total. Use this line only when the rules engine exposes a legal activation and the cost does not cut off a higher-value spell or required red source. Treat Ramunap Ruins as reach, not as the first plan; a land sacrificed or spent too early can make later double-spell turns impossible.

- Shadowspear pressure wins races where lifegain or combat sizing matters. Equip only when legal and when the equipped creature can attack, survive a relevant combat, or change the life race enough to matter; do not spend the turn moving Shadowspear if another legal line creates a faster lethal clock. The sideboard Shadowspear reinforces this same role after sideboarding, but exact plans belong in Sideboard Map.

- Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance provides fallback bodies or pressure if Veles exposes a legal channel or activated line. Use it when flooding, when a body changes lethal math, or when preserving a spell count is less important than adding immediate attackers. Card text check required for exact token, cost, and timing details.

- Urabrask's Forge, Magebane Lizard, Grafdigger's Cage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Witchstalker Frenzy, and the second Shadowspear are sideboard win-support modules rather than main-deck win conditions. They should help the deck keep attacking, punish spell-heavy play, contain recursion or creature pressure, or win longer games without replacing the core need for a fast clock.

## Emergency Lines
- When behind on life, stop treating every burn spell as face damage and identify the visible source of the opposing clock. Use Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, or Witchstalker Frenzy on lethal attackers or lifegain threats when legal, then rebuild pressure with the cheapest creature or creature-land line available.

- When behind on board, trade resources only if the trade opens a damage lane or prevents lethal. Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Shadowspear, Rockface Village, and Manifold Mouse can change combat, but the pilot must follow legal target and timing output rather than assume a favorable fight. If no profitable attack exists, preserve creatures for a turn only when doing so creates a clear next-turn lethal or survival line.

- When behind on cards, maximize mana efficiency and recurring sources of damage. Prefer attacks from existing creatures, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Ramunap Ruins, and equipment use over spending multiple cards into one visible answer. Emberheart Challenger may provide additional action depending on exact runtime text; Card text check required.

- When behind on mana, prioritize castable one- and two-mana plays over speculative three-mana threats. Keep Mountain access stable, delay utility activations that strand spells, and do not channel or sacrifice lands unless the immediate legal action stabilizes the race or creates lethal.

- When the opponent has an engine, graveyard recursion, or combo posture, race first unless a visible permanent, stack object, graveyard card, or legal action shows that interaction is necessary now. Grafdigger's Cage, Magebane Lizard, burn, and pressure can all matter after sideboarding, but do not invent hidden combo pieces or assume hate is effective without public information.

- When early win conditions are removed, pivot to staged reach instead of conceding tempo. Sequence Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, Ramunap Ruins, Burst Lightning, and Lightning Strike so each turn either adds a threat, removes the key blocker, or reduces the opponent to a forced-answer life total.

## Resource Model
- Life is a spendable racing resource, but only while the opponent is under a shorter visible clock. Accept early damage from attacks when your next legal sequence presents more damage than blocking preserves; pivot to removal or Shadowspear lifegain when visible attackers threaten lethal before your burn or creature-land reach can finish.

- Hand cards are burst damage, not long-game insulation. Convert one- and two-mana cards into battlefield pressure first, then use Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Monstrous Rage, and Reckless Rage to clear blockers or close the last points. Avoid spending two cards on one opposing permanent unless that exchange opens lethal, prevents lethal, or protects a key attacker shown by Veles.

- Mana converts into tempo through double-spell turns. A one-land hand is risky unless it already has multiple legal one-mana plays and a clear second-land path; a three-land hand is acceptable when it has Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, or burn that uses mana every turn. Card text check required for exact A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, and Rockface Village text.

- Board presence is the deck's main damage multiplier. Creatures make Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Shadowspear, Rockface Village, and combat decisions meaningful; hands with burn but no creature should be treated as low-pressure unless the matchup or visible board makes removal-heavy racing necessary.

- Graveyard is mostly a record of spent resources, not an engine. Do not preserve cards for graveyard value unless a legal action from Veles explicitly references the graveyard. After sideboarding, Grafdigger's Cage is a hate resource against public graveyard or library-cast patterns, but it should not replace the clock unless the opponent's visible plan demands it.

- Exile is mainly relevant through public information and any runtime card-specific effects. If Kumano Faces Kakkazan or another legal effect changes exile behavior, follow Veles output; do not assume exile replacement, counter placement, or transformed-card timing without rules-engine confirmation.

- Lands are both mana and late reach. Mountain is the stable red source; Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Ramunap Ruins, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, and Rockface Village are tactical lands that should be spent only when their activation, channel, damage, or creature-line beats casting spells with the same mana.

- Sacrifice fodder is scarce, so protect real threats from unnecessary costs. Ramunap Ruins may ask for land sacrifice when legal; use that resource only when the damage matters now or when flooding makes the lost land irrelevant. Do not volunteer creatures or lands to unfamiliar costs unless Veles shows the legal action and the exchange is necessary.

- Tempo is the primary currency. Favor plays that add damage this turn or force the opponent to answer the board before stabilizing. Slow equipment moves, utility-land activations, and three-mana threats are correct only when they create a stronger two-turn clock than spending the same mana on cheaper legal actions.

- Information should restrain guesses, not paralyze aggression. Use visible blockers, open mana, revealed cards, graveyards, stack objects, and known sideboard cards to choose targets, but do not assume hidden removal, lifegain, sweepers, or combo pieces beyond archetype-level risk.

- Sideboard bullets convert narrow mana into matchup leverage. Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Witchstalker Frenzy, Grafdigger's Cage, Magebane Lizard, Urabrask's Forge, and the second Shadowspear should enter only through exact Sideboard Map plans, then be used to preserve the aggressive clock rather than transform the deck into a pure control deck.

## Mana Guide
- Prioritize untapped red mana for the first two turns. Most main-deck spells require red timing, so keep hands that can cast Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, or another early red play on schedule. Mutavault-only or utility-heavy hands should mulligan unless Veles shows a legal early curve supported by Mountain, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, or Rockface Village.

- Sequence Mountain before utility lands when color is uncertain. Play Rockface Village, Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, or Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance early only when doing so still casts the current hand's red spells on time. Do not let a creature-land plan strand Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx.

- Treat Rockface Village as a spell-like land when Veles exposes relevant legal actions. If its mana or activation changes combat, use it after identifying the attacker and legal targets; if its exact text is unclear in the runtime slice, mark Card text check required and prefer ordinary red sequencing until Veles confirms the action.

- Use play-land-before-draw when mana is needed for known legal actions this turn. In normal main-phase sequencing, make the land drop before casting spells if the extra mana unlocks double-spelling, a three-mana threat, creature-land activation, or a burn-plus-pump line. Hold the land until after a draw-like or exile-access action only when Veles shows that the action can reveal a better land-use decision and current mana already pays for it.

- Preserve Ramunap Ruins as a red source until reach matters. Its damage mode is valuable, but sacrificing or spending lands too early can block double-spell turns. Activate only when legal and when the damage closes the game, forces lethal next turn, or beats using the mana on a spell.

- Activate Mutavault and Den of the Bugbear only after comparing spell damage. Creature-land attacks are excellent after removal trades, but spending mana on them is poor when Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Shadowspear equip, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx creates more immediate pressure or prevents lethal.

- Keep two-land hands with a one-drop and two-drop; be skeptical of two-land hands full of three-mana cards. Three-land hands are fine when they curve into Screaming Nemesis or Sunspine Lynx while still using early mana. Four-land hands need either strong early threats plus utility reach or should be treated as flood-prone.

- Spend sideboard mana without losing the clock. Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Witchstalker Frenzy, Grafdigger's Cage, Magebane Lizard, Urabrask's Forge, and Shadowspear should fit into turns that still attack or develop pressure whenever possible; hate that consumes the whole turn must answer a visible threat, engine, or race problem.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: Keep two or three lands with untapped red, Kumano Faces Kakkazan or A-Heartfire Hero, a second threat such as Emberheart Challenger or Manifold Mouse, and one cheap damage spell or Monstrous Rage. This hand pressures immediately, uses mana every turn, and gives Veles multiple legal damage lines before the opponent stabilizes.

- Strong keep: Keep Mountain plus another red source, A-Heartfire Hero, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Burst Lightning, and any two-drop when the hand can put a creature in play before asking Reckless Rage to be legal. Reckless Rage is not a keepable removal spell without a creature plan.

- Medium keep: Keep three lands, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Burst Lightning, and an early creature if the lands cast red spells on turns 1-3. This hand is slower but has durable pressure and reach; ship it more often on the draw against very fast visible aggro.

- Medium keep: Keep two lands, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, and Monstrous Rage when at least one early creature is legal by turn 2. Card text check required for exact Emberheart Challenger and Manifold Mouse roles, but the hand still has pressure plus interaction.

- Risky keep: One-land hands require Mountain or another untapped red source, at least two legal one-mana plays among Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Burst Lightning, or Monstrous Rage, and a matchup where missing land two is not fatal. Ship one-land hands with Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Reckless Rage, Shadowspear, or multiple two-drops.

- Automatic ship: Mulligan hands with no red source, no one- or two-mana play, five or more lands without a creature-land reach plan, or burn-only hands that cannot present a creature. Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Rockface Village, Shadowspear, and combat tricks all lose value when the hand has no early body.

- Matchup-dependent keep: Keep interaction-heavy hands with Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, or post-board Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, and Witchstalker Frenzy only when the opponent is visibly creature-centric or the matchup guide expects early blockers. Against slow noncreature decks, prefer threat-dense hands even if removal is efficient.

- Play/draw adjustment: On the play, favor Kumano Faces Kakkazan or A-Heartfire Hero starts over reactive burn. On the draw, accept more Burst Lightning or Reckless Rage hands when they still curve into Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx.

- Trap hand: Do not keep Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Rockface Village, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Shadowspear, and Monstrous Rage just because it has lands and powerful cards. This hand can fail to cast early red spells, has no turn-1 pressure, and makes the pump/equipment cards wait.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1: Prefer Kumano Faces Kakkazan or A-Heartfire Hero off untapped red mana. Use Burst Lightning on turn 1 only to remove a visible blocker or engine creature that would invalidate attacks; otherwise save burn for reach, prowess-like turns, or blockers after the opponent commits.

- Turn 1 deviation: Play Mountain before utility lands unless the utility land still casts the exact legal spell. Do not lead Mutavault when it prevents Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Burst Lightning, or Monstrous Rage from being available on schedule.

- Turn 2: Prefer adding Emberheart Challenger or Manifold Mouse when a turn-1 threat already exists. If Veles shows a strong attack plus Monstrous Rage line, compare that damage against developing a second creature; choose the line that creates the best two-turn clock without walking a single creature into visible removal or blocker math.

- Turn 2 deviation: Cast Reckless Rage only when its legal target setup preserves your own pressure and removes a blocker or threat that changes the race. If the only legal self-damage creature is essential to the clock and the opposing target is low impact, develop another threat or hold removal.

- Turn 3: Prefer Screaming Nemesis when the board needs a resilient attacker or damage pressure. Prefer Sunspine Lynx when Veles confirms the legal action and the board or matchup makes its effect relevant; Card text check required for exact Sunspine Lynx tactical triggers.

- Turn 3 deviation: Double-spell with Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Monstrous Rage, or a two-drop instead of casting a three-drop when it pushes more immediate damage or removes the only blocker. Use Rockface Village only when its visible legal action improves combat more than another spell.

- Turns 4-5: Convert resources into lethal pressure. Sequence attacks before burn when combat damage is likely and burn can finish after blocks; use burn before combat when removing a blocker unlocks more attack damage. Equip or cast Shadowspear only when lifelink, trample, or repeated combat value beats spending mana on burn or another attacker.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: Activate Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Ramunap Ruins, or Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance only after checking whether spells produce more damage or protect the race. Creature-land lines are strongest after sweepers, removal trades, or flood.

- Late game: Treat every draw as reach, a body, or a mana sink. Prioritize legal Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Mutavault, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, Rockface Village, and Shadowspear actions that force lethal this turn or next turn.

- Late game deviation: Do not spend the last burn spell on a creature unless that creature prevents lethal, blocks enough damage to change the clock, or enables the opponent to stabilize. When both players are low, aim damage at the opponent unless Veles-visible combat math says survival requires removal.

## Card Roles
- A-Heartfire Hero: Use A-Heartfire Hero as the cleanest turn-1 body and the best carrier for Monstrous Rage or other target-based pressure. Card text check required for the exact Arena rebalanced text, but tactically treat it as a fragile threat that rewards being targeted only when Veles shows the target action is legal and the resulting attack or death pressure matters. Do not run it into a free blocker just to use mana; preserve it when the hand depends on Monstrous Rage, Rockface Village, or Reckless Rage having a creature.

- Kumano Faces Kakkazan: Use Kumano Faces Kakkazan as the preferred turn-1 noncreature pressure source when it fits the curve. Its early damage and creature-enhancing sequence are strongest before Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx; avoid delaying it unless a visible blocker or engine creature must be answered with Burst Lightning. When multiple one-drops are legal, prefer Kumano Faces Kakkazan if the next turn has a creature to benefit; prefer A-Heartfire Hero if Monstrous Rage pressure is already lined up.

- Emberheart Challenger: Use Emberheart Challenger as the main two-mana attacker that keeps pressure flowing while threatening extra value from targeted lines. Card text check required for exact trigger and Arena wording, so do not assume a specific card-advantage outcome unless Veles exposes it. Cast it before spending tricks when the opponent has not presented a blocker; hold it less often than burn because the deck wins by adding bodies before converting damage.

- Manifold Mouse: Use Manifold Mouse as a two-mana pressure and combat-scaling piece, especially when the board already contains A-Heartfire Hero or another attacker that can turn a legal pump/combat action into a larger clock. Card text check required for exact ability wording. Do not treat it as generic filler; it is best when it makes attacks awkward, increases the payoff from Monstrous Rage, or forces the opponent to answer a small creature before Screaming Nemesis or Sunspine Lynx arrives.

- Screaming Nemesis: Use Screaming Nemesis as the premier three-mana threat when the opponent is likely to stabilize with blockers, removal, or life gain. Card text check required for exact wording, but its tactical identity is a hasty, punishing attacker that can make damage-based interaction awkward. Cast it on curve when it attacks immediately or pressures a planeswalker-like permanent if legal; hold it only when double-spelling produces more damage or when visible open mana makes a cheaper bait spell clearly better.

- Sunspine Lynx: Use Sunspine Lynx as a high-impact three-drop when its legal action and board context suggest immediate pressure, reach, or punishment for the opponent's mana base. Card text check required for exact Historic text and triggers. It is less important than curving out when the hand lacks early pressure, but it becomes a strong stabilizer-breaker when the opponent has slowed the board and your burn plus attacks need one more source of damage.

- Burst Lightning: Use Burst Lightning as flexible early interaction first and reach second. Kill a visible blocker, mana creature, lifelink threat, or engine creature when that removal unlocks more damage than aiming at the opponent. Hold it when the opponent is low, when kicker or late-game scaling may matter, or when combat will reveal a better target. Do not fire it at the opponent early unless the hand is threat-heavy and the race math needs every point.

- Monstrous Rage: Use Monstrous Rage as the primary burst-damage and trample tool, not as a routine upkeep-style pump spell. Cast it when Veles shows a legal attacker or blocker target and the line pushes lethal, wins combat, preserves a key creature, or forces damage through a chump blocker. It is strongest on A-Heartfire Hero and other creatures that reward targeting or trample pressure. Avoid spending it into visible instant-speed removal when another threat or burn spell can bait interaction first.

- Reckless Rage: Use Reckless Rage as efficient creature removal only when the self-damage requirement is strategically acceptable. The best targets are opposing blockers or race threats whose death opens attacks; the best friendly targets are creatures that survive, benefit from damage, or are expendable relative to the attack plan. Do not keep or cast Reckless Rage without a creature. Do not target your only essential attacker unless the opposing creature would otherwise stop lethal, dominate combat, or win the race.

- Lightning Strike: Use Lightning Strike as clean reach and midgame interaction. Prefer sending it to the opponent when their life total is already under pressure and your board can force a two-turn clock. Use it on a creature when that creature blocks multiple attackers, threatens lifelink, enables combo pressure, or forces your creatures to stop attacking. Because the deck has fewer Lightning Strike than Burst Lightning, avoid spending it casually when Burst Lightning or combat can solve the same problem.

- Shadowspear: Use Shadowspear as a race breaker and trampling damage amplifier, not as an automatic early play. It is strongest when one large attacker, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Screaming Nemesis, or a Monstrous Rage creature needs lifelink or trample to win combat math. Do not spend a full early turn casting or equipping it when another creature or burn spell produces more immediate damage. Post-board or main-deck, treat the second copy as matchup-specific staying power rather than core curve pressure.

- Mountain: Use Mountain as the default early land because the deck needs untapped red mana every turn. Prefer Mountain over utility lands when the hand contains Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, or multiple red spells. Do not risk a colorless opening unless Veles shows the exact available actions still match the curve.

- Rockface Village: Use Rockface Village as a red source with late combat utility once early spell casting is secure. Card text check required for exact activated ability. Treat it as a mana source first and a damage modifier second; activate it only when the visible combat step gains more damage or a better trade than casting a spell.

- Mutavault: Use Mutavault as post-removal pressure, flood insurance, and an extra attacker when spells are exhausted. Do not lead with Mutavault if it blocks red one-drops or two-spell turns. Activate it when attacking adds meaningful damage, when the opponent is tapped low, or when holding burn preserves lethal reach.

- Ramunap Ruins: Use Ramunap Ruins as late-game reach after normal spell damage and creature-land attacks are evaluated. Preserve life total in racing matchups; the pain from colorless or red activation can matter. Its sacrifice reach is strongest when the opponent is low and board combat is stalled.

- Den of the Bugbear: Use Den of the Bugbear as a late-game threat after sweepers, trades, or flood. Avoid playing it tapped when it costs a turn-1 or turn-2 spell unless the rest of the hand still curves. Activate it when the body and token pressure produce a faster clock than burn alone.

- Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance: Use Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance as a red source early and a channel-style threat source late if Veles exposes that legal action. Card text check required for exact token details. Do not hold it greedily when the hand needs a red land; do consider the channel line when flooding, after sweepers, or when surprise attackers pressure lethal.

## Interaction Priorities
- Remove race-breaking creatures before face damage: use Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, or Witchstalker Frenzy on visible lifelink attackers, oversized blockers, mana creatures that enable a faster kill, and engine creatures that will outscale combat. Aim burn at the opponent only when the current board already attacks profitably or the opponent is inside a clear two-turn burn range.

- Preserve Reckless Rage for targets that change combat math: kill a blocker that blanks A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx, or kill an attacker that forces you into bad blocks. Do not cast Reckless Rage without a safe friendly target; prefer a creature that survives, benefits from being targeted or damaged, or is no longer essential to lethal pressure.

- Spend Burst Lightning earlier than Lightning Strike when either spell kills the same creature and no kicker or late scaling is visible. Save Lightning Strike as cleaner reach when the opponent is already under pressure, unless a creature threatens lifelink, a combo turn, or repeated damage that invalidates racing.

- Use Monstrous Rage as interaction when combat decides the turn: cast it to push through a blocker, win a creature fight, preserve an attacker from damage-based combat, or convert A-Heartfire Hero into a larger burst turn. Do not use it as generic damage into visible open removal unless the line is lethal, another spell has baited interaction, or waiting loses the race.

- Bait removal with lower-commitment pressure before committing a fragile key turn: Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Mutavault, and Den of the Bugbear can force action while preserving Monstrous Rage, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx for the turn that matters. When the opponent is tapped low, prioritize the highest-damage legal sequence instead of slow baiting.

- Ignore low-impact blockers when trample, burn reach, or creature-land pressure makes them irrelevant. A small blocker is not worth Burst Lightning or Reckless Rage if Monstrous Rage, Shadowspear, Rockface Village, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, or Ramunap Ruins creates a faster clock without spending removal.

- Change removal priorities by archetype: against creature mirrors, remove attackers that win races and blockers that force trades; against control, hold burn for reach unless a creature threatens life gain or repeated stabilization; against graveyard or spell engines, treat Grafdigger's Cage and Magebane Lizard as pressure pieces but do not overvalue them over lethal board damage; against red decks, Redcap Melee is premium and Screaming Nemesis combat math matters. Card text check required for exact Screaming Nemesis and Magebane Lizard wording.

- Do not plan around countering, discarding, exiling, or bouncing because the registered deck has no main-deck counterspell, discard spell, exile removal, or bounce spell. If Veles exposes such an action from an external effect, choose only from legal action text and prefer the line that protects lethal pressure or prevents immediate defeat.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Attack first when every legal attacker improves the clock and the opponent cannot visibly punish the swing with lethal crack-back. Red Deck Wins wins by converting early creatures into damage; default to attacking with A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Mutavault, and Den of the Bugbear when attacks either connect, force bad blocks, or enable burn lethal.

- Protect the creature that carries the burst turn: A-Heartfire Hero plus Monstrous Rage is the clearest combat-scaling line, while Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx are higher-impact standalone threats. Trade away smaller creatures when doing so opens damage, preserves life against a faster deck, or clears a path for creature-land and burn follow-up.

- Accept trades that preserve tempo and reject trades that spend a pump spell for no clock gain. A trade is good when it removes a blocker, keeps the opponent from racing, or lets the next turn's Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Ramunap Ruins, Mutavault, or Den of the Bugbear finish the game. A trade is bad when it burns Monstrous Rage or Shadowspear mana into a creature that was not stopping your clock.

- Block only when life total or opposing pressure demands it. This deck should not chump-block early unless the opponent threatens lethal, lifelink swing-back, or a combo-like attack step; otherwise keep creatures available to attack and force the opponent to answer you.

- Use Shadowspear to reverse races, not to slow-roll damage. Equip when lifelink changes the survival math or trample makes one large attacker better than several small attacks; avoid spending mana on it when casting another creature or burn spell produces more immediate lethal pressure.

- Treat Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, Rockface Village, and Ramunap Ruins as late combat reach after spell sequencing is checked. Activate creature lands when the added attacker shortens the clock or plays around sorcery-speed removal; preserve red mana when Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Lightning Strike, or Witchstalker Frenzy is the more decisive legal action.

- Respect life-total thresholds aggressively: at 10 or less, count two attacks plus one burn spell; at 6 or less, prioritize any legal combination of burn, trample, creature-land damage, or Ramunap Ruins reach that ends the game before stabilization; at your own low life total, value Shadowspear, removal on attackers, and selective blocks over extra nonlethal damage.

- Adjust combat by matchup speed: against slower decks, maximize damage and force sweepers or removal before holding back; against creature aggro, trade when it protects your life total while leaving burn reach; against removal-heavy decks, diversify threats with creature lands and Urabrask's Forge post-board; against lifegain or large blockers, prioritize Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, Monstrous Rage trample lines, and Shadowspear. Card text check required for exact Sunspine Lynx and Urabrask's Forge wording.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Treat Emberheart Challenger as the deck's main pseudo-selection card, not as a slow value engine. Card text check required for exact current Historic wording, but when Veles exposes legal play-from-exile or impulse-style actions from Emberheart Challenger, prioritize playing a revealed land if it preserves this turn's spell curve, then prioritize one-mana damage or pump that adds immediate pressure, then prioritize a creature that keeps the next attack lethal.

- Sequence land drops after checking visible impulse or exile-play permissions when a legal action clearly allows playing a card from exile this turn. If Emberheart Challenger or another visible effect offers an exiled Mountain, Rockface Village, Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, or Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, prefer using the temporary land play before making a normal hand land drop unless the hand land is required for untapped red mana now.

- Keep red-source density ahead of utility land greed in the first three turns. Play Mountain or Rockface Village before Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, or Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance when the hand needs red for Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Lightning Strike, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, or Sunspine Lynx.

- Use Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance as a late selection-like spell only when another land drop is not needed and the generated bodies matter this turn or next combat. Do not channel it away early if the hand still needs land four for Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, creature-land activation, Shadowspear equip lines, or double-spell turns.

- Use Ramunap Ruins as reach after counting damage from attackers, Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Monstrous Rage, Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, and Rockface Village. Do not sacrifice lands for Ramunap Ruins damage if the game still needs mana for multiple spells, Shadowspear, creature-land activations, or post-board Urabrask's Forge pressure.

- Bottom or decline low-impact selection outputs when Veles exposes scry, surveil, or similar external choices from opponent effects or copied effects. Keep land when stuck on one or two mana, keep burn when the opponent is near lethal, keep a creature when the battlefield is empty, and bottom redundant expensive or utility pieces when immediate damage is missing.

- Recognize that the registered main deck has no true tutor. Do not spend reasoning budget looking for a library search line unless Veles exposes a legal action from an external effect; if such an action appears, choose cards that preserve the current red aggro role: immediate damage, red mana, a threat, or a sideboard hate card already visible as legal.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Pass priority quickly when the stack is empty, the current phase offers no damage improvement, and no combat or lethal window is being lost. This deck gains more by forcing action than by holding priority without a legal Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, Lightning Strike, Shadowspear, creature-land, Ramunap Ruins, or sideboard interaction line.

- Use instant-speed burn before damage only when it changes the turn's result. Cast Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, or Witchstalker Frenzy in response to blocks, attacks, life gain, pump, or removal when the legal target prevents lethal, saves a key attacker, stops a race, or removes a creature whose ability will matter if the spell resolves.

- Let most nonlethal opposing setup spells resolve when the better plan is to add damage on your turn. Spend instant interaction on a creature, lifegain source, combo enabler, planeswalker-equivalent pressure, or blocker only if visible board state says that permanent changes the race more than pointing burn at the opponent later.

- Cast Monstrous Rage in the latest safe combat window when it is not required precombat. Prefer after blockers or after visible removal shields are constrained, but cast it before blockers when trample or extra power changes how the opponent can block and the line is lethal or forces losing blocks.

- Use Reckless Rage only with a legal friendly target that makes the exchange favorable. Prefer targeting A-Heartfire Hero or another creature that survives, benefits from being targeted, or is expendable; do not cast it into a board where the required friendly damage loses the only meaningful attacker unless the opposing target would otherwise win the game.

- Activate Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Rockface Village, Ramunap Ruins, or Shadowspear only after checking whether mana must stay open for an instant. In combat, preserve red mana for Monstrous Rage or removal if the opponent can block profitably; at end step, use Ramunap Ruins or burn only when it advances lethal before the opponent untaps.

- Pay optional costs only when they convert into damage, survival, or a decisive race swing. If Veles exposes optional payments from Shadowspear, Burst Lightning kicker, Rockface Village, or post-board cards, compare the payment against casting another threat or burn spell this turn; decline optional value when it delays lethal pressure.

- Respect graveyard and spell timing post-board without overcommitting. Cast Grafdigger's Cage before the opponent's graveyard or library-cast engine becomes active when it does not cost a lethal attack, deploy Magebane Lizard when spell-heavy opponents must act through it, and use Urabrask's Forge before removal-heavy opponents stabilize. Card text check required for exact Magebane Lizard and Urabrask's Forge wording.

## Sideboard Map

- Role-plan before card-plan: keep Red Deck Wins as the beatdown unless visible life totals, board size, or opposing removal force a longer damage race. Sideboarding should preserve a high threat count, cheap red sources, and the ability to double-spell; do not overload on reactive cards unless they answer creatures that otherwise stop attacks or win the race.

- Grafdigger's Cage role: bring Grafdigger's Cage against graveyard, library-cast, creature-cheat, or recursion engines where one mana can deny a whole axis. It is weak against fair creature decks, low-synergy midrange, and opponents whose visible plan is only removal plus blockers; drawing it instead of damage is costly when the opponent is not using the graveyard or library as a zone of action.

- Redcap Melee role: bring Redcap Melee against red creature decks and red planeswalker-style threats where one mana cleanly changes the tempo race. It is risky against nonred targets because the land sacrifice clause can break double-spell turns, Ramunap Ruins reach, Den of the Bugbear activation, or Sunspine Lynx mana; use it on nonred permanents only when the target is more important than the lost mana.

- Rending Volley role: bring Rending Volley against blue or white creature decks, especially when the opposing creature blocks efficiently, carries protection, enables combo, or must be removed through permission. It is bad when the opponent's blue or white cards are mostly noncreature spells, sweepers, or planeswalkers; keep it reactive and avoid diluting the main damage plan for narrow targets that may not appear.

- Shadowspear role: bring the second Shadowspear against lifegain races, creature stalls, large blockers, hexproof or indestructible permanents, and matchups where one suited attacker can keep pressure through combat. It is slow against combo, spell-heavy control with little creature combat, and hyper-fast mirrors where spending mana to cast and equip loses the initiative.

- Magebane Lizard role: bring Magebane Lizard against spell-chain decks, control decks, prowess-style decks, and combo shells that must cast multiple noncreature spells to stabilize or win. Card text check required for exact Historic wording, but treat it as a pressure permanent that punishes spell volume; it is bad against creature-heavy boards where a 2-mana body does not attack profitably and does not answer blockers.

- Urabrask's Forge role: bring Urabrask's Forge against removal-heavy midrange and control where creatures die one-for-one and a recurring source of attackers pressures sweepers. Card text check required for exact wording, but treat it as a longer-game engine; it is poor against fast combo, fast aggro mirrors, and decks where spending three mana without immediate removal or burn loses the race.

- Witchstalker Frenzy role: bring Witchstalker Frenzy against creature decks that attack with multiple creatures, creature combo decks with must-kill bodies, and midrange boards where five damage removes a blocker too large for Lightning Strike or Burst Lightning. It is weak against low-creature control, graveyard engines that ignore removal, and matchups where the opponent can decline attacks while your hand contains expensive reactive spells.

Aggro red mirror or red creature race
Side in: 4 Redcap Melee; 1 Shadowspear; 2 Witchstalker Frenzy
Cut: 3 Sunspine Lynx; 1 Shadowspear; 2 Lightning Strike; 1 Reckless Rage

Blue-white or blue tempo creatures
Side in: 2 Rending Volley; 2 Witchstalker Frenzy; 1 Shadowspear
Cut: 3 Sunspine Lynx; 1 Reckless Rage; 1 Lightning Strike

Removal-heavy midrange or control
Side in: 2 Urabrask's Forge; 3 Magebane Lizard; 1 Shadowspear
Cut: 3 Reckless Rage; 2 Lightning Strike; 1 Sunspine Lynx

Graveyard or library-cast engine
Side in: 1 Grafdigger's Cage; 3 Magebane Lizard; 2 Witchstalker Frenzy
Cut: 1 Shadowspear; 2 Lightning Strike; 3 Reckless Rage

- Creature-heavy aggro rules: Add role cards: Redcap Melee for red threats, Witchstalker Frenzy for larger attacking creatures, Shadowspear for lifelink racing, and Rending Volley only when blue or white creature targets are actually central. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sunspine Lynx when three mana is clunky, Lightning Strike when cheaper or larger removal matters more, and Reckless Rage when friendly-creature damage makes blocks or removal exchanges poor.

- Control rules: Add role cards: Urabrask's Forge as a persistent threat, Magebane Lizard as spell-volume pressure, and Shadowspear when creature lands or surviving creatures can carry it. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Reckless Rage when opposing creatures are scarce, Lightning Strike when it fails to pressure through life gain or removal, and some Sunspine Lynx only when the opponent does not rely on life gain or nonbasic pressure.

- Graveyard and combo rules: Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage when it directly restricts the opponent's visible or expected engine, Magebane Lizard when the opponent needs repeated spell casting, and Witchstalker Frenzy only when there are key creatures to answer. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Shadowspear and creature-combat tools when the matchup is decided by setup speed, plus Reckless Rage when opposing targets are limited.

- Big-creature midrange rules: Add role cards: Witchstalker Frenzy for large attackers, Shadowspear for trample and lifelink races, and Rending Volley or Redcap Melee only if color restrictions match visible threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Lightning Strike when three damage fails to kill the relevant blocker, and Sunspine Lynx when the opponent's life total can be pressured more effectively by keeping mana low and attacking wide.

- Lifegain rules: Add role cards: Shadowspear for racing and staying above counter-damage, Urabrask's Forge for repeat pressure through removal, and Magebane Lizard when lifegain is attached to spell chains. Keep Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx priority high if their exact legal text or visible runtime actions constrain life gain; Card text check required for exact Sunspine Lynx wording.

- Narrow-answer discipline: do not add Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Grafdigger's Cage, or Witchstalker Frenzy just because the opponent might have one target. Require visible cards, known archetype identity, or game-one evidence that the sideboard card will affect the race more often than another attacker, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, or creature-land activation.

- Mana-curve discipline: keep one-mana plays dense after sideboarding. A post-board hand with only Urabrask's Forge, Witchstalker Frenzy, Sunspine Lynx, and utility lands is too slow unless the matchup is explicitly about grinding through removal and the hand already has early pressure from A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, or Burst Lightning.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro guidance: race from the first legal attack, but spend burn as removal when it unlocks multiple creature attacks or prevents a larger counterattack. Keep A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, and Monstrous Rage as the pressure core; use Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, and Witchstalker Frenzy to clear blockers when the damage gained from attacks exceeds pointing burn upstairs. Add role cards: Redcap Melee against red threats, Shadowspear for lifelink races, Witchstalker Frenzy against larger attackers, and Rending Volley only when blue or white creatures are central. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sunspine Lynx when three mana is slow, Lightning Strike when cheaper removal decides tempo, and Reckless Rage when damaging your own creature makes combat math worse.

- Burn mirror guidance: protect life total as a real resource, because both players can finish from low board presence. Prioritize early creatures that threaten repeat damage, then use Redcap Melee, Burst Lightning, Reckless Rage, and Lightning Strike on opposing attackers before life total drops into easy burn range. Add role cards: Redcap Melee, Shadowspear, and Witchstalker Frenzy when the opponent attacks with creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sunspine Lynx when it arrives after the key race turns and any slow equipment line that costs a full attack step unless Shadowspear lifelink immediately changes the race.

- Control guidance: commit enough pressure to force answers, but do not spend every creature into visible sweepers or open interaction when creature lands and burn can finish later. Favor recursive or resilient pressure from Mutavault, Den of the Bugbear, Ramunap Ruins, Urabrask's Forge, and post-combat burn after the opponent spends mana. Add role cards: Urabrask's Forge against one-for-one removal, Magebane Lizard against spell-heavy stabilization, and Shadowspear when a surviving attacker or creature land can carry it. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Reckless Rage when targets are scarce, Lightning Strike when three damage is a weak answer, and some Sunspine Lynx only when the opponent is not punished by its visible text.

- Removal-heavy decks guidance: lead with redundant threats and make the opponent answer awkward bodies before investing combat tricks. Monstrous Rage is strongest when it either saves damage through a block, creates immediate lethal pressure, or uses mana that cannot otherwise advance the board; avoid spending it into open removal unless waiting gives up too much clock. Add role cards: Urabrask's Forge, Magebane Lizard, and Shadowspear. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Reckless Rage and other creature-dependent interaction when your own board is likely to be empty.

- Tempo guidance: force the opponent to choose between holding up interaction and developing threats by presenting cheap pressure before larger spells. Use Burst Lightning and Lightning Strike on creatures that carry tempo advantage or block profitably, and save Monstrous Rage for turns where the opponent is tapped low or the legal action list shows a window they cannot punish. Add role cards: Rending Volley against blue or white creatures, Witchstalker Frenzy against attack-heavy boards, and Magebane Lizard when the opponent chains cheap spells. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sunspine Lynx when spending three mana into bounce or permission loses initiative.

- Midrange guidance: trade resources only when the exchange preserves pressure or clears the last blocker before burn reach. Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx can matter more than small attackers if their runtime text constrains lifegain, damage races, or nonbasic-heavy mana; Card text check required for exact Sunspine Lynx and Screaming Nemesis wording. Add role cards: Witchstalker Frenzy for large creatures, Shadowspear for trample and lifelink, Urabrask's Forge against removal, and Redcap Melee or Rending Volley only when color restrictions match visible threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Lightning Strike when three damage cannot answer the relevant body.

- Big mana guidance: maximize damage before the opponent's expensive spells dominate the board. Keep fast one-drops, two-drops, pump, and burn hands; punish slow nonbasic development with Sunspine Lynx only when legal text and visible lands make the three-mana play worth delaying other attacks. Add role cards: Magebane Lizard when the opponent relies on spell chains, Urabrask's Forge only if the matchup slows after early removal, and Grafdigger's Cage only when the big-mana engine uses graveyard or library-cast routes that the Cage actually affects. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow removal when the opponent has few early creatures.

- Combo guidance: goldfish quickly, then interrupt only the specific permanent or creature that visible state shows is necessary. Do not hold burn for imaginary targets if the current legal line adds damage and the opponent has no revealed engine piece. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage for graveyard or library-cast engines, Magebane Lizard for spell-volume combo, Rending Volley for blue or white creature combo pieces, Redcap Melee for red creature pieces, and Witchstalker Frenzy only when attacking creatures make its cost realistic. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Shadowspear and Reckless Rage when creature combat is not deciding the game.

- Graveyard guidance: apply pressure while using hate only when it changes the opponent's actual engine. Grafdigger's Cage is high value against decks that visibly or historically depend on graveyard or library casting, but a hand that does not attack can still lose while the opponent finds an answer. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage, Magebane Lizard when the graveyard deck casts many spells, and Witchstalker Frenzy for creature-based engines. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Reckless Rage if targets are limited and Shadowspear if racing is not about combat damage.

- Artifact and enchantment guidance: race engines that cannot be directly answered, and reserve removal for creatures or permanents that produce immediate combat leverage. This registered deck has little direct artifact or enchantment removal, so the agent should not wait for nonexistent answers; convert tempo into damage with A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Monstrous Rage, Burst Lightning, creature lands, and Ramunap Ruins. Add role cards: Magebane Lizard against spell-chain engines, Urabrask's Forge against removal-heavy artifact shells, and Shadowspear when trample or lifelink breaks a permanent-based board stall. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow creature removal if the opponent's engine is mostly noncreature permanents.

- Go-wide guidance: attack when pump or burn makes blocks bad, but avoid losing key creatures into disposable blockers unless the damage race still improves. Reckless Rage and Witchstalker Frenzy should target creatures that enable the wide board, block multiple attackers profitably, or threaten lethal counterattacks; Monstrous Rage is often a trample tool rather than a pure damage spell. Add role cards: Witchstalker Frenzy, Shadowspear, and Redcap Melee or Rending Volley when colors match. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sunspine Lynx when the game is decided before turn three or by board width rather than reach.

- Single-threat guidance: answer the threat if it races faster than your board or blocks your entire attack, otherwise keep burning the opponent. Rending Volley, Redcap Melee, Reckless Rage, Lightning Strike, Burst Lightning, and Witchstalker Frenzy should be pointed at the single creature only when removing it opens attacks, stops lifegain, prevents lethal, or denies a combo role. Add role cards: Rending Volley for blue or white single creatures, Redcap Melee for red ones, Witchstalker Frenzy for large attacking bodies, and Shadowspear for trample through large blockers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: small burn to face when visible combat requires removal first.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only note: revealed cards, legal actions, and visible board state override these assumptions at runtime. Use these notes as matchup priors, then update immediately when the opponent shows lifegain, sweepers, recursive engines, large blockers, or color-restricted threats that make Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Grafdigger's Cage, Witchstalker Frenzy, Magebane Lizard, Urabrask's Forge, or the extra Shadowspear materially better.

- Against creature aggro: protect life total only when it preserves a winning attack-back, because this deck is still built to be the faster damage deck. Likely sideboarding emphasizes Redcap Melee for red creatures, Rending Volley for blue or white creatures, Witchstalker Frenzy for attacking boards, and the second Shadowspear when trample or lifelink changes the race. Priority targets are creatures that block A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, or Screaming Nemesis cleanly, creatures that produce repeated damage, and any visible lifegain creature before it swings the race.

- Against removal-heavy midrange or control: make every threat demand an answer before investing Monstrous Rage into open mana. Likely sideboarding emphasizes Urabrask's Forge as a resilient closer, Magebane Lizard against spell-heavy turns, and the second Shadowspear if lifelink or trample lets one attacker matter through blockers. Priority targets are lifegain sources, blockers that blank multiple attackers, and planeswalker-like or engine permanents only when legal burn can remove them and the damage trade is better than going face.

- Against combo: shorten the clock first, then interact with only visible engine pieces that matter. Likely sideboarding emphasizes Grafdigger's Cage when the opponent uses graveyard or library-cast routes, Magebane Lizard when the opponent chains noncreature spells, Rending Volley for blue or white creature pieces, and Redcap Melee for red creature pieces. Priority targets are creatures or permanents whose visible text or known revealed role enables the combo; do not hold Burst Lightning or Lightning Strike for an imagined target if current damage creates a faster kill.

- Against graveyard decks: deploy Grafdigger's Cage only when it attacks the opponent's real engine, not as a substitute for pressure. Keep hands that pair early damage with hate, and avoid hands that only contain hate plus slow lands. Priority targets are graveyard enablers, lifegain blockers, and creatures that make Grafdigger's Cage insufficient by winning through combat.

- Against large-creature decks: remove the blocker only when doing so unlocks more damage than burning the opponent. Witchstalker Frenzy, Reckless Rage, Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Redcap Melee, and Rending Volley should be aimed at the creature that blocks the most damage, attacks for lethal, or stabilizes the opponent's life total. Monstrous Rage and Shadowspear matter most when trample converts a blocked attacker into reach.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: one-land hands are fragile even with many one-mana plays, because Rockface Village, Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, and Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance can create awkward colored or tapped sequencing. Prioritize early untapped red for Kumano Faces Kakkazan, A-Heartfire Hero, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, and Reckless Rage before spending utility-land value.

- Matchup risk: lifegain, large blockers, and repeated cheap removal are the main ways this deck loses tempo. Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx may help constrain some lifegain or nonbasic-heavy plans, but Card text check required for exact runtime use, so base decisions on legal text and visible outcomes.

- Draw risk: threat-light burn hands can run out of pressure, while pump-heavy hands can fold if the only creature dies. Mulligan or sequence toward at least one durable damage source plus either removal, pump, or reach.

- Over-sideboarding risk: removing too many cheap threats makes the deck slower than its own plan. Bring in role cards only when their restrictions match revealed colors, card types, or engines; do not dilute A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, and burn density without a specific reason.

- Graveyard risk: Grafdigger's Cage can be low impact when the opponent wins from battlefield pressure or hand-based combo. Treat it as a hate card that must accompany damage, not as a keep condition by itself.

- Sweeper/removal risk: Monstrous Rage, Reckless Rage, and Shadowspear can invite blowouts if committed into open interaction without lethal pressure. Spend pump when it forces lethal, saves a key combat result, or converts otherwise unused mana into immediate damage.

- Closer risk: Sunspine Lynx, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Mutavault, and Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance are late-game reach, but they cannot rescue a game where early damage was traded too cheaply. Preserve utility lands when possible, but do not delay early red mana for speculative late value.

- Interaction risk: Redcap Melee and Rending Volley are color-restricted, and Witchstalker Frenzy depends on combat context. Let visible legal targets and current attack math decide whether these cards are removal, dead weight, or sideboard priorities.

- Sequencing risk: Reckless Rage needs your own creature and can punish poor timing. Use it when your creature survives or the exchange wins the race; avoid creating a two-for-one against yourself unless the removed blocker or attacker is decisive.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: identify whether each game was decided by early creature pressure, burn reach, combat blowout, mana stumble, lifegain, large blockers, sweepers, graveyard pressure, or sideboard role cards. Record the first turn where the winning line became clearly favored from visible information.

- Mulligans: note whether opening hands had enough untapped red sources for A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, and Reckless Rage. Flag keeps with one land, too many utility lands, threat-light burn, or pump without a creature.

- Mana: check whether Mountain, Rockface Village, Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, or Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance changed the curve. Record missed double-spell turns, delayed one-drops, and cases where utility-land activation was better or worse than casting spells.

- Velocity: measure whether the deck presented damage every turn from turns one through four. Flag hands where Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, or burn sat idle because sequencing, mana, or target choice failed.

- Engine pressure: track whether Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, and Rockface Village increased damage immediately enough to justify their timing. Mark games where setup permanents were too slow compared with direct burn or attacks.

- Removal use: review every Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, and Witchstalker Frenzy decision. Ask whether the spell removed the blocker or attacker that changed the race, or whether face damage would have closed sooner.

- Pump use: review every Monstrous Rage and Shadowspear commitment for visible blowout risk. Mark whether trample, lifelink, or extra power created lethal pressure, saved an attack, or merely exposed a creature to interaction.

- Sideboard impact: record whether Grafdigger's Cage, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Magebane Lizard, Urabrask's Forge, Witchstalker Frenzy, or the second Shadowspear had a legal and relevant job. Flag games where role cards appeared but did not match revealed opponent plans.

- Closing: identify whether the final damage came from creatures, Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Mutavault, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, Sunspine Lynx, or Screaming Nemesis. Note stranded reach when the opponent stabilized at low life.

- Role accuracy: ask whether the pilot stayed aggressive when ahead and shifted to removal-first only when visible attacks required it. Flag games where the deck played like control without a durable source of inevitability.

- Mistakes: mark missed attacks, missed lethal burn, poor Reckless Rage timing, wasted color-restricted removal, unnecessary Monstrous Rage exposure, or failure to activate a legal land source when mana was unused.

- Stranded cards: list cards stuck in hand for two or more turns and why. Separate mana limits, missing legal targets, opponent color restrictions, lack of creatures, and incorrect sequencing.

- Over/underperformers: identify which main-deck and sideboard cards increased win probability from visible game states. Track repeated weak draws from Sunspine Lynx, Shadowspear, Lightning Strike, Reckless Rage, or utility lands before changing counts.

## First Tuning Questions

- Card quantities: should Sunspine Lynx remain at three copies if it is stranded before turn four, or does its closing role justify the slot when nonbasic-heavy opponents appear? Card text check required for exact tactical assumptions.

- One-mana pressure: does the deck need the full four A-Heartfire Hero and four Kumano Faces Kakkazan to preserve turn-one damage, or are late-game copies becoming low impact in removal-heavy matches?

- Pump density: is four Monstrous Rage correct when creature removal is common, or are games being lost because the only creature is exposed before pump resolves?

- Removal mix: are three Reckless Rage, two Lightning Strike, and four Burst Lightning producing the right balance between blocker removal and reach, or does Reckless Rage too often require an unsafe own-creature setup?

- Mana base: do Rockface Village, Mutavault, Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, and Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance create enough late value to justify any awkward early red sequencing?

- Aggro plan: are Emberheart Challenger and Manifold Mouse creating more damage than additional burn would, especially when the opponent has early blockers or instant-speed removal?

- Control plan: is Urabrask's Forge the right resilient threat against removal-heavy decks, or does it enter too slowly compared with keeping maximum cheap pressure?

- Closer slots: should the deck lean more on Ramunap Ruins, Den of the Bugbear, Mutavault, Sunspine Lynx, Screaming Nemesis, or burn spells when opponents stabilize at low life?

- Sideboard slots: are Grafdigger's Cage and Magebane Lizard appearing in enough relevant matchups to justify their slots, or are they too narrow for the tested field?

- Color-restricted removal: are four Redcap Melee and two Rending Volley matching the opponent colors actually faced, or are they producing too many dead draws in post-board games?

- Combat removal: is Witchstalker Frenzy reliably answering large attacking boards, or does its timing conflict with the deck's need to spend mana proactively?

- Role conflict: does adding Shadowspear or Urabrask's Forge improve grindy games enough, or does it slow the deck below its own aggro threshold?

- Lifegain pressure: are Screaming Nemesis, Sunspine Lynx, and Shadowspear enough against lifegain and large blockers, or does the deck need more ways to force damage through stalled combat? Card text check required where exact prevention or lifegain interactions matter.

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Keep Fast Red Starts
Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan
Cards: A-Heartfire Hero; Kumano Faces Kakkazan; Emberheart Challenger; Monstrous Rage; Burst Lightning; Mountain; Rockface Village
Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions
Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
Use when: keep hands with untapped red mana, at least one early threat, and a turn-two damage plan from visible cards.
Avoid when: hand has no red source, no creature or Kumano Faces Kakkazan, only utility lands, or pump/removal without a creature path.
Instructions: Prefer six-card functional aggression over seven-card hands that spend the first two turns doing nothing. Treat one-land hands as risky unless the land casts multiple one-mana spells and the hand still attacks quickly.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Early Setup Permanent
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; mana
Cards: A-Heartfire Hero; Kumano Faces Kakkazan; Mountain; Rockface Village
Phase windows: turns 1-2 main phases
Runtime cues: action:cast A-Heartfire Hero; action:cast Kumano Faces Kakkazan
Use when: the hand has a legal one-mana red play and no visible reason to hold priority for interaction.
Avoid when: a required removal spell must be cast immediately to prevent lethal pressure or protect the only attack line.
Instructions: Lead with a creature when pump or Rockface Village can convert it into damage. Lead with Kumano Faces Kakkazan when the curve already contains follow-up creatures and the saga timing increases next-turn pressure.
Pilot skill floor: basic
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Red Source Discipline
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: Mountain; Rockface Village; Ramunap Ruins; Mutavault; Den of the Bugbear; Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
Phase windows: land play, spell payment, activation payment
Runtime cues: action:play Mountain; action:play Rockface Village; action:play Ramunap Ruins; action:play Mutavault
Use when: choosing lands or payment sources while cheap red spells remain in hand or legal actions.
Avoid when: spending a utility land activation is the only visible lethal line this turn.
Instructions: Preserve untapped red mana for A-Heartfire Hero, Kumano Faces Kakkazan, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, and Reckless Rage. Delay colorless utility lands when they prevent double-spelling.
Pilot skill floor: basic
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Double-Spell Before Expensive Pressure
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; mana
Cards: Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Screaming Nemesis; Sunspine Lynx; Burst Lightning; Lightning Strike
Phase windows: main phases turns 2-5
Runtime cues: action:cast Emberheart Challenger; action:cast Manifold Mouse; action:cast Screaming Nemesis; action:cast Sunspine Lynx
Use when: multiple legal plays compete for the same mana and opponent life total is still above immediate burn range.
Avoid when: Sunspine Lynx or Screaming Nemesis is the only visible way to attack through the current board or punish lifegain.
Instructions: Prefer using all mana to add damage now. Cast the larger threat when it changes combat immediately, otherwise sequence cheap threat plus burn or pump to keep pressure continuous.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Pump Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: combat; interaction
Cards: Monstrous Rage; A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Screaming Nemesis
Phase windows: attackers, blockers, combat damage setup, lethal turns
Runtime cues: action:cast Monstrous Rage; action:target self Monstrous Rage
Use when: visible combat math, trample, or lethal pressure justifies risking the target creature.
Avoid when: opponent has untapped mana and visible or known interaction risk makes losing creature plus Monstrous Rage unacceptable.
Instructions: Use Monstrous Rage to force damage through blockers, convert a small creature into lethal, or punish a block. Do not spend it for cosmetic damage when the same clock exists without exposure.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Pump Target After Commit
Priority: Low
Decision families: selection; combat
Cards: Monstrous Rage; A-Heartfire Hero
Phase windows: target prompt after casting Monstrous Rage
Runtime cues: action:target self A-Heartfire Hero
Use when: the current prompt is Monstrous Rage target selection, exactly one legal action text targets self A-Heartfire Hero, and no other own creature target is listed.
Avoid when: more than one own creature target is legal or the prompt is not a Monstrous Rage target prompt.
Instructions: Select the visible legal action that targets self A-Heartfire Hero.
Pilot skill floor: no-api
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Burn Reach Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority; interaction
Cards: Burst Lightning; Lightning Strike; Ramunap Ruins; Den of the Bugbear; Mutavault
Phase windows: main phases, end step, opponent low life
Runtime cues: action:cast Burst Lightning; action:cast Lightning Strike; action:activate Ramunap Ruins
Use when: visible opponent life can be reduced to zero this turn or forced into lethal from unavoidable next action.
Avoid when: a blocker or attacker must be removed first to survive or maintain lethal on board.
Instructions: Count all visible legal damage sources before committing. Send burn to opponent only when it closes the game or preserves a faster clock than killing a creature.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Burst Lightning Face Target
Priority: Low
Decision families: selection; interaction
Cards: Burst Lightning
Phase windows: target prompt after Burst Lightning is cast
Runtime cues: action:target opponent Burst Lightning
Use when: the current prompt is Burst Lightning target selection, legal action text includes target opponent Burst Lightning, and visible opponent life is 2 or less, or 4 or less when the visible spell was cast with kicker.
Avoid when: opponent life is above the visible Burst Lightning damage or another target prompt is active.
Instructions: Choose the legal action that targets opponent with Burst Lightning.
Pilot skill floor: no-api
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Lightning Strike Face Target
Priority: Low
Decision families: selection; interaction
Cards: Lightning Strike
Phase windows: target prompt after Lightning Strike is cast
Runtime cues: action:target opponent Lightning Strike
Use when: the current prompt is Lightning Strike target selection, legal action text includes target opponent Lightning Strike, and visible opponent life is 3 or less.
Avoid when: opponent life is above 3 or another target prompt is active.
Instructions: Choose the legal action that targets opponent with Lightning Strike.
Pilot skill floor: no-api
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Reckless Rage Target Pair Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction; selection
Cards: Reckless Rage; A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Screaming Nemesis; Sunspine Lynx
Phase windows: main phase, combat, target selection
Runtime cues: action:cast Reckless Rage; action:target Reckless Rage
Use when: a visible opposing creature materially blocks attacks, threatens lethal, or must die for the race to continue.
Avoid when: your only creature would die for little gain or the opponent creature is not changing the next turn cycle.
Instructions: Choose target pairs through light-model because own-creature damage and opposing-target importance depend on board state. Favor own creatures that survive, already generated value, or make the exchange decisive.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Attack Pressure Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: combat
Cards: A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Screaming Nemesis; Sunspine Lynx; Mutavault; Den of the Bugbear
Phase windows: declare attackers
Runtime cues: action:attack
Use when: attacking advances visible lethal pressure or forces blocks that make burn and pump stronger.
Avoid when: the attack sacrifices the only threat into a blocker without damage, trigger, or follow-up advantage.
Instructions: Default to aggression, but evaluate blockers, crackback damage, and pump availability. Activate Mutavault or Den of the Bugbear only when the mana would not produce a better spell sequence.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Block Only To Preserve The Race
Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat
Cards: A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Screaming Nemesis; Sunspine Lynx; Mutavault; Den of the Bugbear
Phase windows: declare blockers
Runtime cues: action:block
Use when: blocking prevents lethal, protects a key life total against a faster board, or trades a low-impact creature for a higher-impact attacker.
Avoid when: taking damage keeps lethal attack-back or burn reach intact.
Instructions: RDW is the beatdown unless visible board state says otherwise. Do not block with a creature needed for Monstrous Rage, Rockface Village pressure, or next-turn lethal.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Shadowspear Commitment
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; combat; mana
Cards: Shadowspear
Phase windows: main phase, combat setup, stalled board, racing turns
Runtime cues: action:cast Shadowspear; action:equip Shadowspear
Use when: lifelink or trample changes the visible race, or a single large attacker can force damage through blockers.
Avoid when: spending mana to cast or equip prevents adding a threat, removing a blocker, or presenting lethal damage.
Instructions: Treat Shadowspear as a racing and stalled-board tool, not an automatic curve play. Equip before combat only when the equipped creature is expected to attack or block this turn.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Screaming Nemesis And Sunspine Lynx Timing
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; combat
Cards: Screaming Nemesis; Sunspine Lynx
Phase windows: main phases turns 3-5, anti-lifegain games, nonbasic-heavy boards
Runtime cues: action:cast Screaming Nemesis; action:cast Sunspine Lynx
Use when: the creature immediately pressures life total, punishes the opponent's visible plan, or gives a stronger clock than multiple small actions.
Avoid when: the hand can double-spell for more immediate damage or the opponent can answer a single expensive threat cleanly.
Instructions: Cast these threats when board texture rewards a larger body or anti-stabilization effect. Card text check required for exact Sunspine Lynx tactical assumptions.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Plan Selection
Priority: High
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Grafdigger's Cage; Redcap Melee; Rending Volley; Shadowspear; Magebane Lizard; Urabrask's Forge; Witchstalker Frenzy
Phase windows: sideboarding after games
Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
Use when: opponent colors, revealed cards, graveyard use, removal density, creature size, or race speed are known from public game data.
Avoid when: importing narrow cards without a visible matchup job would dilute turn-one pressure and burn reach.
Instructions: Add Redcap Melee against red creatures, Rending Volley against legal white or blue targets, Grafdigger's Cage against graveyard or library-cast plans, Magebane Lizard against spell-heavy opponents, Urabrask's Forge against removal-heavy grind, Witchstalker Frenzy against creature boards, and second Shadowspear for races or blockers.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Color-Restricted Removal Use
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction
Cards: Redcap Melee; Rending Volley; Witchstalker Frenzy
Phase windows: main phase, combat, opponent threat windows
Runtime cues: action:cast Redcap Melee; action:cast Rending Volley; action:cast Witchstalker Frenzy
Use when: the target is legal by visible text and removing it changes combat, survival, or lethal timing.
Avoid when: the spell has no legal color target or killing the creature does not improve the next attack or defense.
Instructions: Spend sideboard removal on creatures that block repeated damage, enable opponent lethal, or blank your best attacker. Preserve burn-to-face lines when removal does not affect the race.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Priority Pass Discipline
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority
Cards: Burst Lightning; Lightning Strike; Monstrous Rage; Reckless Rage; Redcap Melee; Rending Volley; Witchstalker Frenzy
Phase windows: any priority prompt
Runtime cues: action:pass; action:continue
Use when: no legal spell, activation, or combat trick improves the visible board, clock, or survival before the next decision.
Avoid when: lethal burn, required removal, pump-through-blocker, or sideboard interaction is legal now.
Instructions: Before passing, check opponent life, attack math, available mana, legal targets, and whether waiting loses the chance to act before damage or end step.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
