# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Mono Green Devotion is a Historic 60-card main deck with a 15-card sideboard, registered as a green devotion ramp and big-mana strategy. The submitted validation contract says the list passes active Historic deck construction with 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, so this guide treats the registration as legal unless the runtime format validator later reports a rules or legality change.

The archetype tag set is ramp, big-mana, and devotion, with the deck built to convert early green permanents into explosive mana through Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. The pilot should treat early turns as engine construction, middle turns as mana multiplication, and late turns as payoff chaining through Storm the Festival, Cavalier of Thorns, Karn, the Great Creator, and large sideboard artifacts.

The list is a hybrid stock-and-custom Historic Mono Green Devotion shell rather than a pure stock import. Stock elements include the dense Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx devotion plan, planeswalker engine with Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Karn, the Great Creator, and a Karn sideboard package. Custom or metagame-flex elements include Badgermole Cub, Scrapshooter, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Shifting Woodland, and the exact one-of sideboard spread including Extinguisher Battleship and Tree of Tales.

Main-deck identity is proactive big mana with limited direct interaction. The deck should not be piloted like a removal-control deck; it wins by making more mana than the opponent, resolving permanents that replace resources, and forcing the opponent to answer multiple must-kill engines. Karn, the Great Creator gives the deck a flexible toolbox axis, but Karn selection remains board-state dependent and should respect visible threats, available mana, and legal sideboard access at runtime.

Mana construction is the first legality and role concern. The deck has 21 lands by registration: 12 Forest, 4 Temple Garden, 4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, 1 Boseiju, Who Endures, and 1 Shifting Woodland. Utopia Sprawl needs an enchantable Forest-compatible land from the legal action text, so runtime decisions must verify that the target land is legal rather than assuming every land can carry it. Temple Garden may support green devotion setup and white-adjacent card requirements, but the agent must follow the rules-engine output for color availability and payment choices.

The main tactical concern is that several cards are strong only after the engine is online. Karn, the Great Creator and Storm the Festival are high-impact but can be stranded if the opening hand lacks early mana. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines can amplify enter-the-battlefield value if the board supports it, but the pilot must not invent card text for any interaction and should use it conditionally when legal action labels and visible permanents justify the line. Card text check required for Badgermole Cub, Extinguisher Battleship, and any Arena-adjusted card whose exact runtime text is not exposed in the decision state.

The registered sideboard is a Karn-accessible toolbox plus sideboard-plan inventory: Tormod's Crypt, A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Portable Hole, Relic of Progenitus, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, A-The One Ring, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, Portal to Phyrexia, and Tree of Tales. Sideboard guidance must distinguish cards brought in during sideboarding from cards wished for by Karn, the Great Creator, because runtime legality may expose only some options depending on format rules, zone state, and match configuration.

Opponent information status is unspecified. No matchup label, opponent decklist, revealed hand, public graveyard plan, or metagame target is supplied in this batch, so this guide should default to visible-state discipline: choose only from legal actions, infer opposing archetype from public cards and logged history, and avoid naming absent format staples in policy `Cards:` fields unless the card is registered here or explicitly prefixed as an opponent example outside registered-card policy fields.

## Thesis
Mono Green Devotion assembles permanent-based green mana into a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx engine, then converts that mana into repeated high-impact permanents and Karn, the Great Creator toolbox access. The core battlefield pattern is early green source plus Utopia Sprawl or Delighted Halfling, then Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to jump from normal development into Storm the Festival, Cavalier of Thorns, Karn, the Great Creator, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, or large artifact threats.

The deck wins by making the opponent answer too many engines before the mana snowballs past normal interaction. Prioritize battlefield permanents that increase devotion, create or unlock mana, replace resources, or turn one legal spell into multiple permanents; do not spend turns on cosmetic pressure when a legal engine-building action materially increases next-turn mana or Storm the Festival quality.

The deck is not trying to play fair midrange, draw-go control, or low-curve beatdown. Badgermole Cub, Polukranos Reborn, Scrapshooter, Cavalier of Thorns, and sideboard artifacts can attack or stabilize, but the main plan is not to trade one-for-one until both players run out of resources; it is to reach a board state where every untap, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx activation, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untap, or Storm the Festival threatens a decisive swing.

The highest priority is functional mana before payoff density. Keep and sequence hands around green access, enchantable Forest-compatible lands for Utopia Sprawl when the rules engine permits the target, and enough early permanents to make Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx better than a colorless land. Treat Karn, the Great Creator and Storm the Festival as payoff cards that need a working engine, not as substitutes for early development.

The second priority is preserving snowball texture. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Outcaster Trailblazer, Cavalier of Thorns, and Storm the Festival are the deck's main resource bridges; use them to keep spells flowing after committing mana permanents. When choosing between similar legal plays, prefer the line that leaves the most mana, devotion, and follow-up bodies on board unless visible pressure requires immediate stabilization.

The third priority is matchup-responsive Karn discipline. Karn, the Great Creator can find Tormod's Crypt, A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Portable Hole, Relic of Progenitus, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, A-The One Ring, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, Portal to Phyrexia, or Tree of Tales only when the runtime zone and legal-action output allow it. Do not assume a sideboard object is accessible, castable, or correct without visible mana, board state, and rules-engine confirmation.

## Role Package
- Threats: Polukranos Reborn, Cavalier of Thorns, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Scrapshooter, Badgermole Cub, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, and Portal to Phyrexia are the primary bodies or board-swinging permanents. Use main-deck threats to stabilize while building devotion; use sideboard threats when Karn, the Great Creator exposes a legal, matchup-relevant artifact line.

- Payoffs: Storm the Festival, Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, A-The One Ring, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, and Portal to Phyrexia are the high-ceiling mana sinks. Prioritize payoffs after mana is online, and avoid tapping out for a payoff that does not change the visible board, protect life total, or generate follow-up resources unless waiting is worse.

- Engines: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Cavalier of Thorns, and Storm the Festival form the main snowball loop. Build devotion with green permanents, use Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner to untap the best legal mana permanent or creature when available, and convert excess mana into more permanents rather than isolated attacks.

- Velocity: Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Cavalier of Thorns, Storm the Festival, and A-The One Ring are the main ways to keep cards or permanents coming. Favor velocity when the board is stable or when the hand risks running out of action; favor board impact first when visible attackers or life totals create a short clock.

- Interaction: Boseiju, Who Endures, Scrapshooter, Karn, the Great Creator, Tormod's Crypt, A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Portable Hole, Relic of Progenitus, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia are the registered interaction package. Use them to answer visible engines, graveyard pressure, small permanents, artifact/enchantment problems, planeswalker pressure, or board states that outscale creature combat.

- Protection: Delighted Halfling is the main registered protection-adjacent card for legendary spell deployment when the legal mana action text supports that role. Do not overvalue protection when the hand lacks engine pieces; a protected Karn, the Great Creator or Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner matters most when it also advances mana or board state.

- Recursion: Cavalier of Thorns and Shifting Woodland are the registered recursion-adjacent cards, but exact tactical use must follow visible card text and legal actions. Card text check required for Shifting Woodland in the runtime environment before treating it as a graveyard or copy-resource line.

- Mana: Forest, Temple Garden, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Boseiju, Who Endures, Shifting Woodland, Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Tree of Tales are the registered mana infrastructure. Prioritize green production, enchantable Utopia Sprawl targets, devotion count, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx scaling before colorless utility unless interaction timing demands Boseiju, Who Endures or Karn access to Tree of Tales.

- Sideboard modules: Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus cover graveyards; A-Haywire Mite, Portable Hole, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia cover permanents or battlefields; Pithing Needle and Liquimetal Coating cover activated abilities or Karn pressure plans; A-The One Ring covers resource grind; God-Pharaoh's Statue and Akroma's Memorial cover late-game lock or finish roles; Extinguisher Battleship requires card text check before assigning a deterministic role.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Big-mana snowball is the default win path: assemble Forest or Temple Garden plus Utopia Sprawl, add Delighted Halfling or Fanatic of Rhonas, then turn devotion into repeated Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx activations. Execute by using Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner to untap the strongest legal mana source, casting Cavalier of Thorns, Karn, the Great Creator, or Storm the Festival, and chaining permanent hits until the board is too large to answer. Prioritize this path when the opening hand already has green mana, an early accelerator, and at least one payoff or card-flow bridge.

- Storm the Festival is the cleanest battlefield-overload finisher: set up with high permanent density, enough mana to cast or flash it back when legal, and devotion pieces that make Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx explosive. Execute by taking legal Storm the Festival actions when the visible board is stable enough that adding two permanents is better than answering one problem immediately. Expect disruption from counterspells, graveyard pressure, or sweepers; if a visible opponent can punish a tap-out, prefer a line that leaves Karn, the Great Creator, Boseiju, Who Endures, or a stabilizing body available.

- Karn, the Great Creator converts excess mana into matchup-specific victory: set up a protected or immediately useful Karn turn with enough mana to activate and, when legal, deploy the chosen artifact soon. Execute by selecting the sideboard artifact that solves the visible problem or ends the game fastest: Liquimetal Coating for a pressure/lock line, God-Pharaoh's Statue for taxing and closing time, Akroma's Memorial for immediate creature lethality, Cityscape Leveler or Portal to Phyrexia for battlefield reversal, and Skysovereign, Consul Flagship when a vehicle threat plus damage is tactically supported by visible text. Prioritize Karn when the sideboard object addresses the current board better than another creature or when a noncreature route dodges creature removal.

- Creature dominance wins many games without a formal combo: build devotion with Outcaster Trailblazer, Polukranos Reborn, Badgermole Cub, Cavalier of Thorns, Scrapshooter, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, then attack once the board can survive crack-back. Use Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and Outcaster Trailblazer as card-flow engines when visible legal triggers or actions support them; Card text check required for Badgermole Cub and Outcaster Trailblazer details before relying on exact trigger timing. Prioritize combat kills when opponent life is pressured, blockers are outclassed, or a sweeper risk makes one more setup turn worse.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Cavalier of Thorns is a bridge win condition: use it to add devotion, stabilize against attackers, pressure planeswalkers, and improve future land or resource access when legal. If Cavalier of Thorns dies, follow only the rules-engine output for any recursion or selection action; do not assume a specific graveyard result unless the legal prompt exposes it.

- Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is a high-impact permanent plan when visible enter-the-battlefield effects matter. Prioritize it when your own Cavalier of Thorns, Storm the Festival hits, sideboard artifacts, or other visible triggers gain leverage, or when the opponent is visibly relying on enter-the-battlefield permanents. Do not cast it as a cosmetic five-mana body if the board demands immediate removal, graveyard hate, or Karn access.

- Polukranos Reborn and Scrapshooter are fallback pressure and stabilization tools. Use Polukranos Reborn when a durable creature changes combat math or demands an answer; Card text check required before using any transformed or activated mode. Use Scrapshooter when its visible legal actions answer artifact/enchantment pressure or when a flying/reach-style combat role is confirmed by the runtime text.

- Shifting Woodland is a late resource land only when the rules engine exposes a concrete legal action. Card text check required before treating it as recursion, copying, or a creature-land plan; choose its action only when visible costs, targets, and resulting object text are clear.

## Emergency Lines
- Behind on life: prioritize blockers and board-swinging permanents over pure engine growth. Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, Scrapshooter, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Karn's Sylex, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia become higher priorities when legal because they can reduce pressure or reset combat math.

- Behind on board: use Karn, the Great Creator as an answer tutor before a win-more tutor. Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia should be evaluated against visible permanents, mana, and timing; choose the line that prevents the next lethal or snowball attack.

- Behind on cards: preserve velocity before committing the last threat into known pressure. Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Storm the Festival, Cavalier of Thorns, and A-The One Ring are the recovery tools, but take A-The One Ring only when life total and artifact access make the delayed resource plan defensible.

- Behind on mana or engine pieces: rebuild with Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx instead of spending scarce mana on slow finishers. If Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is absent or removed, keep devotion permanents anyway so future copies or Storm the Festival regain explosive potential.

- Facing graveyard recursion or combo: interrupt the engine before advancing a slower kill. Use Karn, the Great Creator for Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Pithing Needle, or other visible hate only when the legal action and public information show the target matters; otherwise continue the fastest pressure line.

- Win conditions removed: pivot from one payoff family to another. If Storm the Festival is unavailable, win through Karn, the Great Creator artifacts or creature combat; if Karn, the Great Creator is removed, rebuild with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Cavalier of Thorns, and hard-cast threats.

## Resource Model
- Mana is the primary resource: convert early green sources into permanents, convert permanents into devotion, and convert devotion into repeated Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx activations. Spend early turns maximizing Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and durable green pips before choosing between Storm the Festival, Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, or Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines.

- Life total is a timer, not a payment pool: accept early damage only when the next turn creates a larger stabilizing board. Against visible creature pressure, prefer Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, Scrapshooter, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Cityscape Leveler, or Portal to Phyrexia over slow card accumulation.

- Hand size matters less than engine continuity: a hand with mana, devotion, and one payoff often beats a hand with many expensive cards and no bridge. Protect functional hands by sequencing Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Cavalier of Thorns as card-flow or board-flow pieces when the legal text supports it; Card text check required for exact Badgermole Cub and Outcaster Trailblazer triggers.

- Board presence is both defense and mana: every green permanent can be a blocker, a Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner draw enabler if power conditions are met, and extra Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx output. Do not trade off devotion creatures casually unless the trade prevents lethal pressure, protects Karn, the Great Creator, or keeps enough mana to cast the next payoff.

- Graveyard is a secondary resource: Storm the Festival flashback and Shifting Woodland actions matter only when the rules engine exposes legal actions and costs. Treat graveyard cards as public strategic context, but do not assume recursion, copying, or Cavalier of Thorns death-selection outcomes unless Forge presents the exact choice.

- Exile is usually a liability unless a visible permission effect exists: track exiled Storm the Festival, Karn, the Great Creator targets, and key creatures as lost resources. If the opponent visibly pressures graveyard use, Karn access to Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus should answer their plan without weakening your own battlefield unless the visible exchange is decisive.

- Lands are engine pieces, not interchangeable mana slots: Forest enables Utopia Sprawl, Temple Garden supplies green while supporting Portable Hole access when legally needed, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is the payoff land, Boseiju, Who Endures is interaction, and Shifting Woodland is conditional late utility. Preserve land drops because extra lands turn Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untaps and Storm the Festival chains into real actions.

- Sacrifice fodder is scarce: do not assume disposable permanents. Only sacrifice or exchange a permanent when the legal action names the cost and the resulting effect is needed for survival, a Karn artifact line, or a deterministic win.

- Tempo is gained by doubling turns with untap effects: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untapping Utopia Sprawl-enchanted Forest, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, or another high-output source can be stronger than adding a single threat. If a tap-out line does not change combat, answer a visible permanent, or threaten lethal soon, choose the line that preserves interaction or rebuilds devotion.

- Information is public and runtime-bound: use visible hand reveals, graveyards, exile, stack objects, companion-like public data, and known sideboard artifacts to choose lines. Do not infer exact hidden cards; treat open mana and revealed interaction as risk signals, not certainty.

- Sideboard bullets are converted through Karn, the Great Creator: choose the artifact that solves the visible problem or closes fastest. Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus cover graveyards, Pithing Needle covers activated abilities, Portable Hole and A-Haywire Mite cover small or artifact/enchantment pressure, Liquimetal Coating supports a lock or removal line, Karn's Sylex resets boards, A-The One Ring restores cards at life risk, and the expensive artifacts finish or reverse stalled games.

## Mana Guide
- Keep hands with green mana plus acceleration: Forest with Utopia Sprawl is ideal, and Temple Garden is acceptable when life pressure is manageable. Mulligan hands that cannot cast Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, or Outcaster Trailblazer early unless they already contain multiple lands and a clear Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx bridge.

- Name green with Utopia Sprawl unless a legal, visible line specifically requires another color. Most main-deck spells are green or colorless, while white needs are limited to Temple Garden support for Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines and possible sideboard Portable Hole access.

- Play Forest before Utopia Sprawl decisions because Utopia Sprawl needs an enchantable Forest. If the only early land is Temple Garden, evaluate life total and opponent pressure before paying life; if taking damage enables turn-one Utopia Sprawl or turn-two engine, it is often correct unless the opponent is already presenting a fast clock.

- Sequence Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx after establishing devotion unless it is needed as a land drop to avoid missing mana. Early Nykthos without green support can strand Utopia Sprawl and green creatures, so prefer Forest or Temple Garden first when the hand needs colored development.

- Use Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untaps on the highest-output legal source. Early, that is often an enchanted Forest; later, it is usually Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx after devotion is counted. Recheck floating mana, land taps, and legal payments before activating because a premature Nykthos tap can lock out colored or generic costs.

- Cast Delighted Halfling before vulnerable legendary or expensive lines when it improves next-turn access to Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, or Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. Card text check required for exact protection or uncounterable implications; follow only visible legal payment output.

- Treat Fanatic of Rhonas as both acceleration and devotion. Card text check required for exact graveyard or ferocious-style functionality, so prioritize it for visible mana production and green pips unless the engine exposes another mode.

- Play Boseiju, Who Endures as a land only when mana development is more important than its visible interaction mode. Hold it when the opponent has a public artifact, enchantment, or land that must be answered and other lands can support development.

- Play Shifting Woodland as a normal land when the hand needs land count, but delay relying on its utility until a legal action appears. Card text check required before treating it as graveyard conversion or a payoff.

- Play land before draw or selection when the land drop unlocks a known legal sequence, such as Utopia Sprawl, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untap math, or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx activation. Delay land until after visible draw/selection when the hand has multiple land choices and the next card could decide between Forest, Temple Garden, Boseiju, Who Endures, Shifting Woodland, or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.

- Spend excess mana proactively when it cannot be held for interaction. If Karn, the Great Creator can fetch and cast a relevant artifact, or Storm the Festival can safely add permanents, use the mana before passing unless visible stack pressure, Boseiju, Who Endures, or a sideboard bullet timing issue rewards restraint.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: Forest plus Utopia Sprawl plus Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is the premium start because it creates an early high-output mana source and gives Kiora a meaningful untap. Add any of Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, or Storm the Festival and the hand has a real plan.

- Strong keep: Forest or Temple Garden plus Delighted Halfling plus Fanatic of Rhonas or Outcaster Trailblazer plus a payoff is keepable when the mana curve reaches turn-three Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, or Storm the Festival. Prefer this hand on the play when Delighted Halfling is likely to survive.

- Medium keep: two green lands, one early accelerator, and two expensive payoffs is acceptable if the accelerator is castable and the lands include Forest or Temple Garden. This hand becomes risky if the only payoff is Storm the Festival with too few permanents to hit, or if Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is the second land without enough green sources.

- Risky keep: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx plus one Forest and several four- or five-mana spells needs Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, or Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner to function. Keep only when the hand has a clear first two turns and at least one payoff that stabilizes or snowballs.

- Automatic ship: one-land hands without Utopia Sprawl or Delighted Halfling should mulligan unless the land is Forest and the hand contains multiple cheap legal plays exposed by the engine. Ship zero-green hands, all-payoff hands with no early mana, and hands that rely on Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx as the only early mana source.

- Trap hand: multiple Karn, the Great Creator, Storm the Festival, Cavalier of Thorns, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines with no accelerator looks powerful but often does nothing before the opponent develops. Ship or strongly downgrade unless the lands and early actions already bridge into turn-three or turn-four pressure.

- Matchup-dependent keep: against fast visible pressure, keep hands that cast Badgermole Cub, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Polukranos Reborn, or Scrapshooter on time because bodies preserve life while building devotion. Against slower decks, prioritize Utopia Sprawl, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Karn, the Great Creator, and Storm the Festival.

- Play/draw rule: on the play, favor explosive Utopia Sprawl or Delighted Halfling starts even with fewer interaction options. On the draw, require more resilience: a second land, a castable early body, Boseiju, Who Endures against a visible permanent plan, or Karn, the Great Creator access to a relevant artifact.

- Mulligan bottom rule: keep the cards that make mana first, then the card that converts mana into pressure. Bottom redundant expensive legends or extra Storm the Festival before cutting Forest, Temple Garden, Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, or the only payoff.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1 preferred play: cast Utopia Sprawl on Forest when legal, usually naming green, because it sets up Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and fast Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx turns. If Utopia Sprawl is absent, cast Delighted Halfling; if neither is available, play the land that best supports turn-two Fanatic of Rhonas, Badgermole Cub, Outcaster Trailblazer, or Kiora.

- Turn 1 deviation: play Temple Garden untapped only when the life payment unlocks immediate Utopia Sprawl or Delighted Halfling development. Hold Boseiju, Who Endures when another land casts the early play and the opponent has a visible artifact, enchantment, or land worth answering later.

- Turn 2 preferred play: cast Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner when it can untap an enchanted Forest or meaningful mana source and produce an immediate follow-up. If Kiora is not available, cast Fanatic of Rhonas or Outcaster Trailblazer to add devotion and bridge into turn-three payoffs; use Badgermole Cub as the early body when it is the clean legal curve play. Card text check required for Badgermole Cub and Fanatic of Rhonas details beyond visible legal actions.

- Turn 2 deviation: play Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx only if it does not strand green spells. If the opponent has a must-answer visible permanent, consider Boseiju, Who Endures or a Karn, the Great Creator plan only when the engine exposes a legal line and the tempo loss is survivable.

- Turn 3 preferred play: convert acceleration into Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, Outcaster Trailblazer plus another play, or Storm the Festival when the permanent count and mana make it legal. Choose Karn when a sideboard artifact solves the visible board; choose Cavalier of Thorns or Polukranos Reborn when board presence and devotion matter more.

- Turn 3 deviation: if the opponent is pressuring Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or life total, prioritize a creature that blocks over a slower Storm the Festival setup. If Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx makes excess mana, spend it on board-impacting legal actions before passing unless holding Boseiju, Who Endures is clearly important.

- Turns 4-5 preferred play: chain Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untaps, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx activations, Cavalier of Thorns, Karn, the Great Creator, and Storm the Festival to create a board the opponent cannot answer one-for-one. Fetch A-The One Ring for cards, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship for battlefield pressure, Karn's Sylex for reset needs, or God-Pharaoh's Statue, Portal to Phyrexia, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, or Akroma's Memorial when mana and board state justify a finisher.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: cast Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines only when legal mana is available and the visible board makes its static or triggered implications relevant; Card text check required for exact interaction certainty. Use Scrapshooter when its legal action answers a visible artifact/enchantment/flying pressure point; otherwise treat it as a body and devotion source.

- Late game rule: make every large-mana turn either win, lock, rebuild, or answer a specific visible problem. Flash back Storm the Festival when legal and better than Karn, the Great Creator artifact access; use Shifting Woodland only when Forge exposes a legal action with a clearly useful visible target or effect.

- Late game deviation: do not overextend into a visible sweeper-like effect if current battlefield already wins soon. When behind, prioritize Portal to Phyrexia, Karn's Sylex, Cityscape Leveler, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, or Pithing Needle only according to the exact visible problem and legal Karn access.

## Card Roles
- Utopia Sprawl: Treat Utopia Sprawl as the cleanest acceleration card because it turns Forest or Temple Garden with Forest type into a high-output permanent for Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx turns. Cast it early when legal unless the only enchantable land is needed for a different immediate play or the opponent has visible land-enchantment punishment. Usually name green because the deck is overwhelmingly green and devotion bottlenecks matter more than splashing; name white only when the engine exposes a real need to cast Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines or an accessed sideboard card requiring white.

- Delighted Halfling: Use Delighted Halfling as early acceleration and as protection for legendary spells when its legal mana action supports Karn, the Great Creator, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, or Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. Cast it on turn one when Utopia Sprawl is unavailable, and preserve it in combat when its mana is needed for a near-term legendary payoff. Do not assume it fixes every payment; follow the rules engine's available mana output and only spend its colored mana on legal costs.

- Fanatic of Rhonas: Use Fanatic of Rhonas as a devotion body and mana bridge, but keep exact text-dependent lines conditional because Card text check required. Prioritize it when the hand needs a turn-two permanent that turns on Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx or helps cast Cavalier of Thorns and Storm the Festival. Avoid trading it away cheaply if its visible mana action is enabling the next large turn, but block with it when survival or planeswalker defense is more important than future acceleration.

- Outcaster Trailblazer: Use Outcaster Trailblazer as both a body and a resource engine when the rules engine exposes relevant triggered or card-advantage actions, but Card text check required for exact mode, plot, and draw details. Cast it early against removal-light or slower opponents because it builds devotion while helping convert later large creatures into material. Against fast pressure, treat it first as a blocker and devotion source; against control, value it as a permanent that can make Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, and other large bodies more punishing.

- Badgermole Cub: Use Badgermole Cub as an early stabilizing creature and devotion contributor when the hand needs a legal two-mana play, but Card text check required before relying on any specific triggered ability or scaling text. Keep it over slower cards against aggressive visible starts because it can occupy the battlefield before the deck's five- and six-mana engines matter. Do not overvalue it in slow matchups if the choice is between Badgermole Cub and a line that accelerates into Karn, the Great Creator, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, or Storm the Festival.

- Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner: Treat Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner as a mana multiplier first and a card-flow engine second. Use the untap action on an enchanted Forest, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, or another high-output permanent when that creates an immediate legal follow-up, and avoid spending Kiora loyalty on low-impact untaps that do not change the turn. Protect Kiora when the next turn's Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx or Cavalier of Thorns chain depends on it, but let it absorb attacks if doing so preserves life and the hand already has enough mana.

- Karn, the Great Creator: Use Karn, the Great Creator as the deck's flexible answer, lock, and finisher access point, not as an automatic turn-three play. Choose Karn when the visible board calls for a precise sideboard artifact such as Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, A-Haywire Mite, Portable Hole, Pithing Needle, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, A-The One Ring, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, Portal to Phyrexia, or Tree of Tales. Do not fetch an expensive artifact just because it is powerful; match the artifact to current mana, battlefield pressure, graveyard risk, opposing activated abilities, or the need to end the game.

- Polukranos Reborn: Use Polukranos Reborn as a resilient devotion-heavy stabilizer when the opponent is attacking or when Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner can reward large creatures. Card text check required for exact transformation and back-face play patterns, so only choose transform or specialty actions when Forge exposes legal text and the visible board justifies the mana. In creature matchups, Polukranos Reborn often matters more than speculative Storm the Festival because it contests combat immediately.

- Cavalier of Thorns: Use Cavalier of Thorns as the primary bridge from ramp into inevitability because it adds a large body, devotion, land access, and graveyard density for later Storm the Festival decisions. Cast it when you need Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, a missing land, a blocker, or a permanent that pressures planeswalkers and life total. With Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines visible or castable, be alert for doubled enter-the-battlefield implications, but do not assume exact outcomes beyond what the engine exposes. When it dies, value any legal top-of-library or recursion choice according to whether the next draw needs payoff, mana, or interaction.

- Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines: Use Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines as a high-impact multiplier or disruption piece, not as a generic five-drop. Cast it when the visible battlefield or hand contains meaningful enter-the-battlefield payoffs such as Cavalier of Thorns, Scrapshooter, or artifact access through Karn, the Great Creator, or when the opponent's visible permanents suggest their own triggers matter. Card text check required for exact interactions with specific Historic cards; never assume it stops an opponent's line unless the rules engine makes the effect visible.

- Storm the Festival: Use Storm the Festival as the main rebuild and snowball spell once the deck has enough mana and a permanent-rich top-end. Cast it when the battlefield can use two additional permanents immediately, when a sweeper or removal exchange has emptied resources, or when Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx mana makes it efficient. Delay it if the hand already has a precise Karn, the Great Creator answer or if spending the turn on Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, or Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines better stabilizes combat. Flash it back when legal if it is the strongest use of mana and the visible board does not demand a specific artifact or Boseiju, Who Endures action.

- Scrapshooter: Use Scrapshooter as a specialized main-deck answer and body, but Card text check required for exact ability timing and target restrictions. Prioritize it when the opponent has a visible artifact, enchantment, or flying threat that the engine says Scrapshooter can affect. If no target matters, treat it as a lower-priority creature than Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Polukranos Reborn, Cavalier of Thorns, or Karn, the Great Creator.

- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: Treat Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx as the deck's burst-mana payoff, not as a reliable early green source. Play it when the hand already has green development or when devotion is high enough to make immediate mana. Use Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner to untap it when that creates a second meaningful spell, a Karn artifact line, or Storm the Festival flashback.

- Forest and Temple Garden: Treat Forest as the safest Utopia Sprawl land and Temple Garden as both a green source and a white source when life total permits. Avoid unnecessary Temple Garden life payments against fast visible pressure unless the untapped land changes the current turn.

- Boseiju, Who Endures: Hold Boseiju, Who Endures when another land can develop mana and the opponent has or may soon show a critical artifact, enchantment, or land. Use it only through legal engine actions and do not spend it as a normal land if the visible matchup is likely to hinge on answering a permanent.

- Shifting Woodland: Treat Shifting Woodland as a late-game utility land with conditional text requiring rules-engine confirmation. Play it as a land when mana development matters; use any special action only when Forge exposes a legal line with a visible, tactically relevant target or outcome.

## Interaction Priorities
- Priority: Answer permanents that shut off mana production before answering generic pressure, because Mono Green Devotion wins by converting Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx into a single overwhelming turn. Use Boseiju, Who Endures, Scrapshooter, or Karn, the Great Creator artifact access on the visible permanent that prevents mana, disables activated abilities, invalidates creatures, or threatens an immediate loss.

- Priority: Remove graveyard engines before small creatures when the opponent's public graveyard or battlefield shows that the next turn will reuse cards. Karn, the Great Creator can find Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus when legal; choose the graveyard artifact when the opponent's current line depends on the graveyard more than their battlefield damage does.

- Priority: Stop activated abilities and key artifacts through Karn, the Great Creator before racing if the visible permanent will keep generating advantage. Pithing Needle, Liquimetal Coating, A-Haywire Mite, Portable Hole, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia are answer tools only when Forge exposes legal use and the current mana supports the line. Do not fetch a seven-plus-mana artifact while dying to a board that Karn's Sylex, Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, or Skysovereign, Consul Flagship can address sooner.

- Priority: Treat counter, discard, exile, and bounce decisions as unavailable unless the rules engine exposes an exact legal action from a registered card. This list normally does not counter spells, strip hands, or bounce permanents; do not invent those interaction modes. If an opponent spell is on the stack, interact only through visible legal abilities such as Boseiju, Who Endures if applicable, sideboard artifacts already accessible, or priority decisions that preserve mana for a later legal response.

- Bait: Lead with redundant accelerants or replaceable devotion creatures when the opponent is representing cheap interaction and the hand contains a stronger payoff. Delighted Halfling, Badgermole Cub, Fanatic of Rhonas, or Outcaster Trailblazer can draw removal before Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, or Storm the Festival. Do not bait with the only green source, only mana creature, or only path to five mana when the hand is otherwise slow.

- Ignore: Ignore low-impact attackers when your next legal line creates a decisive mana turn or stabilizing body. Small damage is acceptable if it preserves Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner loyalty for an untap, keeps Karn, the Great Creator alive for a needed artifact, or lets Storm the Festival resolve with enough mana. Stop ignoring creatures once life total is in two-attack range or combat damage threatens a planeswalker needed for the next turn.

- Archetype shift: Against aggro, interaction means stabilizing combat first with Badgermole Cub, Polukranos Reborn, Cavalier of Thorns, Karn's Sylex, Portable Hole, or Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. Against control, interaction means forcing must-answer permanents in layers and using Karn, the Great Creator to pressure resources. Against combo or graveyard decks, interaction means finding the narrow disruptive artifact before committing expensive win-more cards.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Attack only when the creature is not required for devotion, mana, or planeswalker protection on the following turn. Fanatic of Rhonas and Outcaster Trailblazer often matter more as mana and engine pieces than as early attackers. Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, Badgermole Cub, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines can attack once the battlefield already leaves Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and Karn, the Great Creator protected or the attack pressures lethal.

- Block aggressively when life total is the limiting resource, because this deck can rebuild with Storm the Festival and large permanents but cannot use late-game mana after dying. Trade Badgermole Cub or Delighted Halfling for damage prevention when no immediate ramp line depends on them. Preserve Fanatic of Rhonas or Outcaster Trailblazer if their mana is needed for a near-term Karn, the Great Creator, Cavalier of Thorns, or Storm the Festival.

- Protect planeswalkers when their next activation changes the game. Block for Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner if untapping Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, an enchanted Forest, or another high-output permanent creates a major follow-up. Block for Karn, the Great Creator if the next activation finds the only answer or a decisive artifact. Let a planeswalker take damage when preserving life total or a key creature is more important than one more activation.

- Trade large creatures for time against aggro, not for small value. Polukranos Reborn and Cavalier of Thorns should block when they stop a short clock, protect Karn, the Great Creator, or enable a later Storm the Festival rebuild. Avoid attacking them into obvious double-blocks unless the trade clears enough board for lethal pressure or the death trigger and follow-up mana are better than waiting.

- Preserve devotion when Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is the next-turn engine. Do not make optional attacks, blocks, or trades that reduce green devotion below a needed threshold unless the visible combat result prevents lethal damage or saves a critical planeswalker. Count permanents, not hopes; if Forge shows no legal high-mana follow-up, ordinary combat value can matter more than devotion preservation.

- Race differently by archetype. Against aggro, become the control deck until life total is stable behind large blockers or a sweeper artifact. Against control, attack planeswalkers and life total with every nonessential creature to shorten the window for sweepers or exile removal. Against combo, pressure life total only after disruptive Karn, the Great Creator lines or Boseiju, Who Endures coverage are addressed.

- Crew or artifact-combat decisions must follow visible legal text. If Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Akroma's Memorial, Extinguisher Battleship, Cityscape Leveler, or Portal to Phyrexia is involved, choose attacks or blocks only from rules-engine legal actions and current board needs; Card text check required for any non-obvious Alchemy or specialty artifact behavior.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Select for mana first when the hand is one permanent away from a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx turn. Karn, the Great Creator, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Cavalier of Thorns, Storm the Festival, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines are strongest after the deck already has green devotion and untap leverage; do not take a flashy payoff over the permanent that makes the next turn function.

- Treat Karn, the Great Creator as the real tutor engine. When activating Karn, choose the sideboard artifact that changes the current visible game state, not the most expensive artifact. Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus answer graveyard dependence, Pithing Needle answers a named visible activated ability, A-Haywire Mite and Portable Hole answer small problematic permanents when legal, Liquimetal Coating supports a Karn pressure or denial line, Karn's Sylex and Skysovereign, Consul Flagship stabilize creature boards, A-The One Ring buys cards and time, and God-Pharaoh's Statue, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, or Portal to Phyrexia are late-game locks or finishers when mana and survival are already secured. Card text check required for A-The One Ring, Extinguisher Battleship, and any Alchemy-modified behavior.

- Fetch Tree of Tales only when the legal line solves a current mana or artifact-access problem. If the land drop is already used, if colored green mana is the bottleneck, or if the opponent is pressuring Karn, the Great Creator, a functional answer artifact usually matters more than Tree of Tales.

- Use Cavalier of Thorns as selection plus board presence, not as a guaranteed tutor. If Forge exposes a choice among revealed lands, choose Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx when devotion is already high or a Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untap line is available; choose Forest or Temple Garden when Utopia Sprawl, colored mana, or basic development matters more. Boseiju, Who Endures is a higher pick when visible artifacts, enchantments, or nonbasic lands are central to the opponent's plan. Shifting Woodland is conditional; Card text check required before relying on graveyard-copy lines.

- Let draw triggers resolve before spending flexible mana. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner rewards casting or finding large creatures such as Cavalier of Thorns, Polukranos Reborn, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines; Outcaster Trailblazer may add additional card flow if its visible trigger is present. Draw first when the remaining mana could cast Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, Karn, the Great Creator, or Storm the Festival differently after seeing a new card.

- Choose Storm the Festival hits by current role. When behind, prioritize blockers, removal artifacts if Karn is among the options, and mana permanents that cast the next stabilizer. When stable, prioritize Karn, the Great Creator, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Cavalier of Thorns, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, and other permanents that compound devotion, cards, or mana. Do not choose a second legend or planeswalker in a way that loses the better visible permanent unless the rules engine makes that replacement explicitly correct.

- This deck has no native scry plan, so bottoming decisions from outside effects must be conservative. Bottom redundant expensive cards when mana is missing, bottom excess lands when Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx plus devotion already produces enough, and keep action that either stabilizes the board or converts big mana into a decisive permanent.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Pass priority by default when no visible legal instant-speed action improves the current exchange. Mono Green Devotion is mostly sorcery-speed; preserving clock time and avoiding invented interaction is better than holding priority with no legal Boseiju, Who Endures, graveyard artifact, or activated artifact line.

- Use Delighted Halfling mana for legendary spells when counterplay is visible or suspected from public information. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines are the key legendary spells; if Forge exposes multiple mana-payment choices, prefer the payment that uses Delighted Halfling for the important legendary spell and preserves ordinary green mana for follow-up actions.

- Sequence Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner activations around Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and enchanted Forest mana. If a legal line can tap Nykthos, untap it with Kiora, and tap it again, calculate the visible devotion before choosing the activation. If Utopia Sprawl on Forest or Temple Garden produces more relevant mana than Nykthos, untap the enchanted land instead. Do not use Kiora merely for loyalty if the untap target does not change the turn.

- Let your own value triggers resolve before committing the next spell when the next spell choice is flexible. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner draw triggers, Cavalier of Thorns reveal or death choices, Outcaster Trailblazer triggers, and Storm the Festival selection can change the correct follow-up. After the trigger resolves, reassess legal mana and board state rather than following the pre-trigger plan blindly.

- Respond with Boseiju, Who Endures only when Forge shows a legal target and the target matters now. Use it against a visible artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land that blocks your mana engine, enables lethal pressure, prevents Karn, the Great Creator from taking over, or protects an opposing combo. Do not spend Boseiju, Who Endures on a marginal permanent if that land drop or green source is needed for the next Storm the Festival or Cavalier of Thorns turn.

- Activate graveyard artifacts at the last useful window. With Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus on board, prefer responding to a visible graveyard spell, escape, reanimation, recursion trigger, or threshold-dependent action instead of firing early. Exile proactively only if the opponent can remove the artifact before the critical turn or if the visible graveyard already represents enough value that waiting adds risk.

- Treat combat priority windows as defensive checkpoints, not bluff windows. After attackers, after blockers, and before damage, act only if the rules engine exposes a legal activation or spell that changes combat, removes a key permanent, uses a graveyard artifact, or advances a chosen Karn artifact line. Polukranos Reborn transform timing and any specialty artifact combat text require visible legal actions; Card text check required before assuming instant-speed use.

- Let opposing spells resolve when the deck has no legal response and the spell does not create an immediate must-answer permanent. Save Karn, the Great Creator activations, Boseiju, Who Endures, and artifact answers for battlefield states they can actually affect. If an opponent spell will create a graveyard, artifact, enchantment, activated-ability, or creature-board problem that your next legal Karn line can answer, plan the answer after resolution rather than pretending to counter it.

## Sideboard Map
- Treat the sideboard as both a registered sideboard and a Karn, the Great Creator toolbox. Preserve at least one Karn-accessible answer when the matchup is about a single permanent class; sideboard actual copies only when the answer must appear before Karn resolves or when the opponent can consistently remove Karn before the first activation.

- Use low-cost artifacts as time-buying tools against fast or narrow plans. Tormod's Crypt, A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Portable Hole, Relic of Progenitus, Liquimetal Coating, and Karn's Sylex are the flexible early targets; their job is to protect the mana engine long enough for Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Cavalier of Thorns, Storm the Festival, or Karn, the Great Creator to take over.

Balanced graveyard pressure
Side in: Tormod's Crypt; Relic of Progenitus
Cut: Scrapshooter; Badgermole Cub

Balanced small-permanent pressure
Side in: A-Haywire Mite; Portable Hole
Cut: Scrapshooter; Badgermole Cub

Balanced artifact or activated-ability control
Side in: Pithing Needle; Liquimetal Coating
Cut: Scrapshooter; Badgermole Cub

Balanced long-game top-end
Side in: A-The One Ring; Portal to Phyrexia
Cut: Scrapshooter; Badgermole Cub

- Add role cards: Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus against graveyard recursion, reanimation, escape-style pressure, graveyard-count payoffs, or decks where the opponent's graveyard is a second hand. Keep one graveyard artifact available to Karn, the Great Creator when the opponent is slower and Karn is likely to resolve; bring them into the main deck when early graveyard containment is required before four mana. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Scrapshooter and Badgermole Cub when their battlefield bodies do not matter as much as immediate graveyard denial.

- Add role cards: A-Haywire Mite, Portable Hole, and Karn's Sylex against fast creature starts, artifact/enchantment pressure, token boards, cheap utility permanents, or aggressive decks that punish slow Storm the Festival hands. A-Haywire Mite is best when a single artifact or enchantment matters and life padding is relevant; Portable Hole is best when the opponent's early permanent must be answered before devotion is online; Karn's Sylex is a reset button when the opponent goes wide or curves under Cavalier of Thorns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest nonessential body or narrow one-of when early board containment matters more than incremental devotion.

- Add role cards: Pithing Needle and Liquimetal Coating against planeswalkers, activated ability engines, artifact synergies, creature-lands, or decks relying on one named permanent. Pithing Needle is strongest when the legal name is visible or known from public information; avoid guessing into hidden information unless the matchup has an unmistakable public engine. Liquimetal Coating changes role with Karn, the Great Creator: when Karn is protected, it can pressure mana or turn permanents into artifacts for Karn's static ability and artifact interaction; without Karn, it is often too slow.

- Add role cards: A-The One Ring, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, and Portal to Phyrexia for games where mana is abundant and survival is already stabilized. A-The One Ring is a grind card when life total and tempo allow it; Card text check required for Alchemy behavior. Skysovereign, Consul Flagship is a creature-pressure stabilizer when crew lines are visible and legal. God-Pharaoh's Statue is a lock piece against spell-heavy decks when the opponent cannot immediately remove Karn or the artifact. Akroma's Memorial is a finisher for creature-heavy devotion boards that need haste, evasion, or combat dominance. Cityscape Leveler and Portal to Phyrexia are late-game answer-plus-threat artifacts for stalled boards. Extinguisher Battleship requires card text check before relying on a specific tactical mode.

- Add role cards: Tree of Tales only when artifact status, land access, or Karn, the Great Creator lines make a land artifact specifically useful. It is poor when green source density, Utopia Sprawl targets, or untapped mana tempo matters more than artifact count. Tree of Tales should not displace a high-impact Karn target unless the game is about making a land drop or enabling an artifact-specific line.

- Against fast aggro, prioritize survival artifacts over speculative top-end. Add role cards: Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, and sometimes A-The One Ring if the life and protection text are confirmed favorable. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow one-of utility and excess expensive cards when the hand already has Storm the Festival or multiple five-plus mana spells. Keep enough creatures and devotion permanents to make Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx lethal after stabilizing.

- Against control, prioritize resilient card advantage and lock artifacts. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Liquimetal Coating, Pithing Needle, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow creature interaction and low-impact bodies when the opponent is not attacking the ground. Preserve Delighted Halfling because uncounterable legendary spells matter for Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines.

- Against artifact, enchantment, or activated-ability decks, prioritize named answers and Karn pressure. Add role cards: A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, Cityscape Leveler, and Portal to Phyrexia. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards that only add size without interacting when the opponent's permanent engine will ignore combat. Scrapshooter can remain relevant if its visible text answers the opponent's artifact or enchantment plan; Card text check required before depending on exact modes.

- Against graveyard combo or graveyard value, prioritize immediate graveyard artifacts before slow finishers. Add role cards: Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus, with Pithing Needle only when a visible activated graveyard engine can be named. Reduce main-deck emphasis: nonessential slow creatures and narrow anti-artifact bodies. If Karn, the Great Creator is likely to survive, leave one graveyard artifact accessible; if the opponent can win before Karn, bring both graveyard artifacts into the opening deck plan.

- Against big mana mirrors or midrange stalls, prioritize over-the-top artifacts and mana denial. Add role cards: Liquimetal Coating, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, Akroma's Memorial, and A-The One Ring. Reduce main-deck emphasis: early removal-style artifacts unless the opponent shows cheap permanents that must be answered. The plan is to make more mana, protect Karn, the Great Creator, and convert Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx turns into a permanent that ends the resource exchange.

## Matchup Guidance

- Against aggro, keep hands that make mana on turns one and two and affect the battlefield by turn three. Delighted Halfling, Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Polukranos Reborn, and Cavalier of Thorns are the core stabilizing cards because they accelerate while producing blockers or card flow. Add role cards: Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, and sometimes A-The One Ring when its visible text and life context support survival. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Scrapshooter, Badgermole Cub, and excess expensive top-end when the opening hand cannot survive early attacks. Prioritize life-total preservation over maximizing devotion if the opponent can present lethal before Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx converts the board into a payoff.

- Against control, preserve threat density and force decisions across multiple permanent types. Delighted Halfling is premium because it helps resolve Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines through counter-heavy play patterns. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Liquimetal Coating, Pithing Needle, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, and Akroma's Memorial when a wide creature board needs one finishing artifact. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow creature interaction and low-impact bodies when the opponent is not pressuring combat. Avoid casting Storm the Festival into open interaction when a safer Karn, the Great Creator activation or redundant devotion permanent advances the same turn.

- Against combo, identify whether the opposing engine uses graveyard, artifacts, enchantments, activated abilities, or spell volume before spending Karn, the Great Creator. Add role cards: Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus against graveyard dependency; Pithing Needle against a visible named activated ability; God-Pharaoh's Statue against spell-chain decks; Liquimetal Coating when Karn, the Great Creator can disrupt permanents over multiple turns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: combat-only pressure that does not change the opponent's clock. Keep fast Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx hands if they can produce Karn, the Great Creator or lethal-scale pressure before the combo turn; mulligan slow creature hands that only become large after the opponent is already set up.

- Against tempo, value mana resilience and cheap double-spell turns over single huge commitments. Delighted Halfling, Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, and Outcaster Trailblazer matter because they make recasting after disruption realistic. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, and Skysovereign, Consul Flagship depending on whether the opponent's pressure is creatures, artifacts, enchantments, or activated threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest expensive artifacts and fragile top-end plans when the opponent can punish tap-out turns. Use Boseiju, Who Endures only when the visible target matters more than preserving a land for Storm the Festival or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx math.

- Against midrange, build toward repeated two-for-one turns and make Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx the card that breaks parity. Cavalier of Thorns, Storm the Festival, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines should be sequenced to maximize durable permanents rather than short-term chip damage. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, and Akroma's Memorial. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow hate artifacts unless public information shows a specific engine. Trade creatures early when doing so preserves Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or Karn, the Great Creator for the next activation.

- Against big mana, race to the first decisive Karn, the Great Creator or Storm the Festival while respecting opposing haymakers. Add role cards: Liquimetal Coating, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, Akroma's Memorial, A-The One Ring, and Tree of Tales when artifact-land access is tactically relevant. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, and Karn's Sylex unless the opponent's public board shows targets. Prioritize Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner plus high-power creatures because untapping Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx or a large mana source can decide the game before either deck fully stabilizes.

- Against graveyard decks, decide early whether hate must start in hand or can be fetched by Karn, the Great Creator. Add role cards: Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus, with Pithing Needle only when the graveyard plan includes a visible activated permanent or card name known from public information. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Badgermole Cub, Scrapshooter, or the slowest nonessential payoff when the game hinges on immediate containment. Do not spend graveyard artifacts for marginal value if the opponent's graveyard is not yet threatening and a future all-in turn is visible.

- Against artifact and enchantment decks, use Karn, the Great Creator as both disruption and tutor pressure. Add role cards: A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, and Portable Hole for cheap permanent pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards that only grow the battlefield when the opponent's engine ignores combat. Scrapshooter may be important if its visible rules text answers the opponent's permanent type; Card text check required before relying on exact modes. Boseiju, Who Endures is a high-value land when it answers a public engine without spending a spell slot.

- Against go-wide decks, stabilize the battlefield before chasing maximum devotion. Polukranos Reborn, Cavalier of Thorns, Outcaster Trailblazer, and high-toughness creatures should block early unless a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx turn creates immediate dominance. Add role cards: Karn's Sylex, Portable Hole, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Portal to Phyrexia, and Akroma's Memorial. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow single-target or non-board-impact artifacts. Avoid attacking with necessary blockers under a short clock unless the attack changes lethal math or enables a same-turn Storm the Festival recovery.

- Against single-threat decks, answer or invalidate the one permanent while building a bigger mana engine. Add role cards: Pithing Needle for visible activated threats, Portable Hole for eligible cheap permanents, A-Haywire Mite for artifact or enchantment threats, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship for creature pressure, Cityscape Leveler for late universal pressure, and Portal to Phyrexia for stabilized boards. Reduce main-deck emphasis: broad reset effects when only one opposing object matters. Use Karn, the Great Creator to find the narrow answer only after confirming the target class from visible board state or public information.

- Against burn, protect life total and avoid unnecessary pain or delayed stabilization. Temple Garden decisions should respect current life pressure; use Forest and Utopia Sprawl starts when they meet mana needs without life loss. Add role cards: A-Haywire Mite if life gain or artifact/enchantment removal is relevant from visible text, A-The One Ring if protection/card text supports survival, Portable Hole for early permanents, and Skysovereign, Consul Flagship when creature pressure must be removed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest expensive payoffs when they do not affect life or blockers before lethal. Choose blocking lines that preserve life over preserving small devotion counts.

- Against removal-heavy decks, make removal trade down and keep redundant engines flowing. Outcaster Trailblazer, Cavalier of Thorns, Storm the Festival, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, and A-The One Ring are important because they continue producing resources after the first creature dies. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, Portal to Phyrexia, Cityscape Leveler, Akroma's Memorial, and God-Pharaoh's Statue against slower removal-heavy shells. Reduce main-deck emphasis: small creatures that neither replace themselves nor accelerate into a protected payoff when the opponent is trading one-for-one. Sequence devotion permanents so a single removal spell does not collapse Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx unless the payoff is already being cast that turn.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only notes apply until public information proves a narrower plan; revealed cards, visible permanents, graveyards, and rules-engine legal actions override archetype assumptions. Treat every matchup label as a heuristic for routing early decisions, not as permission to infer hidden cards.

- Against fast creature pressure, prioritize survival before maximum Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx output. Priority targets are early creatures that threaten Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, or life total before Cavalier of Thorns can stabilize. Add role cards: Portable Hole, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Portal to Phyrexia, and Akroma's Memorial. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow non-board-impact turns, especially Storm the Festival lines that do not create blockers before lethal pressure.

- Against removal-heavy midrange, make each threat demand a real answer while preserving engines. Priority targets are planeswalker attackers, artifact or enchantment engines visible on board, and creatures that break through Cavalier of Thorns. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, God-Pharaoh's Statue, and Akroma's Memorial. Reduce main-deck emphasis: fragile small-creature dependence when Delighted Halfling and Fanatic of Rhonas are no longer needed for immediate acceleration.

- Against control and tempo, force action with resilient mana and staged payoffs instead of exposing everything to one answer window. Priority targets are permanents that constrain Karn, the Great Creator, pressure planeswalkers, or tax Storm the Festival turns. Add role cards: A-The One Ring, Pithing Needle, Liquimetal Coating, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Cityscape Leveler, and Akroma's Memorial. Reduce main-deck emphasis: overcommitting additional devotion creatures when one resolved Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or Karn, the Great Creator already demands an answer.

- Against artifact or enchantment engines, make Karn, the Great Creator the first tactical fork whenever legal. Priority targets are visible artifacts, enchantments, or activated permanents that convert resources faster than Mono Green Devotion can race. Add role cards: A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Liquimetal Coating, Karn's Sylex, Cityscape Leveler, Portable Hole, and Portal to Phyrexia. Reduce main-deck emphasis: combat-only development if the opponent's engine ignores blockers. Scrapshooter and A-Haywire Mite require card text confirmation before relying on exact mode or timing.

- Against graveyard-focused decks, decide whether graveyard containment is urgent before fetching a larger payoff. Priority targets are graveyard states that visibly enable recursion, escape-like play, reanimation, or repeatable value. Add role cards: Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Pithing Needle when a visible activated graveyard permanent matters, and Karn's Sylex if a board reset is also needed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Badgermole Cub, Scrapshooter, or slow top-end when immediate containment is the only way to survive.

- Against big mana mirrors or slower ramp, race toward the first overwhelming mana conversion. Priority targets are opposing mana engines, planeswalkers, and artifacts that make the opponent's next turn larger than yours. Add role cards: Liquimetal Coating, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, Akroma's Memorial, A-The One Ring, and Tree of Tales when Karn, the Great Creator can use it as a specific resource. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Portable Hole and cheap reactive artifacts unless visible targets exist.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: Opening hands can look powerful while lacking a safe first accelerator. Mulligan more aggressively when Delighted Halfling, Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, or lands cannot produce a meaningful turn-two or turn-three engine. Temple Garden life loss matters against fast damage; Forest plus Utopia Sprawl is often safer when legal.

- Devotion risk: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is only explosive when permanents stay on board. Do not count future devotion from creatures likely to die before the activation unless the rules engine already shows the mana action as legal.

- Draw risk: Heavy payoff hands with Cavalier of Thorns, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Storm the Festival, and Karn, the Great Creator can stall before casting spells. Prefer hands with both acceleration and mana sinks over hands with only expensive inevitability.

- Over-sideboarding risk: Karn, the Great Creator already accesses sideboard artifacts during games, so adding too many narrow role cards can dilute green devotion and creature density. Keep the main engine functional unless the matchup is decided by one hate piece.

- Graveyard risk: Cavalier of Thorns and Storm the Festival can make graveyards relevant, but this deck is not a graveyard deck first. Do not spend Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus just to clear small value if the opponent can present a larger visible graveyard turn later.

- Sweeper and removal risk: Overextending low-impact creatures into a likely reset can collapse both pressure and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx math. Stage Outcaster Trailblazer, Polukranos Reborn, Cavalier of Thorns, and planeswalkers so one opposing answer does not erase all mana and all threats.

- Closer risk: Big mana without a concrete finisher gives opponents time to recover. Convert surplus mana into Karn, the Great Creator, Storm the Festival, Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, Akroma's Memorial, or repeated Cavalier of Thorns pressure when legal.

- Interaction risk: Boseiju, Who Endures and Karn, the Great Creator targets are scarce. Use them on public permanents that change the game, not on low-impact objects that Cavalier of Thorns or combat can contain.

- Sequencing risk: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untap decisions can decide the turn. Before choosing an untap target, compare Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, enchanted Forest, and large mana creatures using only visible legal mana actions and current devotion.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: Did the game turn on early acceleration, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx output, Karn, the Great Creator access, Storm the Festival resolution, combat stabilization, or failure to convert mana into a closer?

- Mulligans: Did the kept hand produce a legal first engine through Delighted Halfling, Utopia Sprawl, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, or Karn, the Great Creator by the relevant turn?

- Mana: Did Forest, Temple Garden, Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx create the colors and quantities needed, or were payoffs stranded despite visible mana actions?

- Velocity: Did the deck spend early turns increasing mana and board presence, or did it pass with expensive cards such as Cavalier of Thorns, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Storm the Festival, or Karn, the Great Creator stuck in hand?

- Engine quality: Did Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untap the highest-impact visible permanent, and did her draw triggers from large creatures matter before she was attacked down?

- Devotion quality: Did permanents stay on board long enough for Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to be explosive, or did removal and combat make devotion planning unreliable?

- Removal and disruption: Did Boseiju, Who Endures, Scrapshooter, Portable Hole, A-Haywire Mite, Pithing Needle, Karn's Sylex, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Cityscape Leveler, or Portal to Phyrexia answer a game-deciding public permanent at the right time?

- Sideboard function: Did Karn, the Great Creator fetch the correct role artifact, and did post-board configuration preserve enough green devotion, acceleration, and threats?

- Closing: After reaching large mana, did the deck actually end the game with Cavalier of Thorns pressure, Storm the Festival chains, Karn, the Great Creator artifacts, Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, God-Pharaoh's Statue, or Portal to Phyrexia?

- Role accuracy: Did the pilot correctly choose between racing, stabilizing, grinding, and locking the opponent, or did it follow a generic ramp script while the visible board required another role?

- Mistakes: Record each questionable pass, attack, block, Karn, the Great Creator selection, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner untap, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx activation, or Storm the Festival timing choice with the visible legal actions that were available.

- Stranded cards: Track which cards sat in hand uncast for multiple turns, especially Badgermole Cub, Polukranos Reborn, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Storm the Festival, and sideboard artifacts fetched or boarded for narrow roles.

- Overperformers and underperformers: Note whether Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, Cavalier of Thorns, Karn, the Great Creator, and Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner advanced the deck's plan in the actual game state rather than only in theory.

- Text uncertainty: Card text check required before changing plans around Badgermole Cub, Scrapshooter, A-Haywire Mite, A-The One Ring, Karn's Sylex, Extinguisher Battleship, or Tree of Tales if exact wording affected the result.

## First Tuning Questions

- Accelerator quantity: If mulligans frequently fail to produce early mana, should the deck increase reliable one- or two-mana acceleration, or is the issue mainly sequencing Forest, Temple Garden, Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, and Fanatic of Rhonas?

- Land mix: If Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is stranded or Temple Garden life loss matters, should Forest count, Temple Garden count, Boseiju, Who Endures access, or Shifting Woodland utility be adjusted?

- Devotion density: If Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx underperforms, are Badgermole Cub, Polukranos Reborn, Outcaster Trailblazer, Cavalier of Thorns, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines providing enough persistent pips?

- Payoff balance: If hands clog on expensive cards, should Cavalier of Thorns, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Storm the Festival, or Karn, the Great Creator quantities change, or should mulligan policy reject more slow hands?

- Aggro plan: If fast creature decks win before stabilization, does the deck need more main-deck early board presence, more sideboard reliance on Portable Hole and Karn's Sylex, or cleaner Karn, the Great Creator routes to Skysovereign, Consul Flagship and Portal to Phyrexia?

- Control plan: If control or tempo beats the deck by answering one payoff at a time, should the strategy emphasize A-The One Ring, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Cityscape Leveler, Akroma's Memorial, and staged threat deployment more strongly?

- Artifact-toolbox slots: If Karn, the Great Creator often has no decisive target, which sideboard artifact is least used, and which role is missing: graveyard containment, permanent removal, lock piece, draw engine, finisher, or emergency reset?

- Graveyard plan: If graveyard decks beat Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus timing, should decision policy prioritize earlier containment, or does the sideboard need a different graveyard role card?

- Closing package: If games are lost after producing huge mana, should Akroma's Memorial, Cityscape Leveler, Extinguisher Battleship, Portal to Phyrexia, or God-Pharaoh's Statue be prioritized differently through Karn, the Great Creator?

- Role conflict: If sideboarding weakens the main engine, which matchups actually justify reducing green creature density, and which should keep the devotion plan intact while using Karn, the Great Creator as the flexible answer source?

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Mulligan Engine Keep Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan
- Cards: Delighted Halfling; Utopia Sprawl; Fanatic of Rhonas; Outcaster Trailblazer; Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner; Karn, the Great Creator; Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; Forest; Temple Garden
- Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions
- Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible opening hand; known play/draw
- Use when: choosing keep or mulligan before any game action.
- Avoid when: a forced keep or forced mulligan action is the only legal action.
- Instructions: Keep hands that cast early acceleration or a two-to-three-mana engine and contain enough lands to operate; prefer hands with Forest or Temple Garden plus Utopia Sprawl, Delighted Halfling, Fanatic of Rhonas, or Outcaster Trailblazer. Reject hands that only contain expensive payoffs without a legal path toward them.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Early Enabling Permanent Setup
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Delighted Halfling; Utopia Sprawl; Fanatic of Rhonas; Outcaster Trailblazer; Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner; Forest; Temple Garden
- Phase windows: turns 1-3 main phases
- Runtime cues: action:cast; action:play land; action:activate mana ability
- Use when: selecting the first permanent that enables later Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, Karn, the Great Creator, or Storm the Festival turns.
- Avoid when: the visible board shows immediate lethal pressure or a must-answer permanent that changes survival.
- Instructions: Build mana before payoff deployment. Lead on untapped green sources and early creatures/enchantments that increase permanent count and devotion, then deploy Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or Karn, the Great Creator once they affect the same turn or survive visible pressure.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Utopia Sprawl Target
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: mana; selection
- Cards: Utopia Sprawl; Forest
- Phase windows: main phases while casting Utopia Sprawl
- Runtime cues: action:target Forest Utopia Sprawl
- Use when: the legal action list contains exactly one Utopia Sprawl target action naming one visible Forest.
- Avoid when: more than one Forest target action is legal, a Temple Garden target is distinct from a Forest target, or choosing the enchanted land changes later Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx sequencing.
- Instructions: Select the single legal Forest target action and continue to color choice through the current legal prompt.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Utopia Sprawl Color Choice
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; selection
- Cards: Utopia Sprawl; Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines; Temple Garden; Forest
- Phase windows: Utopia Sprawl resolution color prompt
- Runtime cues: prompt:choose color; action:choose Green; action:choose White
- Use when: choosing a color for Utopia Sprawl from visible legal color actions.
- Avoid when: the rules engine offers unusual color or replacement choices whose downstream mana meaning is unclear.
- Instructions: Choose Green when the hand and board are mainly accelerating into green devotion and Storm the Festival. Choose White only when visible hand or known plan needs Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines or Portable Hole access and green production remains sufficient.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Nykthos Big-Mana Commitment
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner; Cavalier of Thorns; Karn, the Great Creator; Storm the Festival; Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- Phase windows: main phases with priority and mana abilities available
- Runtime cues: action:activate Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; visible devotion; visible payoff actions
- Use when: deciding whether to spend a turn activating Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, untapping it, or converting stored board presence into a major spell.
- Avoid when: the activation produces too little visible mana to cast or meaningfully advance a legal action.
- Instructions: Treat Nykthos activation as a commitment gate, not a reflex. Compare current devotion, available untaps, visible payoff actions, and exposure to opponent interaction before committing mana and priority.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Kiora Untap Selection
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; selection
- Cards: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner; Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; Utopia Sprawl; Forest; Fanatic of Rhonas
- Phase windows: main phases after Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner activation is legal
- Runtime cues: action:untap; action:activate Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
- Use when: choosing a permanent to untap with Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner.
- Avoid when: the untap target affects combat survival, blocker availability, or uncertain card text.
- Instructions: Prefer the visible target that creates the highest legal mana conversion this turn, commonly Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, an enchanted Forest, or a mana creature. Keep combat needs in view before untapping a creature.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Storm The Festival Commitment
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority; selection
- Cards: Storm the Festival; Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; Cavalier of Thorns; Karn, the Great Creator; Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
- Phase windows: main phases when Storm the Festival can be cast or flashed back if legal
- Runtime cues: action:cast Storm the Festival; prompt:choose cards
- Use when: deciding whether to spend mana on Storm the Festival instead of deploying a known permanent from hand or Karn, the Great Creator.
- Avoid when: visible pressure demands an immediate blocker, removal artifact, or life-saving permanent.
- Instructions: Cast Storm the Festival when the board can exploit multiple hit permanents or when hand payoffs are weaker than a new selection. During selection, prioritize permanents that add mana, devotion, immediate defense, or Karn access.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Cavalier Stabilization And Graveyard Setup
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; combat; selection
- Cards: Cavalier of Thorns; Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner; Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; Shifting Woodland
- Phase windows: main phases, blocks, death-trigger selection prompts
- Runtime cues: action:cast Cavalier of Thorns; prompt:choose card; action:block
- Use when: Cavalier of Thorns is a legal cast, blocker, or selection source.
- Avoid when: a cheaper legal action prevents immediate lethal or preserves a key engine permanent more reliably.
- Instructions: Use Cavalier of Thorns to stabilize creature boards, grow devotion, trigger Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner when applicable, and stock graveyard resources. Treat death-trigger choices as strategic selection because future land, payoff, and graveyard context matters.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Karn Toolbox Commitment
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority; selection; interaction
- Cards: Karn, the Great Creator; Tormod's Crypt; A-Haywire Mite; Pithing Needle; Portable Hole; Relic of Progenitus; Liquimetal Coating; Karn's Sylex; A-The One Ring; Skysovereign, Consul Flagship; God-Pharaoh's Statue; Akroma's Memorial; Cityscape Leveler; Extinguisher Battleship; Portal to Phyrexia; Tree of Tales
- Phase windows: main phases with Karn loyalty actions
- Runtime cues: action:activate Karn, the Great Creator; prompt:choose card outside the game
- Use when: selecting a sideboard artifact or deciding whether Karn should tutor, lock, defend, or pressure.
- Avoid when: Karn is likely to die immediately and another legal play stabilizes the board now.
- Instructions: Choose the artifact role that matches visible board needs: graveyard containment, cheap permanent answer, activated-ability stop, card advantage, sweeper, vehicle removal, prison pressure, or finisher. Do not fetch a high-cost artifact unless mana can cast it soon or Karn survival is not the bottleneck.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Karn Liquimetal Target
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: interaction; selection
- Cards: Karn, the Great Creator; Liquimetal Coating
- Phase windows: main phases after Liquimetal Coating is on battlefield and target prompt is active
- Runtime cues: action:target opponent permanent Liquimetal Coating
- Use when: the legal action list contains exactly one Liquimetal Coating target action naming one opponent permanent and no other target actions are legal.
- Avoid when: multiple opponent permanents can be targeted or Karn, the Great Creator follow-up choices require judgment.
- Instructions: Select the single visible opponent permanent target action.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Boseiju And Artifact Removal Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction; priority
- Cards: Boseiju, Who Endures; Scrapshooter; A-Haywire Mite; Portable Hole; Cityscape Leveler; Skysovereign, Consul Flagship; Portal to Phyrexia
- Phase windows: main phases, opponent end step, stack windows when legal
- Runtime cues: action:channel Boseiju, Who Endures; action:activate; action:cast
- Use when: visible opposing permanents can be answered by a legal removal or disruption action.
- Avoid when: the target is low-impact and spending the answer weakens a later Karn, the Great Creator or mana plan.
- Instructions: Spend scarce interaction on public permanents that stop mana development, kill Karn, block lethal conversion, or threaten immediate loss. Preserve Boseiju, Who Endures when it is the current land drop or the only answer to a specific visible permanent type.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Graveyard Artifact Timing
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction; priority; selection
- Cards: Tormod's Crypt; Relic of Progenitus; Karn, the Great Creator
- Phase windows: main phases, opponent graveyard-action windows, end steps
- Runtime cues: action:activate Tormod's Crypt; action:activate Relic of Progenitus; prompt:choose graveyard
- Use when: opponent graveyard contents are public and a graveyard artifact is available or fetchable.
- Avoid when: no public graveyard card currently enables an opponent action, recursion, or threshold-like pressure.
- Instructions: Deploy or activate graveyard hate before the opponent can convert known graveyard resources. Prefer holding one-shot effects until the graveyard contains the cards that matter, unless waiting risks losing the activation window.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Stabilize Before Race
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Badgermole Cub; Fanatic of Rhonas; Outcaster Trailblazer; Polukranos Reborn; Cavalier of Thorns; Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines; Scrapshooter
- Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage decisions
- Runtime cues: action:attack; action:block; visible attackers; visible blockers
- Use when: choosing attacks, blocks, or combat damage assignments.
- Avoid when: exactly one legal combat action exists and the engine marks no optional choice.
- Instructions: Stabilize before racing when life total or planeswalker loyalty is under pressure. Attack only when the creature is not needed for mana, devotion, blocking, or protecting Karn, the Great Creator and Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Elesh Norn Commitment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; interaction
- Cards: Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines; Cavalier of Thorns; Storm the Festival; Outcaster Trailblazer
- Phase windows: main phases when Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is castable
- Runtime cues: action:cast Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- Use when: deciding whether to tap out for Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines.
- Avoid when: Card text check required for an interaction and another legal play has clearer immediate effect.
- Instructions: Cast Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines when her visible body, devotion, and triggered-ability effect matter now or next turn. Do not assume hidden opponent trigger density; use only public permanents, known cards, and legal action text.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Payoff Artifact Cast Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; mana
- Cards: A-The One Ring; Skysovereign, Consul Flagship; God-Pharaoh's Statue; Akroma's Memorial; Cityscape Leveler; Extinguisher Battleship; Portal to Phyrexia; Karn's Sylex
- Phase windows: main phases after Karn selection or sideboarded draw
- Runtime cues: action:cast A-The One Ring; action:cast Skysovereign, Consul Flagship; action:cast God-Pharaoh's Statue; action:cast Akroma's Memorial; action:cast Cityscape Leveler; action:cast Extinguisher Battleship; action:cast Portal to Phyrexia; action:cast Karn's Sylex
- Use when: a fetched or boarded artifact payoff is legal to cast.
- Avoid when: casting the artifact leaves no blocker or answer against visible lethal pressure unless the artifact itself addresses it.
- Instructions: Convert big mana into the artifact that ends the current problem: cards, removal, tax, haste/evasion, battlefield reset, or reanimation pressure. Card text check required for A-The One Ring, Extinguisher Battleship, and Karn's Sylex if exact wording matters.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Single Legal Pass
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: priority
- Cards: none
- Phase windows: any priority window
- Runtime cues: action:pass
- Use when: the legal action list contains exactly one action and that action text is pass.
- Avoid when: any cast, activate, attack, block, target, mana, or selection action is also legal.
- Instructions: Submit the single pass action.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Engine Preservation
- Priority: High
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Delighted Halfling; Utopia Sprawl; Fanatic of Rhonas; Outcaster Trailblazer; Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner; Karn, the Great Creator; Storm the Festival; Tormod's Crypt; A-Haywire Mite; Pithing Needle; Portable Hole; Relic of Progenitus; Karn's Sylex; A-The One Ring; God-Pharaoh's Statue; Portal to Phyrexia
- Phase windows: between games, sideboard prompt
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; matchup label; game number; public previous-game evidence
- Use when: choosing a legal sideboard plan.
- Avoid when: the requested swap violates registered 60 plus 15 preservation.
- Instructions: Add narrow artifacts only when their role matches the opponent's proven public plan or expected archetype. Preserve enough acceleration, green devotion, Karn access, and Storm the Festival density that the deck remains a big-mana devotion deck after sideboarding.
- Pilot skill floor: light
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
