# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Hidden Strings is an Explorer combo-spells deck built around a Lotus Field mana engine, untap effects, high-density card selection, and a compact finish package that should be piloted as a deterministic engine deck only after Veles confirms the current legal action list. The registered strategy name is Hidden Strings, the active format is Explorer, and the active archetype/mechanic tags are combo and spells.

- Validation: The active validation contract reports a legal 60-card main deck and 15-card sideboard for Explorer deck construction, with the main-deck minimum and sideboard maximum satisfied. Treat this as format-aware validation for deck registration, not as proof that every runtime action is available in every game state.

- Registered main-deck count: The main deck contains exactly 60 cards: 4 Sleight of Hand; 4 Thespian's Stage; 4 Hidden Strings; 1 Dig Through Time; 4 Pore Over the Pages; 4 Lotus Field; 2 Flashback; 3 Riverglide Pathway; 1 Wish; 4 Consider; 1 Island; 2 Otawara, Soaring City; 4 Spirebluff Canal; 4 Into the Flood Maw; 4 Artist's Talent; 1 Lindblum, Industrial Regency; 4 Flow State; 3 Steam Vents; 2 Expedition Map; 3 Divide by Zero; 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned.

- Registered sideboard count: The sideboard contains exactly 15 cards: 1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun; 2 Anger of the Gods; 1 Vivi Ornitier; 1 Divide by Zero; 2 Spider-Sense; 1 Sphinx of the Final Word; 1 Improvisation Capstone; 1 Firebending Lesson; 1 Iroh's Demonstration; 1 Accumulate Wisdom; 1 Boomerang Basics; 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; 1 Quantum Riddler.

- Stock/rogue/hybrid status: Classify Hidden Strings as a hybrid build rather than a fully stock list. Lotus Field plus Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Thespian's Stage, Expedition Map, Dig Through Time, Divide by Zero, Wish, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned indicate a familiar Explorer Lotus combo structure, while Artist's Talent, Flow State, Flashback, Into the Flood Maw, Lindblum, Industrial Regency, and several sideboard cards require deck-specific handling instead of generic Lotus Field heuristics.

- Legality concern: The supplied validation result says the list passes, so Veles should not second-guess deck legality during play. Card text check required for Flashback, Flow State, Artist's Talent, Into the Flood Maw, Lindblum, Industrial Regency, Spider-Sense, Improvisation Capstone, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Quantum Riddler, and Vivi Ornitier before assigning exact tactical text beyond legal action labels shown by the rules engine.

- Mana identity concern: The registered mana base is primarily blue-red with Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Riverglide Pathway, Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Island, Otawara, Soaring City, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency. Veles should value early blue access for Sleight of Hand, Consider, Hidden Strings, Divide by Zero, Pore Over the Pages, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, while respecting that Lotus Field and copied Lotus Field states can change the available mana profile sharply once the engine is online.

- Role concern: Hidden Strings is not a fair tempo deck by default; its default role is to assemble Lotus Field, copy or leverage Lotus Field with Thespian's Stage when legal and useful, convert untap spells into mana, and chain selection until a registered payoff or sideboard/wish line is available. Veles should still pivot into survival or interaction when visible pressure or stack interaction makes a pure setup line too slow.

- Opponent information status: No opponent decklist, matchup label, game stage, revealed hand, public battlefield, or metagame target was supplied for this batch. Runtime decisions must therefore treat opponent-specific assumptions as unknown unless Veles later provides public information, revealed information, or matchup guidance in another section.

## Thesis
Hidden Strings assembles a Lotus Field mana engine that converts untap effects and card selection into a decisive spell chain. The core plan is to find Lotus Field, protect enough time to untap with it or copy it with Thespian's Stage, then use Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages to generate mana while digging toward a payoff, recursion line, or Wish access point that the rules engine presents as legal.

Prioritize engine material over fair exchanges unless visible pressure makes survival the immediate bottleneck. Early turns should value Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Expedition Map, blue mana, and cheap velocity because the deck wins by crossing a resource threshold, not by trading one-for-one forever.

Win by chaining legal spells after Lotus Field is active, then converting excess mana and cards into a registered finisher or sideboard line. Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Wish, and any legal lesson/outside-game action are payoff endpoints only when Veles sees the relevant legal action text; do not assume an unavailable sideboard card can be accessed.

Do not pilot this as a creature-combat deck. Combat is mostly defensive, time-buying, or incidental unless a sideboard threat such as Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Sphinx of the Final Word, Quantum Riddler, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is already deployed and the visible board makes attacking legal and low risk.

Respect card-text uncertainty for the newer or deck-specific package. Card text check required for Artist's Talent, Flow State, Flashback, Into the Flood Maw, Lindblum, Industrial Regency, Spider-Sense, Improvisation Capstone, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Quantum Riddler, and Vivi Ornitier; use their runtime legal action labels, costs, targets, and visible effects rather than assumed text.

## Role Package
- Threats: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is the main-deck battlefield threat and recursion engine, but it should usually be treated as a commitment card because resolving it can expose the deck to a full turn cycle if the chain stalls. Sideboard threats are Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Sphinx of the Final Word, Quantum Riddler, and the sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; deploy them when the matchup or visible board rewards a resilient finisher over continuing the pure spell chain.

- Payoffs: Wish is a flexible payoff bridge when the rules engine exposes a legal outside-game or sideboard action. Dig Through Time is a selection payoff that turns stocked graveyards and available mana into a high-quality continuation point. Pore Over the Pages is both payoff and engine because it can dig while untapping mana sources when the legal text permits.

- Engines: Lotus Field is the primary engine permanent, and Thespian's Stage is the key multiplier when copying Lotus Field is legal and strategically safe. Hidden Strings is the defining untap spell and should be sequenced around Lotus Field or copied Lotus Field rather than spent for low-impact tempo unless survival requires it. Artist's Talent and Flow State are registered engine or spell-density pieces, but exact tactical use is conditional until card text is confirmed by Veles action text.

- Velocity: Sleight of Hand and Consider are early setup tools that should find land drops, Lotus Field access, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, or missing interaction. Flow State and Flashback may contribute velocity or recursion depending on actual text; Card text check required, so choose them based on visible legal action labels and current engine needs.

- Interaction: Divide by Zero and Into the Flood Maw are the main-deck interaction suite, with Divide by Zero also serving as a bridge toward sideboard resources when legal. Otawara, Soaring City is mana first when needed but should be preserved as interaction when the deck already has enough mana and the visible opposing permanent threatens the combo turn.

- Protection: Protection mostly means timing, mana discipline, and forcing the opponent to act before the commitment turn. Spider-Sense, Sphinx of the Final Word, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, and Otawara, Soaring City can all contribute to protection roles, but Veles must verify legal action text before treating any one card as shield, counter-pressure, or recovery.

- Recursion: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is the clearest recursion engine for spells in the graveyard. Flashback may also be a recursion card by name and registration, but Card text check required; do not assume it grants or uses flashback unless the engine presents that action.

- Mana: Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Expedition Map, Riverglide Pathway, Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Island, Otawara, Soaring City, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency define the mana module. Early blue is mandatory for setup, red is secondary unless legal action text or sideboard configuration demands it, and Lotus Field mana should be planned before optional payments or speculative interaction.

- Sideboard modules: Anger of the Gods is the anti-creature sweeper package. Divide by Zero, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Improvisation Capstone, Spider-Sense, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Sphinx of the Final Word, and Quantum Riddler form a mixed wishboard, protection, threat, and matchup-adjustment package whose exact use should follow sideboard plans and runtime legal actions.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Engine win: Assemble Lotus Field plus untap density, then chain Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages until the legal action list shows a decisive payoff. Prioritize this path when the hand contains Lotus Field or Expedition Map, enough blue setup from Sleight of Hand or Consider, and either Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Thespian's Stage, or a route to find them.

- Setup: Use Sleight of Hand, Consider, Expedition Map, and normal land drops to reach Lotus Field without missing early mana. Thespian's Stage becomes a win-path card once copying Lotus Field is legal and the visible game state allows a slower but higher-ceiling mana engine.

- Execution: Spend Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages primarily when they untap Lotus Field, copied Lotus Field, or the best available mana-producing permanents shown by Forge. Continue only through legal actions; if the engine presents optional sequencing with Artist's Talent, Flow State, or Flashback, Card text check required and choose the line that visibly increases mana, cards, or access to the payoff this turn.

- Payoff: Convert the chain into Wish, Dig Through Time, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, or a legal sideboard-access action only when the engine has enough mana and cards to keep acting after the payoff. Wish can be a finisher bridge to Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, Quantum Riddler, Improvisation Capstone, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Divide by Zero, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Spider-Sense, or Anger of the Gods only if Veles exposes that exact legal outside-game or sideboard action.

- Disruption response: If the opponent pressures Lotus Field setup, preserve Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, and Otawara, Soaring City for the permanent, spell, or attack that prevents the combo turn. If opponent interaction is visible or revealed, prefer waiting until the deck can combo with extra mana, an alternate payoff, or a recursive Lier, Disciple of the Drowned line rather than spending the only engine piece into a fragile stack.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Lier value win: Resolve Lier, Disciple of the Drowned when the graveyard contains useful instants or sorceries and the visible board does not demand immediate defense first. Use Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to turn Sleight of Hand, Consider, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Dig Through Time, and other legal graveyard actions into a second engine turn; do not assume unavailable flashback actions unless the rules engine shows them.

- Sideboard threat win: Shift to a threat plan when the opponent can slow Lotus Field but cannot easily answer a resolved finisher. Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, Quantum Riddler, and sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned are backup endpoints after sideboarding or Wish access, but each requires legal action confirmation and board-state reasoning before tapping out.

- Attrition-control win: Use Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Otawara, Soaring City, and Anger of the Gods after sideboarding to buy enough turns for the engine rather than trying to become a pure control deck. This line is correct when visible pressure is high, the combo is missing one or more pieces, and interaction can reset the opponent's tempo without consuming the only path to Lotus Field.

- Incremental spell-density win: Artist's Talent, Flow State, Flashback, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency may support a non-infinite spell-chain or value plan, but Card text check required for each tactical claim. Choose these lines only when the visible legal action text shows card flow, mana conversion, recursion, damage, protection, or another concrete route to win or continue acting.

- Combat fallback: Attack only with deployed finishers when the battlefield makes combat legal and the clock matters. This deck should not trade engine pieces or sideboard threats casually; combat is a closing tool after Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, Quantum Riddler, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is already advancing the game.

## Emergency Lines
- Behind on life: Spend interaction to survive before maximizing engine value. Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, Otawara, Soaring City, and post-board Anger of the Gods should answer the visible source of lethal pressure, especially when one more turn unlocks Lotus Field plus Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages.

- Behind on board: Stabilize first, then combo from a lower-resource posture. Do not keep casting Sleight of Hand or Consider for marginal quality if a legal Anger of the Gods, Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, or Otawara, Soaring City action prevents a lethal or near-lethal attack.

- Behind on cards: Use Dig Through Time, Pore Over the Pages, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, and any verified Flow State, Artist's Talent, Flashback, or Accumulate Wisdom action to rebuild. If the graveyard is stocked, preserve enough mana to keep acting after the refill rather than ending the turn with selection but no follow-up.

- Behind on mana: Prioritize land drops, Expedition Map, Lotus Field, and Thespian's Stage over speculative payoffs. If Lotus Field is absent, find it; if Lotus Field is present but unsupported, find or protect Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, or Thespian's Stage before committing Wish or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned.

- Engine removed or disrupted: Pivot to the next legal engine axis instead of forcing the same line. If Lotus Field access is gone or delayed, use Lier, Disciple of the Drowned recursion, sideboard threat deployment, or interaction-backed draw to regain a playable board state.

- Payoffs unavailable: Win through accumulation when Wish, Dig Through Time, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is missing or answered. Keep chaining legal card-selection and untap actions until Veles shows another registered payoff, then choose the line with enough mana and cards to finish or leave protection.

- Graveyard recursion blocked: Treat Lier, Disciple of the Drowned and Flashback lines as value threats only if the engine shows usable graveyard actions. If graveyard access is shut off, lean harder on Lotus Field mana, Thespian's Stage, Pore Over the Pages, Wish, and sideboard threats.

## Resource Model
- Life: Treat life as the buffer that buys one full Lotus Field turn, not as a resource to spend freely. When visible attacks threaten to remove that buffer, prioritize Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, Otawara, Soaring City, and post-board Anger of the Gods over extra selection unless the legal action immediately starts a combo turn.

- Hand: Convert hand quality into a two-part engine: access to Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage, then access to untap and refill spells. Sleight of Hand and Consider should look first for missing mana-engine pieces, then Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Wish, Dig Through Time, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned when mana is already secured.

- Mana: The main resource is not raw land count but untappable high-output mana from Lotus Field and Thespian's Stage copying Lotus Field. Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages become explosive only when they legally untap Lotus Field, copied Lotus Field, or the best visible mana permanents; do not spend them as low-impact cantrips unless survival or setup requires it.

- Board: The deck usually wins from a sparse battlefield, so board presence matters mainly as opponent pressure, utility permanents, and resolved finishers. Artist's Talent, Flow State, Flashback, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency require Card text check required before treating them as engine pieces, but if Forge shows they generate mana, cards, recursion, damage, or spell-chain value, count them as board-based resources.

- Graveyard: Consider, Sleight of Hand, Pore Over the Pages, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Hidden Strings, Dig Through Time, and spent interaction can become future resources with Lier, Disciple of the Drowned or verified Flashback text. Preserve graveyard density for Dig Through Time or Lier lines when possible, but do not assume graveyard actions unless Veles exposes them as legal.

- Exile: Exile is mostly a cost or temporary-access zone. Dig Through Time can consume graveyard cards, and any visible exile-play permission from Flow State, Flashback, Artist's Talent, Lindblum, Industrial Regency, Wish, or sideboard cards needs Card text check required and legal-action confirmation before using it as part of a chain.

- Lands: Lotus Field is the engine land, Thespian's Stage is the multiplier, Expedition Map is the land-finder, Otawara, Soaring City is both land and interaction, and Riverglide Pathway, Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Island, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency are colored setup. Sacrificing lands to Lotus Field is acceptable when the remaining board and hand can exploit Lotus Field immediately or survive until the next turn.

- Sacrifice fodder: This deck has no normal creature or artifact fodder plan, so sacrifice decisions mostly concern Lotus Field entering and any card-specific costs shown by Forge. Do not sacrifice a land that supplies an otherwise missing color unless Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, or a legal follow-up restores that color.

- Tempo and information: Use Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, and Otawara, Soaring City to turn opponent mana into lost turns, then use the extra draw step or priority window to complete Lotus Field setup. Use visible opponent mana, revealed cards, graveyards, and current pressure to decide whether to combo now, wait with interaction, or spend selection finding a safer line.

- Sideboard bullets: Wish and Divide by Zero may access sideboard or lesson-style tools only when the rules engine presents the exact legal action. Treat Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, Quantum Riddler, Improvisation Capstone, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Spider-Sense, Divide by Zero, and Anger of the Gods as bullets whose value depends on visible legal text and matchup pressure.

## Mana Guide
- Keep mana rule: Keep hands that can produce early blue or red-blue access plus a path to Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, or Expedition Map. Mulligan hands with no early colored source, no Lotus Field path, and only expensive engine cards unless the visible opening hand has multiple cheap selection spells that can legally find lands.

- Color priority: Prioritize blue early because Sleight of Hand, Consider, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Dig Through Time, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned make blue the deck's operating color. Preserve red access for Artist's Talent, Flow State, sideboard Anger of the Gods, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Iroh's Demonstration, Firebending Lesson, and other red-marked legal actions when Forge shows those costs.

- Land sequencing: Play Spirebluff Canal early when it enters untapped; play Steam Vents untapped only when the life payment unlocks a critical Sleight of Hand, Consider, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, or setup turn. Use Riverglide Pathway for the missing color, and avoid locking it into a color that strands the current hand's legal actions.

- Utility sequencing: Hold Otawara, Soaring City as an interactive spell when current lands already cast the hand and the opponent has a visible permanent worth answering. Play Otawara, Soaring City as a land when missing land drops, missing blue, or needing to reach Lotus Field mana matters more than the bounce mode.

- Lotus Field timing: Do not play Lotus Field into a weak board merely because it is available. Prefer Lotus Field when the sacrificed lands do not cut off required colors, when Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages is near, or when the extra mana next turn outweighs the tempo loss.

- Thespian's Stage timing: Deploy Thespian's Stage before the combo turn when possible so it can copy Lotus Field without consuming a fresh land drop. If the hand lacks Lotus Field, do not treat Thespian's Stage as sufficient mana by itself unless Expedition Map, selection, or draw is already finding the missing land.

- Expedition Map usage: Use Expedition Map primarily to find Lotus Field when absent, then Thespian's Stage when Lotus Field is already secured, and Otawara, Soaring City only when interaction or blue land access is the visible bottleneck. Do not spend Map on marginal fixing if it delays the core engine without solving a current legality problem.

- Play-land-before-draw rule: Play a land before Sleight of Hand, Consider, or Pore Over the Pages when the spell cannot be cast otherwise, when the land is known to be the required untapped source, or when Lotus Field/Thespian's Stage activation math is already fixed. Wait until after selection when the hand has multiple land options and the choice depends on finding Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, a color requirement, or an untapped source.

- Combo-turn mana rule: Before casting Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages, count visible mana after the spell resolves, not only mana before casting. Favor lines that leave blue available for additional selection, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Dig Through Time, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, or Wish when those actions are legal.

- Floating mana discipline: Use exact floating colors to preserve chain continuity. If Veles asks for color or source choices, choose payments that keep blue available first, red available when a red card is in hand or sideboard line is legal, and Lotus Field or copied Lotus Field untapped when an untap spell is still pending.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: Keep hands with early blue access, a Lotus Field path, and at least one cheap selector. Examples include Spirebluff Canal plus Lotus Field plus Sleight of Hand or Consider; Steam Vents plus Expedition Map plus Pore Over the Pages; or Riverglide Pathway plus Thespian's Stage plus Expedition Map plus Hidden Strings when a second land is present.

- Strong keep: Keep Lotus Field plus Thespian's Stage when the hand also has castable selection or a payoff. Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages turn that land pair into a real engine, while Divide by Zero or Into the Flood Maw can buy the turn needed to assemble it.

- Medium keep: Keep two-land hands with Sleight of Hand, Consider, and either Expedition Map or multiple looks at Lotus Field. These hands need the first selection spell to prioritize land-engine access over speculative Artist's Talent, Flow State, Flashback, Wish, Dig Through Time, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned lines.

- Medium keep: Keep Lotus Field without Thespian's Stage when the hand has Pore Over the Pages, Hidden Strings, or enough selection to find Stage soon. Do not overvalue a naked Lotus Field hand that sacrifices its only colored sources and then cannot cast follow-ups.

- Risky keep: Keep one-land Spirebluff Canal or Steam Vents hands only with multiple Sleight of Hand or Consider and no expensive congestion. Ship one-land hands whose first relevant actions are Pore Over the Pages, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Dig Through Time, or Wish.

- Automatic ship: Mulligan hands with no early colored land, no Expedition Map, no Lotus Field, and no cheap selection. Also ship hands that are only Thespian's Stage plus expensive spells, or Lotus Field plus too few expendable lands to operate after the sacrifice.

- Matchup-dependent keep: Against visible fast pressure, value Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, and untapped early interaction more highly than a slow pure-selection hand. Against slower decks, accept a less interactive hand if it has Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Hidden Strings, and card flow.

- Play/draw adjustment: On the play, prefer hands that develop Lotus Field or Expedition Map by turn two and do not need an extra draw to function. On the draw, a medium hand with two selectors and one missing engine piece is more acceptable, but still ship if the first two turns have no castable blue spell.

- Trap hand: Do not keep hands that look powerful because they contain Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages but lack Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Expedition Map, or enough selection to find them. Do not keep Artist's Talent, Flow State, Flashback, or Lindblum, Industrial Regency as engine proof without legal text confirmation; Card text check required.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1: Lead with an untapped blue source for Sleight of Hand or Consider when available. Prioritize finding Lotus Field, Expedition Map, Thespian's Stage, or the missing colored land before taking payoff cards.

- Turn 1 deviation: Play Expedition Map over selection when the hand already has enough lands and the missing piece is specifically Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage. Hold Otawara, Soaring City only when another land casts the turn-one spell and the bounce mode is likely to matter.

- Turn 2: Use Expedition Map to secure Lotus Field first, or Thespian's Stage if Lotus Field is already present. Cast another Sleight of Hand or Consider when Map is absent, and use Divide by Zero or Into the Flood Maw only if the opponent's visible threat or tempo makes waiting dangerous.

- Turn 2 deviation: Deploy Thespian's Stage early when Lotus Field is in hand so the copy turn is not constrained by land-drop timing. Avoid playing Lotus Field on turn two if sacrificing lands leaves no castable follow-up and no safe next turn.

- Turn 3: Aim to put Lotus Field onto the battlefield with enough remaining resources to exploit it. If Thespian's Stage is already present, plan the following activation and preserve blue mana for Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Sleight of Hand, Consider, or interaction.

- Turn 3 deviation: If under pressure, spend Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, or Otawara, Soaring City to protect the setup turn rather than forcing a fragile engine line. If Lotus Field is absent, continue selecting or crack Expedition Map instead of casting speculative payoff spells.

- Turns 4-5: Commit to the combo turn when Lotus Field or copied Lotus Field can generate mana and the hand contains Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Wish, Dig Through Time, or a legal graveyard line through Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. Count post-resolution mana before starting, and keep blue available whenever possible.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: Delay the full chain when visible interaction, pressure, or mana constraints make the line likely to stall and a bounce spell can buy a safer turn. Fire Wish or sideboard-access actions only when Forge exposes the exact legal choices.

- Late game: Treat each card draw, graveyard spell, and land activation as part of a finite chain rather than a generic value plan. Lier, Disciple of the Drowned and Dig Through Time can rebuild after disruption, but do not assume Flashback, Flow State, Artist's Talent, or Lindblum, Industrial Regency functionality without legal-action text; Card text check required.

- Late-game emergency: When behind on board, choose survival lines that preserve a future Lotus Field turn: bounce the highest-impact visible permanent, find a missing land with Expedition Map, or use Pore Over the Pages to dig if the mana is already safe. Do not spend the last interaction spell on a low-impact target while a lethal or near-lethal attack is visible.

## Card Roles
- Sleight of Hand: Use Sleight of Hand as the cleanest early filter for finding Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Expedition Map, or missing blue mana. Cast it early when the hand lacks a land-engine piece, but hold it during a combo turn if known top-card or graveyard context makes Consider, Pore Over the Pages, Dig Through Time, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned sequencing more valuable. The common mistake is taking a payoff over the missing land infrastructure; this deck loses more games to failing to assemble Lotus Field mana than to lacking a later spell.

- Consider: Use Consider as both early smoothing and graveyard setup for Dig Through Time and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned lines. Cast it at instant speed when holding Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, or Otawara, Soaring City so Veles can respect visible pressure before spending mana. Keep engine pieces on top unless the current hand already has Lotus Field plus Thespian's Stage and needs action density. Do not mill a unique recovery card merely because it is not immediately castable.

- Expedition Map: Treat Expedition Map as a functional copy of Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage, not as generic ramp. Find Lotus Field first when no Field is visible, find Thespian's Stage when Field is already secured, and consider Otawara, Soaring City only when a visible permanent must be answered and the combo lands are already online. Cast Map early when mana is awkward; crack it before selection only when the land target is already strategically determined.

- Lotus Field: Lotus Field is the deck's central mana engine and should be protected from bad sacrifice timing. Play it when sacrificing two lands still leaves a path to cast Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, selection, or interaction soon. Delay Lotus Field if the current board requires Divide by Zero or Into the Flood Maw and the sacrifice would strand those spells. Against pressure, the land still matters, but entering the battlefield at the wrong moment can skip the only defensive turn.

- Thespian's Stage: Thespian's Stage is the multiplier that turns Lotus Field from setup into combo mana. Put Stage onto the battlefield before Lotus Field when possible, and preserve activation mana once Lotus Field is active. Copy Lotus Field when the legal action is available and the next turn or current chain can use the mana; do not use Stage casually if a copied Field would be needed to sustain Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages.

- Hidden Strings: Hidden Strings is the defining untap spell once Lotus Field or copied Lotus Field is present. Cast it when legal targets and mana math produce more mana than the spell costs, especially when it untaps Lotus Field and Thespian's Stage copied as Lotus Field. Before casting, count whether post-resolution blue remains for Pore Over the Pages, Divide by Zero, Wish, selection, or Lier lines. The main mistake is casting Hidden Strings without a productive untap pair or before making the Stage copy.

- Pore Over the Pages: Use Pore Over the Pages as the main chain extender when Lotus Field mana is active. It digs deeply while untapping lands, so prioritize it when the current line needs both cards and mana. If only one Lotus Field is active, verify the untap targets and floating colors before committing. Discard decisions should preserve the next engine spell, a needed land, or interaction against lethal pressure; do not discard Wish, Dig Through Time, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned unless the current hand already has a complete route.

- Divide by Zero: Use Divide by Zero as flexible interaction and tempo while setting up. Cast it on visible threats, stack objects, or permanents only when the delay materially protects the combo turn or prevents a dangerous board state. Because it can access lesson-like sideboard choices in some rules contexts, choose from Forge's legal actions only and avoid assuming any specific sideboard card is reachable unless Veles exposes it. Sideboarded fourth Divide by Zero increases interaction density against pressure and stack-based disruption.

- Into the Flood Maw: Use Into the Flood Maw as the lowest-friction way to buy time against creatures, hate permanents, or tempo pressure. Card text check required, so treat each legal action exactly as Forge presents it and choose targets from visible board impact. Prefer saving it for threats that shorten the clock, stop Lotus Field operation, or punish a tap-out combo turn. Do not spend it on a low-impact permanent when Divide by Zero, Otawara, Soaring City, or a faster engine line handles the same problem.

- Artist's Talent: Treat Artist's Talent as a potential engine or spell-synergy permanent only when legal actions and visible text confirm its current mode. Card text check required. Deploy it before the combo turn if it increases spell velocity, cost efficiency, or damage output according to runtime text; hold it when spending mana now delays Lotus Field, Expedition Map, Hidden Strings, or Pore Over the Pages. Against fast pressure, do not prioritize Artist's Talent over interaction unless the legal text immediately stabilizes or accelerates.

- Flow State: Treat Flow State as a spell-chain component whose exact use depends on legal text. Card text check required. Cast it when Veles shows that it improves the current combo turn, digs to a missing piece, or converts excess mana into progress. Avoid keeping opening hands because they contain Flow State unless they also have land-engine access and castable blue selection. In sideboarded games, reassess Flow State against disruption and pressure rather than assuming it is always a core keep.

- Flashback: Treat Flashback as a specialized combo or recursion piece only after checking the legal action text. Card text check required. Its two main-deck copies mean it deserves attention, but it should not be kept as setup proof without Lotus Field, selection, or a known spell to leverage. Use it when the current graveyard, mana, and rules-engine choices make the line explicit. Do not assume it grants broad access to every graveyard spell unless Forge exposes those actions.

- Wish: Use Wish as a commitment card, not as a vague value spell. Cast it when the sideboard option is legal and solves the current need: a payoff threat, interaction, lesson-style utility, or recovery line. Because sideboard access is rules-engine-defined, choose only exposed legal options and do not infer hidden choices. Wish is strongest after Lotus Field mana is active; early Wish is acceptable only when it finds a necessary stabilizer or engine card and does not strand the hand.

- Dig Through Time: Use Dig Through Time as the late-chain selection burst after Consider, Sleight of Hand, interaction, and discarded cards stock the graveyard. Delve away redundant cheap spells before unique engines, and preserve cards that Lier, Disciple of the Drowned may reuse if that line is likely. Cast Dig Through Time when the deck needs a specific missing piece or post-disruption rebuild, not when a cheaper selector can find the same category without consuming graveyard resources.

- Lier, Disciple of the Drowned: Use Lier, Disciple of the Drowned as a recovery and overload engine when graveyard spells and mana are already available. Do not tap out for Lier into a board that kills immediately unless the legal graveyard actions stabilize that turn. Lier changes priority and stack assumptions, so follow Forge's legal actions exactly and avoid assuming opposing interaction patterns. The sideboard copy supports grindy matchups where resolving one Lier is not enough.

- Otawara, Soaring City: Use Otawara, Soaring City as a land first when colored mana is missing and as interaction when a visible permanent must be bounced. Holding it is valuable against hate or lethal pressure, but this deck cannot afford missed early land drops. Choose the channel-style action only when Forge exposes it and the target materially protects the combo turn.

- Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Riverglide Pathway, Island, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency: Sequence colored lands to cast Sleight of Hand and Consider early while preserving red access for red sideboard or main-deck legal actions. Card text check required for Lindblum, Industrial Regency, so treat it as a land or utility permanent only according to legal actions. Shock with Steam Vents when untapped mana changes the turn; conserve life when the same spell can wait without losing engine timing.

## Interaction Priorities
- Priority: Use Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, and Otawara, Soaring City to buy combo time, not to trade evenly with every visible permanent. Bounce or return the object that most directly shortens the clock, blocks Lotus Field setup, attacks mana, taxes spells, or threatens a lethal turn before the next Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages chain.

- Stack priority: Use Divide by Zero on stack objects when the visible spell would stop the combo turn, create lethal pressure, remove Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage, or force the deck to spend more turns rebuilding. Do not fire Divide by Zero at a medium-value spell just because it is legal if the same mana is needed for Sleight of Hand, Consider, Expedition Map, or the first Lotus Field turn.

- Bounce priority: Use Into the Flood Maw first on cheap hate, lethal attackers, or permanents that make the next combo turn impossible. Card text check required, so obey the exact legal target list. If a target is annoying but does not change the combo clock, prefer selection or setup over spending the bounce spell.

- Otawara priority: Use Otawara, Soaring City as the protected emergency answer when a visible permanent must leave now and ordinary spells are constrained by mana, taxes, or timing. Play Otawara as a land when missing land drops would delay Lotus Field; hold it only when the current mana base already supports setup and a likely hate permanent matters.

- Ignore priority: Ignore creatures that represent a slow clock when the hand can assemble Lotus Field plus untap effects before they kill. Ignore low-impact permanents that do not affect mana, spell casting, graveyard access, card selection, life total, or the next combo turn. Ignore bait if spending interaction would leave no blue mana for the engine.

- Bait priority: Treat Artist's Talent, redundant Flow State, and sometimes Expedition Map as acceptable bait against visible interaction when the actual winning turn depends on Lotus Field, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Wish, Dig Through Time, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. Card text check required for Artist's Talent and Flow State; do not bait with them if legal text shows they are the current engine.

- Exile and graveyard priority: Use Dig Through Time delve as resource conversion, not removal. Exile redundant Sleight of Hand, Consider, spent interaction, and excess lands before unique combo pieces or spells needed for Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. This deck does not have main-deck discard or hard exile interaction for opposing cards, so do not invent those lines.

- Archetype shift: Against fast creature decks, interaction protects life total until the engine turn, and sideboard Anger of the Gods can become the highest-impact stabilizer when legal. Against control or combo, interaction is mostly timing protection; preserve Divide by Zero and Otawara, Soaring City for stack fights, hate permanents, or windows that force through Wish, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, or Vivi Ornitier when those sideboard cards are legal and chosen.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Combat rule: This deck is not trying to win ordinary combat before sideboard threats appear. Treat life total as a setup resource, and take damage when preserving mana, cards, or timing gets Lotus Field plus Hidden Strings online before the next lethal attack.

- Blocking rule: Do not expose Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, or any creature-like sideboard permanent to combat unless blocking prevents lethal damage or the creature is no longer needed for the current plan. If the legal board state shows a creature has summoning sickness, damage, counters, or restrictions, follow Veles-visible combat legality rather than strategic assumptions.

- Attacking rule: Attack only when the creature is not needed as a spell engine, blocker, or payoff shield. A single point of damage is almost never worth losing Lier, Disciple of the Drowned or a sideboard threat before it generates value. Attack more freely only after the combo has failed to finish and a resolved threat is the active win condition.

- Life threshold: Above roughly 10 life against small creature pressure, prioritize setup if the next two turns are not visibly lethal. At 6-9 life, treat bounce spells, Divide by Zero, and Anger of the Gods as stabilizers before speculative selection unless selection immediately finds a winning line. At 5 or less, assume any open attack step may be fatal and prefer legal actions that remove attackers, prevent lethal, or win this turn.

- Trade threshold: Trade a creature only when the trade preserves survival, removes a lethal attacker, or the creature has already served its purpose. Do not trade a high-value engine body for a replaceable attacker if the next turn requires graveyard recasting, card draw, or payoff pressure.

- Protection rule: Preserve engine permanents and lands over incidental damage races. Lotus Field and Thespian's Stage are the real battlefield assets; if a combat line or spell sequence protects life but prevents making or copying Lotus Field, verify that survival actually improves before choosing it.

- Archetype difference: Against aggro, combat decisions are survival math plus sweep timing, with Anger of the Gods changing the value of taking one more hit. Against midrange, preserve cards and force them to answer the engine rather than trading resources in combat. Against control and combo, combat is mostly irrelevant until a sideboard threat resolves; protect the threat and use attacks only when they shorten the clock without weakening interaction or engine access.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Sequence selection to answer the next bottleneck, not to maximize abstract card quantity. Before casting Sleight of Hand, Consider, Flow State, Pore Over the Pages, Dig Through Time, Expedition Map, Divide by Zero, or Wish, identify whether the current hand is missing Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, an untap spell, a payoff, protection, or a survival spell.

- Find Lotus Field first when the hand lacks the engine land and has time to set up. Use Sleight of Hand and Consider early to hit land drops and locate Lotus Field; keep Thespian's Stage only as the priority find when Lotus Field is already available or Expedition Map can cover the missing half.

- Use Expedition Map as a real land tutor when the visible legal action can find Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Otawara, Soaring City, Riverglide Pathway, Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Island, or Lindblum, Industrial Regency. Card text check required for Lindblum, Industrial Regency; select it only when the legal text and visible mana needs make it better than engine lands.

- Delay the land drop when selection could change which land should be played. If Sleight of Hand, Consider, Expedition Map, or Dig Through Time is legal before land play, first determine whether the turn needs untapped blue, untapped red, Lotus Field, a Stage copy setup, or Otawara, Soaring City held as interaction.

- Prioritize Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages once Lotus Field or copied Lotus Field is present. Selection should then favor untap density, draw density, and the next spell that keeps mana positive. Do not bottom or graveyard Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, or Wish during an active combo turn unless visible duplicates and mana prove the current chain already has enough action.

- Treat Dig Through Time as a high-leverage reload after the graveyard is naturally stocked. Select two cards that solve the immediate chain: Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage before setup, Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages during engine turns, Wish when a legal sideboard payoff is needed, and Divide by Zero or Into the Flood Maw when a visible threat or stack object stops the line.

- Use Divide by Zero and Wish only through legal engine choices. If Divide by Zero exposes lesson-like or sideboard selection, choose the card that solves the current problem from the visible candidates; do not assume Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Improvisation Capstone, Quantum Riddler, or any other sideboard card is reachable unless Veles lists it.

- Graveyard placement should preserve Lier, Disciple of the Drowned lines. With Lier, Disciple of the Drowned in hand, battlefield, or likely to matter, keep useful Sleight of Hand, Consider, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, and Dig Through Time access in mind before exiling or discarding them. Card text check required for Flashback and Flow State, so use their selection or graveyard decisions only according to visible legal text.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Pass priority when the stack is harmless and mana is needed for setup. This deck wins by spending mana proactively on Lotus Field turns, so do not respond to every legal window unless the visible spell or ability changes survival, removes engine access, stops a combo turn, or creates a better immediate chain.

- Hold priority actions for protected commitment turns. When Lotus Field plus Thespian's Stage or multiple Lotus Field mana is available, plan the stack around Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Dig Through Time, Wish, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned before spending Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, Otawara, Soaring City, or optional costs.

- Respond with Divide by Zero when the target stack object visibly disrupts the engine or ends the game. Use it against a spell that removes Lotus Field, prevents spell casting, creates lethal pressure, counters a key engine piece if Divide by Zero can legally interact, or forces a rebuild that the hand cannot absorb.

- Use Into the Flood Maw at instant speed when waiting loses material value. Bounce before combat damage to survive, before an opposing permanent ability resolves if legal and relevant, or before committing the combo if a hate permanent blocks the line. Card text check required, so choose only listed legal targets.

- Use Otawara, Soaring City as a timing-flexible answer when the channel or activated legal action is exposed. Prefer it over spell interaction when ordinary spells are taxed, counterable, unavailable, or needed for the combo chain; play it as mana instead when missing land drops delays Lotus Field.

- Resolve your own card draw and untap spells in an order that keeps mana positive. Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages should generally be cast while Lotus Field or a copied Lotus Field can be untapped; avoid tapping out for low-impact selection if it prevents the next legal untap, draw, or Wish action.

- Treat optional payments and triggers as mana tests. Pay optional costs only when the resulting value advances the current engine turn or protects survival, and decline them when they consume mana needed for Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Wish, or Dig Through Time.

- Protect Lier, Disciple of the Drowned timing carefully. Commit Lier, Disciple of the Drowned when the graveyard contains useful spells and the turn can exploit them, or when it must resolve to beat visible disruption. Do not cast it into obvious lethal pressure if the same mana must answer the board.

- Use combat-step priority as a survival checkpoint, not a bluffing playground. Before attackers, after attackers, after blockers, and before damage, spend Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, Otawara, Soaring City, or sideboard Anger of the Gods only if the visible combat math or next-turn clock requires action.

- Let opposing spells resolve when answering them does not improve the combo clock. Preserve scarce interaction if the spell does not affect life total fast enough, Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, graveyard access, spell casting, or the current hand’s ability to assemble a winning turn.

## Sideboard Map
- Sideboarding principle: preserve the Lotus Field plus Thespian's Stage engine unless the matchup forces survival cards or threat diversification. Keep 4 Lotus Field, 4 Thespian's Stage, 4 Hidden Strings, 4 Pore Over the Pages, and most cheap selection in nearly every plan because the deck loses identity when the mana engine becomes unreliable.

- Wish-board principle: treat every sideboard card as either a card to bring into the 60 or a reachable tool only when Veles shows a legal Wish or Divide by Zero selection. Do not assume Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Improvisation Capstone, or Quantum Riddler is available from outside the game unless the rules engine exposes that choice.

Creature Aggro / Go-Wide Pressure
Side in: 2 Anger of the Gods; 2 Spider-Sense; 1 Boomerang Basics
Cut: 1 Dig Through Time; 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; 1 Wish; 1 Flashback; 1 Flow State

- Role: Anger of the Gods is the primary catch-up card against small creature boards and haste pressure. Bring it in when the opponent presents multiple creatures by turn three, when one-for-one bounce fails to protect life total, or when the combo needs one reset turn before Lotus Field mana becomes active.

- When bad: Anger of the Gods loses value against large single threats, planeswalker-heavy boards, spell combo, or creature decks whose key threats survive the listed damage. Card text check required for exact damage and exile text; use only when visible legal text makes the sweeper meaningful.

- Role: Spider-Sense is a defensive survival or tempo card for combat-heavy matchups. Card text check required; bring it in when legal text indicates it prevents damage, protects a key turn, buys a combat step, or interacts with attackers more efficiently than a slow draw spell.

- Role: Boomerang Basics is a tempo answer when a visible permanent blocks the combo or when bouncing a land, creature, artifact, enchantment, or other legal target buys the turn needed to start Hidden Strings. Card text check required; keep it as a flexible answer rather than a blind value card.

Control / Counterspell / Removal-Heavy Midrange
Side in: 1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun; 1 Sphinx of the Final Word; 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; 1 Vivi Ornitier
Cut: 4 Into the Flood Maw

- Role: Niv-Mizzet, Parun is a threat-diversification plan when opponents overfocus on stopping Lotus Field engine spells. Card text check required; bring it in when the game slows, creature removal is lighter than stack interaction, and the deck can reach enough colored mana through Lotus Field turns.

- When bad: Niv-Mizzet, Parun is poor against fast aggro, mana denial, or hands that cannot reliably produce the colors shown by Veles. Do not keep speculative hands only because this threat is present; it is a late-game plan, not the primary engine.

- Role: Sphinx of the Final Word is a control breaker when legal text confirms it resists countermagic or protects spells. Card text check required; bring it in when the opponent shows permission, discard plus counters, or long-game stack fights where resolving one protected threat changes the game.

- When bad: Sphinx of the Final Word is weak when the opponent races on board or attacks mana instead of spells. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature bounce that lacks targets, low-impact tempo spells, and slow graveyard engines under graveyard pressure.

- Role: sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned increases graveyard-based reload density for games where spells trade one-for-one. Bring it in when graveyards remain accessible, when the opponent is likely to exhaust the first engine chain, or when recurring Sleight of Hand, Consider, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Divide by Zero, and Into the Flood Maw is likely to matter.

- When bad: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is risky against graveyard hate, exile pressure, or fast creature clocks. Do not board toward double Lier games if survival requires early interaction more than recursion.

- Role: Vivi Ornitier is a secondary engine or threat only when its visible text supports mana, spell velocity, or a resilient win path. Card text check required; bring it in for slower matchups where an on-board permanent can stay alive and convert repeated spells into advantage.

Combo Race / Graveyard-Light Spell Mirrors
Side in: 1 Divide by Zero; 1 Accumulate Wisdom; 1 Improvisation Capstone; 1 Quantum Riddler
Cut: 4 Into the Flood Maw

- Role: the fourth Divide by Zero increases stack and tempo interaction while retaining access to selection lines from the sideboard if the engine exposes them. Bring it in when the opposing deck depends on a key spell, a single payoff, a permanent that can be bounced by the legal text, or a tempo-sensitive combo turn.

- When bad: Divide by Zero loses value when the opponent pressures only with cheap redundant permanents or when mana must be spent entirely on racing. Preserve it more often on the draw if it is one of the few ways to interrupt a decisive opposing turn.

- Role: Accumulate Wisdom is a draw or lesson-style resource card when Veles lists it through Divide by Zero, Wish, or as a boarded card. Card text check required; bring it in when the matchup is about card count and the opponent gives time to convert extra cards into Lotus Field action.

- Role: Improvisation Capstone is a specialized payoff or engine card only if visible text supports the combo turn. Card text check required; bring it in for matchups where the deck needs an alternate deterministic payoff, a high-ceiling spell-chain card, or a Wish target that ends games after mana is established.

- Role: Quantum Riddler is a flexible puzzle-card slot for matchups where the exact visible text solves a recurring problem. Card text check required; prefer it when the legal text offers selection, disruption, a win condition, or a high-impact spell endpoint that Into the Flood Maw cannot provide.

Big Mana / Permanent-Based Hate
Side in: 1 Boomerang Basics; 1 Divide by Zero; 1 Iroh's Demonstration; 1 Firebending Lesson
Cut: 1 Dig Through Time; 1 Flashback; 1 Flow State; 1 Into the Flood Maw

- Role: Boomerang Basics and Divide by Zero form the anti-permanent tempo package. Bring them in when the opponent's plan includes a visible permanent that slows Lotus Field, attacks Thespian's Stage, locks casting, or creates a lethal clock before the engine can chain.

- Role: Iroh's Demonstration is a specialized sideboard effect requiring text confirmation. Card text check required; bring it in when its legal text creates a decisive answer, protection layer, mana-positive spell, or payoff that matches the opponent's pressure.

- Role: Firebending Lesson is a reachable or boarded utility spell requiring text confirmation. Card text check required; use it when the matchup needs a sideboard card that can remove a threat, finish the opponent, or convert surplus mana into a concrete advantage.

- Archetype rule: against permanent hate, prioritize answers that can be used before the combo commitment. Do not spend Wish or Divide by Zero for a speculative tool if the immediate legal action must answer a lock piece, lethal attacker, or mana denial permanent.

Unknown / Open Field Balanced Plan
Side in: 1 Divide by Zero; 1 Boomerang Basics; 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
Cut: 1 Dig Through Time; 1 Flashback; 1 Into the Flood Maw

- Role: the balanced unknown plan adds one more broad interaction spell, one flexible answer, and one recursion threat while keeping the main Lotus Field shell intact. Use it only when the opponent's archetype is uncertain after game one and no narrow plan clearly matches visible cards.

- Role changes: Wish becomes less central when key sideboard tools enter the main deck, but it remains a payoff and toolbox card when Veles exposes legal sideboard choices. If Wish is retained, treat the remaining sideboard as thinner and verify each available target before selecting it.

- Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow graveyard reloads against fast pressure, creature bounce against spell-only control, and speculative Flow State or Flashback lines when card text remains unconfirmed. Card text check required for Flow State and Flashback; keep their role conditional on visible rules text and successful prior tests.

- Add role cards: Anger of the Gods and Spider-Sense versus combat pressure; Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned versus slow interaction; Divide by Zero, Boomerang Basics, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, and Quantum Riddler when their visible legal text solves the current matchup problem.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: prioritize survival until Lotus Field plus Thespian's Stage or untap spells can generate a decisive turn. Keep hands with early blue selection, enough lands to function after Lotus Field sacrifices, and at least one visible interaction piece such as Into the Flood Maw or Divide by Zero; do not keep a slow hand that only becomes powerful after turn four unless Veles shows the opponent is not presenting pressure. Add role cards: Anger of the Gods, Spider-Sense, Firebending Lesson, and Boomerang Basics when their visible text answers creatures, prevents damage, or buys a full turn. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Dig Through Time, Flashback, Wish, and slow Lier, Disciple of the Drowned lines when life total is the limiting resource. Card text check required for Spider-Sense, Firebending Lesson, and Flashback.

- Burn: treat life total as a hard combo resource and spend mana defensively when the clock is shorter than the engine. Sequence Sleight of Hand, Consider, Artist's Talent, and Flow State toward Lotus Field, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, or Expedition Map, but do not tap out for speculative selection if Veles shows lethal burn pressure or a forced response window. Add role cards: Spider-Sense if its text prevents damage, Anger of the Gods only when the opponent also commits creatures, and Divide by Zero when it can delay a lethal spell or permanent. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow graveyard payoff and expensive threat plans. Card text check required for Artist's Talent, Flow State, and Spider-Sense.

- Go-wide: value sweep timing over small tempo plays. If the opponent commits multiple creatures, preserve Into the Flood Maw or Divide by Zero for the threat that changes the lethal turn unless Anger of the Gods is visible or already in hand. Add role cards: Anger of the Gods first, then Spider-Sense or Firebending Lesson if their legal text stabilizes combat. Reduce main-deck emphasis: one-for-one bounce when the board requires a sweeper, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned if graveyard setup is too slow.

- Single-threat decks: answer the threat, then immediately convert the tempo into engine setup. Use Into the Flood Maw and Divide by Zero more aggressively when one permanent or spell represents most of the opponent's clock; if the threat is not immediately lethal, prefer building Lotus Field plus Thespian's Stage before spending Wish on a narrow answer. Add role cards: Boomerang Basics, Divide by Zero, Firebending Lesson, or Quantum Riddler only when visible text handles the exact permanent or stack problem. Card text check required for Boomerang Basics, Firebending Lesson, and Quantum Riddler.

- Tempo: protect mana development and avoid walking the key untap turn into obvious open interaction without pressure forcing the issue. Keep hands with redundant cantrips, Lotus Field access, and cheap interaction; prioritize landing Lotus Field with enough follow-up to recover if Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages is stopped. Add role cards: Divide by Zero, Spider-Sense if it protects the turn, and Boomerang Basics if it resets a tempo permanent. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Wish lines that spend a turn without affecting stack, board, or mana.

- Control: lengthen the game only when the hand contains redundancy, recursion, or a protected endpoint. Develop Lotus Field and Thespian's Stage patiently, bait interaction with lower-value spells when legal, and commit Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Wish, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned only when the visible stack and mana suggest waiting is worse or redundancy covers failure. Add role cards: Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Vivi Ornitier, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, and Iroh's Demonstration when their visible text supports a resilient threat, protected spell chain, card advantage, or alternate payoff. Card text check required for Vivi Ornitier, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, and Iroh's Demonstration.

- Removal-heavy midrange: make creature removal awkward and force the opponent to answer lands, graveyard, and spell chains instead. Do not rely on Lier, Disciple of the Drowned as the only engine if the opponent can remove it immediately; prefer Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Pore Over the Pages, Hidden Strings, Dig Through Time, and Wish as the central axis. Add role cards: sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Accumulate Wisdom, and Sphinx of the Final Word for long games where individual threats must carry value through interaction. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Into the Flood Maw when the opponent's pressure is mostly discard and removal rather than board.

- Midrange: trade time for inevitability, not cards for low-impact tempo. Keep hands that assemble Lotus Field while using Consider, Sleight of Hand, Artist's Talent, Flow State, and Expedition Map to find missing pieces; use Into the Flood Maw on threats that shorten the clock below the expected combo turn. Add role cards: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Accumulate Wisdom, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, or Quantum Riddler when visible text improves reload or creates an alternate win. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow bounce if the opponent's permanents are replaceable and not immediately lethal.

- Combo: race first, interact only with the card or window that changes the outcome. Mulligan toward Lotus Field access, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, and enough selection to find the missing engine piece; use Divide by Zero or Into the Flood Maw when Veles shows a legal action that interrupts the opponent's commitment turn. Add role cards: Divide by Zero, Improvisation Capstone, Accumulate Wisdom, Quantum Riddler, Firebending Lesson, and Iroh's Demonstration when visible text creates either faster completion or precise disruption. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only answers against spell-only combo.

- Big mana: commit earlier than against control because the opponent's top end can invalidate soft tempo. Prioritize Expedition Map, Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Hidden Strings, and Pore Over the Pages over slow sculpting; use Divide by Zero and Boomerang Basics for a visible payoff permanent, mana payoff, or lock piece rather than a low-impact setup spell. Add role cards: Boomerang Basics, Divide by Zero, Iroh's Demonstration, Firebending Lesson, and Quantum Riddler when their legal text attacks the payoff or accelerates the kill. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Dig Through Time or Flashback if the matchup is decided before graveyard value matters.

- Graveyard decks: race unless a visible graveyard action is about to decide the game. This deck is not built as graveyard hate, so do not over-sideboard into speculative answers; use Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Boomerang Basics, or Firebending Lesson only when legal text interacts with the shown graveyard payoff or enabling permanent. Add role cards: Quantum Riddler or Iroh's Demonstration if visible text provides graveyard interaction, and Accumulate Wisdom if the matchup becomes a resource fight. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Dig Through Time, and Flashback when the opponent presents graveyard hate or graveyard mirrors make the graveyard unsafe. Card text check required.

- Artifact/enchantment decks: identify whether the problem is a clock, a lock, or a value engine before spending a bounce spell. Use Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, Boomerang Basics, or Wish-accessible tools only on the permanent that blocks Lotus Field, taxes spells, prevents combo resolution, or creates lethal pressure. Add role cards: Boomerang Basics, Divide by Zero, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, and Quantum Riddler when visible text answers artifacts, enchantments, or hate permanents. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only stabilization if the opponent's artifacts or enchantments are the actual axis.

- Unknown opponent: choose the balanced engine plan until public information proves a narrower role. Keep interaction-light hands only if they clearly assemble Lotus Field plus untap effects quickly; keep interaction-heavy hands only if the mana and selection still reach the combo. Add role cards after game one according to the revealed axis: Anger of the Gods and Spider-Sense for creature pressure; Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned for slow interaction; Divide by Zero, Boomerang Basics, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, Iroh's Demonstration, Firebending Lesson, and Quantum Riddler for visible problems their text actually solves.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only: revealed cards, visible mana, public zones, and Veles legal actions override every assumption in these notes. Treat game-one labels as provisional until the opponent shows whether the matchup is about speed, stack interaction, graveyard pressure, creature damage, or hate permanents.

- Fast creature decks: stabilize only enough to preserve the Lotus Field turn. Prioritize hands with Lotus Field access, early selection, and a legal way to buy time through Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, or sideboard Anger of the Gods; avoid spending cantrips on luxury setup when the visible clock forces a turn-three or turn-four engine start. Add role cards: Anger of the Gods, Spider-Sense, Divide by Zero, Boomerang Basics. Priority targets: creatures that create the shortest lethal clock, permanents that tax spells, and attackers that make sacrificing lands to Lotus Field unsafe.

- Tempo decks: make them answer lands rather than isolated spells. Preserve Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages until Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage mana converts them into a real turn, and use Into the Flood Maw or Divide by Zero on the threat or stack play that compresses the clock below the combo window. Add role cards: Spider-Sense, Divide by Zero, Boomerang Basics, Sphinx of the Final Word when visible text makes it a protected closer. Priority targets: cheap pressure backed by open interaction, bounce or tax effects aimed at Lotus Field, and counter windows around Pore Over the Pages.

- Control decks: force interaction in layers instead of relying on one engine spell. Use Consider, Sleight of Hand, Flow State, Artist's Talent, Dig Through Time, and Flashback to build redundancy before committing Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Wish, Hidden Strings, or Pore Over the Pages into open mana. Add role cards: Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Vivi Ornitier, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, Iroh's Demonstration. Card text check required for Vivi Ornitier, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, and Iroh's Demonstration.

- Midrange and discard decks: protect functional density over perfect sculpting. Keep hands that already contain Lotus Field access or Expedition Map plus enough selection to recover from one discard spell; do not assume Lier, Disciple of the Drowned survives removal unless Veles shows the opponent tapped low or shields are available. Add role cards: Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Accumulate Wisdom, Quantum Riddler. Priority targets: hate permanents, graveyard pressure against Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, and threats that force premature combo commitment.

- Big-mana or ramp decks: race the payoff rather than fighting every setup card. Prioritize Expedition Map, Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Hidden Strings, and Pore Over the Pages; spend Divide by Zero, Into the Flood Maw, Boomerang Basics, or Wish-linked interaction on the first visible payoff that beats the combo clock. Add role cards: Divide by Zero, Boomerang Basics, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Quantum Riddler. Card text check required for Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, and Quantum Riddler.

- Graveyard decks: race unless a public graveyard action is about to decide the game. Reduce dependence on Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Dig Through Time, and Flashback when the opponent shows graveyard hate or graveyard payoff pressure; use interaction only on visible enablers or payoff objects that Veles confirms as legal targets. Add role cards: Quantum Riddler, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom only if their visible text supports the role.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: Lotus Field asks the deck to sacrifice lands before the payoff is guaranteed, so do not create stranded hands by playing it without Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Thespian's Stage, Expedition Map, or enough cantrips to find the missing half. Riverglide Pathway, Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Island, Otawara, Soaring City, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency sequencing must preserve blue access first unless red is required by a visible legal action.

- Matchup risk: the deck can mis-role as a slow control deck when the opponent is faster. If the public clock is short, prioritize assembly and survival over speculative Dig Through Time, Flashback, or Wish value.

- Draw risk: hands with only cantrips and no Lotus Field path can look functional but fail to produce mana. Mulligan or select toward Expedition Map, Lotus Field, Thespian's Stage, Hidden Strings, and Pore Over the Pages before taking redundant Artist's Talent, Flow State, Consider, or Sleight of Hand.

- Over-sideboarding risk: adding too many closers or answers dilutes the spell chain. Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, and Quantum Riddler are role cards, not a license to abandon the Lotus Field engine.

- Graveyard risk: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Dig Through Time, and Flashback improve long games but expose the deck to graveyard hate and timing pressure. Treat graveyard plans as conditional on visible hate, available mana, and whether the combo can win without relying on the graveyard.

- Sweeper/removal risk: creature-light construction blanks some opposing removal, but sideboard closers create new exposure. Do not commit Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Vivi Ornitier, Sphinx of the Final Word, or Lier, Disciple of the Drowned unless the payoff justifies removal risk or the opponent is forced to answer another axis.

- Closer risk: Wish and sideboard threats can consume a turn without ending the game. Choose them when the visible state supports a protected endpoint, not when immediate Lotus Field chaining is available.

- Interaction risk: Into the Flood Maw and Divide by Zero are tempo tools, not broad permission. Spend them on the permanent, spell, or attacker that changes the combo clock, blocks a key engine action, or creates lethal pressure.

- Sequencing risk: casting Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, or Dig Through Time before mana and targets are ready can turn a winning turn into a pass. Let Veles legal actions, current mana, visible stack, and public pressure decide whether to start the chain now or keep sculpting.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: identify whether the game was won or lost by Lotus Field assembly, Thespian's Stage copying, spell-chain velocity, early pressure management, a sideboard closer, or a failed commitment turn. Record the exact turn where Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, Wish, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Dig Through Time, or Flashback changed the game.

- Mulligans: check whether kept hands had either Lotus Field, Expedition Map, or enough Consider, Sleight of Hand, Flow State, and Artist's Talent to find the engine before the visible clock became lethal. Flag hands that kept only cantrips and interaction without a credible Lotus Field path.

- Mana: review every Lotus Field sacrifice decision and every Thespian's Stage setup turn for stranded colors, lost land drops, or red-blue sequencing errors. Note whether Riverglide Pathway, Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Island, Otawara, Soaring City, and Lindblum, Industrial Regency produced the colors demanded by legal actions at the right time.

- Velocity: measure whether Consider, Sleight of Hand, Flow State, Artist's Talent, Pore Over the Pages, Dig Through Time, and Flashback found engine cards or merely cycled into more setup. Mark games where selection took too many turns before converting into Lotus Field plus Hidden Strings mana.

- Engine execution: check whether Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages were cast only when they advanced a real chain. Flag premature casts that left no follow-up, no target, no mana, or no protection from the public board state.

- Interaction: review Into the Flood Maw and Divide by Zero for tempo impact. Mark whether each use protected the combo window, answered lethal pressure, disrupted a stack object, or spent a key card on a low-impact target.

- Sideboard: verify whether Side in and Cut plans preserved engine density. Track whether Anger of the Gods, Spider-Sense, Boomerang Basics, Divide by Zero, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Accumulate Wisdom, Improvisation Capstone, Quantum Riddler, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, and Vivi Ornitier actually matched the role assigned to them; Card text check required for any uncertain sideboard card before judging performance.

- Closing: record whether Wish, Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Vivi Ornitier, Quantum Riddler, or repeated spell chaining ended the game efficiently. Flag games where the deck stabilized but failed to present a timely endpoint.

- Role accuracy: ask whether the pilot raced, controlled, or sculpted according to the matchup and visible board. Mark mistakes where the deck played like control against a fast clock or overcommitted into open interaction when a slower setup was available.

- Stranded cards: list cards stuck in hand because of color, mana quantity, timing, graveyard dependence, opponent pressure, or missing engine pieces. Pay special attention to Dig Through Time, Flashback, Wish, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Pore Over the Pages, and sideboard closers.

- Overperformers and underperformers: count the cards that directly produced wins, bought critical turns, or remained dead. Separate main-deck performance from sideboard performance so Artist's Talent, Flow State, Into the Flood Maw, Divide by Zero, Expedition Map, and every sideboard card can be judged in context.

## First Tuning Questions

- Lotus Field access: does the deck need the full 2 Expedition Map, or did selection reliably find Lotus Field and Thespian's Stage without spending a slow setup turn? If failures were mostly no-engine hands, consider whether more access matters more than another reactive spell.

- Selection mix: did 4 Consider, 4 Sleight of Hand, 4 Flow State, and 4 Artist's Talent create enough velocity, or did some pieces fail to dig toward Lotus Field, Hidden Strings, and Pore Over the Pages under pressure? If Artist's Talent or Flow State required too much time, question whether their quantity conflicts with fast matchups.

- Interaction count: were 4 Into the Flood Maw and 3 Divide by Zero enough against creature pressure, stack pressure, and hate permanents? If games were lost before the combo turn, ask whether the main deck needs more early defense or whether sideboard Anger of the Gods and Spider-Sense solved that post-board.

- Mana base: did 3 Riverglide Pathway, 4 Spirebluff Canal, 3 Steam Vents, 1 Island, 2 Otawara, Soaring City, and 1 Lindblum, Industrial Regency support both early blue selection and red sideboard cards? If red spells stranded or Steam Vents life loss mattered, tune color balance before adding more expensive closers.

- Graveyard package: did Dig Through Time, Flashback, and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned win long games, or did they become slow or vulnerable when graveyard pressure appeared? If graveyard reliance underperformed, test whether sideboard Lier, Disciple of the Drowned or alternate closers should carry more post-board weight.

- Closer suite: did Wish find the right endpoint, or was it too slow compared with direct engine chaining? If games stalled after setup, evaluate whether Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Vivi Ornitier, Quantum Riddler, or Improvisation Capstone deserves a different sideboard role after card text verification.

- Aggro plan: did Anger of the Gods, Spider-Sense, Boomerang Basics, and extra Divide by Zero buy enough time without cutting too much combo density? If post-board draws became reactive but could not close, reduce defensive overload and preserve Hidden Strings velocity.

- Control plan: did threat diversification with Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Sphinx of the Final Word, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Vivi Ornitier, Accumulate Wisdom, Iroh's Demonstration, or Improvisation Capstone beat interaction, or did it create role conflict? If control games were lost to stranded haymakers, tune toward cheaper redundancy instead of more closers.

- Role conflict: did sideboarding ever turn the deck into a weaker midrange deck instead of a protected Lotus Field combo deck? If yes, prioritize cuts that keep Pore Over the Pages, Hidden Strings, Expedition Map, and cheap selection intact.

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Engine Mulligan Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan
Cards: Lotus Field; Thespian's Stage; Expedition Map; Hidden Strings; Pore Over the Pages; Consider; Sleight of Hand; Flow State
Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan, London bottom
Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
Use when: the opening hand decision is pending and the visible hand is known.
Avoid when: rules-engine output does not expose the full owning hand.
Instructions: Keep hands with a credible Lotus Field path plus blue selection, or Lotus Field plus untap payoff, unless the visible clock makes the hand too slow. Mulligan hands with no Lotus Field, no Expedition Map, no Thespian's Stage path, and insufficient cheap selection to find one. Bottom redundant expensive cards before cutting the first engine piece.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Engine Setup
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana, priority, selection
Cards: Lotus Field; Thespian's Stage; Expedition Map; Artist's Talent; Flow State; Consider; Sleight of Hand
Phase windows: turns 1-3 main phases, early priority windows
Runtime cues: action:play Lotus Field; action:cast Expedition Map; action:cast Artist's Talent; action:cast Flow State
Use when: early turns offer land, setup permanent, or selection choices before the combo turn.
Avoid when: a lethal or near-lethal public board requires immediate interaction.
Instructions: Prioritize establishing Lotus Field access, then Thespian's Stage copying Lotus Field, then selection that finds Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages. Spend Expedition Map early when land access is missing; use Artist's Talent and Flow State as velocity only when they do not delay required land setup.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Lotus Field Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: mana, priority
Cards: Lotus Field; Thespian's Stage; Hidden Strings; Pore Over the Pages; Dig Through Time; Flashback; Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
Phase windows: main phase before casting engine spells
Runtime cues: action:cast Hidden Strings; action:cast Pore Over the Pages; action:activate Thespian's Stage
Use when: the pilot can begin a Lotus Field mana chain or copy Lotus Field with Thespian's Stage.
Avoid when: open interaction, missing follow-up, insufficient mana, or visible pressure makes waiting clearly better.
Instructions: Start the combo only when the visible hand, battlefield, graveyard, and legal actions show a chain into more mana, cards, or a win path. Treat Pore Over the Pages and Hidden Strings as commitment resources, not generic cantrips.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Hidden Strings Target Execution
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana, selection
Cards: Hidden Strings; Lotus Field; Thespian's Stage
Phase windows: spell target selection, cipher target selection if offered
Runtime cues: action:target Lotus Field Hidden Strings; action:target Thespian's Stage Hidden Strings
Use when: Hidden Strings is resolving and the legal action text offers visible Lotus Field or a Thespian's Stage that is visibly functioning as Lotus Field mana.
Avoid when: target text does not identify the permanent names or the selected permanent is not controlled by self.
Instructions: Choose self-controlled Lotus Field targets first, then self-controlled Thespian's Stage only when public state shows it can produce Lotus Field-style mana. Do not target opponent permanents for combo execution unless a separate interaction policy selected that line.
Pilot skill floor: rules-safe deterministic
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Pore Over The Pages Untap Execution
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana, selection
Cards: Pore Over the Pages; Lotus Field; Thespian's Stage
Phase windows: spell resolution selection
Runtime cues: action:untap Lotus Field Pore Over the Pages; action:untap Thespian's Stage Pore Over the Pages
Use when: Pore Over the Pages asks for untap choices and legal action text names self-controlled Lotus Field or Thespian's Stage.
Avoid when: the legal action text does not expose which permanents will untap.
Instructions: Untap self-controlled Lotus Field first. Untap Thespian's Stage when it is visibly copied into the engine or is the only high-output mana permanent available. Preserve mana-positive choices over cosmetic untaps.
Pilot skill floor: rules-safe deterministic
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Exact Mana Payment
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: Lotus Field; Thespian's Stage; Riverglide Pathway; Spirebluff Canal; Steam Vents; Island; Otawara, Soaring City; Lindblum, Industrial Regency
Phase windows: mana payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:pay; action:add mana; action:tap Lotus Field
Use when: the rules engine presents exact legal mana actions for a selected spell or ability.
Avoid when: multiple payment lines change future color access, land availability, or combo continuation.
Instructions: Use Lotus Field and copied Lotus Field mana to pay for engine spells when that preserves untapped colored lands for follow-up interaction. Preserve blue first, then red if sideboard or interaction cards in hand require it. Treat uncertain Lindblum, Industrial Regency text as Card text check required.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Selection Toward Engine
Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection, priority
Cards: Consider; Sleight of Hand; Flow State; Artist's Talent; Dig Through Time; Flashback
Phase windows: main phase, end step, selection resolution
Runtime cues: action:cast Consider; action:cast Sleight of Hand; action:cast Flow State; action:cast Dig Through Time
Use when: selection spells or selection triggers are legal and no immediate survival action is required.
Avoid when: casting selection uses mana needed for a known required interaction or combo payment.
Instructions: Select Lotus Field access before payoff, payoff before redundant velocity, and interaction before slow advantage when under visible pressure. Use Dig Through Time and Flashback as deeper reloads when graveyard and mana support them; Card text check required for Flashback if the rules-engine text is not exposed.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Wish And Lesson Board Selection
Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection, priority
Cards: Wish; Divide by Zero; Accumulate Wisdom; Boomerang Basics; Firebending Lesson; Iroh's Demonstration; Improvisation Capstone; Quantum Riddler
Phase windows: main phase, spell resolution, learn/sideboard selection prompts
Runtime cues: action:cast Wish; action:choose Accumulate Wisdom; action:choose Firebending Lesson
Use when: Wish or Divide by Zero offers a legal outside-game or sideboard selection.
Avoid when: the sideboard card text is not visible and the choice would determine the game immediately without verification.
Instructions: Choose the sideboard card that solves the current bottleneck: mana/engine continuation, removal, bounce, card volume, or win condition. Card text check required for Accumulate Wisdom, Boomerang Basics, Firebending Lesson, Iroh's Demonstration, Improvisation Capstone, and Quantum Riddler unless Veles exposes exact rules text.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Interaction Timing Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction, priority
Cards: Into the Flood Maw; Divide by Zero; Otawara, Soaring City; Spider-Sense; Anger of the Gods
Phase windows: opponent main phase, combat, stack interaction, end step
Runtime cues: action:cast Into the Flood Maw; action:cast Divide by Zero; action:activate Otawara, Soaring City; action:cast Anger of the Gods
Use when: legal interaction can stop lethal pressure, protect the combo turn, answer a hate permanent, or disrupt a stack object.
Avoid when: the target is low-impact and the same mana is needed for imminent Lotus Field execution.
Instructions: Spend interaction to buy a full turn, remove a lock piece, or force through the engine. Prefer Divide by Zero on stack or tempo-critical permanents; prefer Into the Flood Maw or Otawara, Soaring City when bounce preserves the combo window. Card text check required for Spider-Sense.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Tap-Out Finisher Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority, mana
Cards: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; Niv-Mizzet, Parun; Sphinx of the Final Word; Vivi Ornitier; Quantum Riddler
Phase windows: main phase, post-combo mana surplus, control matchup finisher windows
Runtime cues: action:cast Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; action:cast Niv-Mizzet, Parun; action:cast Sphinx of the Final Word; action:cast Vivi Ornitier
Use when: a high-cost engine or finisher is legal and consumes a meaningful portion of available mana.
Avoid when: visible interaction, insufficient follow-up, or a faster Lotus Field line makes the tap-out threat unnecessary.
Instructions: Commit a finisher only when it advances the win immediately, overloads visible interaction, or is safer than continuing to sculpt. Card text check required for Vivi Ornitier and Quantum Riddler before relying on them as finishers.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Lier Graveyard Loop Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority, selection
Cards: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; Consider; Sleight of Hand; Hidden Strings; Pore Over the Pages; Into the Flood Maw; Divide by Zero; Dig Through Time
Phase windows: main phase with Lier legal or on battlefield
Runtime cues: action:cast Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; action:cast from graveyard
Use when: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned can convert graveyard spells into mana, cards, or protection.
Avoid when: graveyard contents are thin, opponent pressure is lethal, or casting Lier prevents a stronger immediate combo line.
Instructions: Use Lier to rebuy selection and untap spells when that creates a deterministic chain or protects a long game. Do not expose Lier merely as a blocker unless survival requires it.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Survival Only
Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat, interaction
Cards: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; Niv-Mizzet, Parun; Sphinx of the Final Word; Vivi Ornitier
Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, end of combat
Runtime cues: action:block; action:attack
Use when: creatures are present and combat choices affect survival or a known lethal clock.
Avoid when: attacking risks the only engine creature or finisher without changing lethal math.
Instructions: Treat combat as defensive unless a finisher attack creates a clear clock or lethal path from visible state. Preserve Lier, Disciple of the Drowned and high-value finishers unless blocking prevents lethal damage or enables a winning next turn.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Pass Priority Discipline
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority, interaction
Cards: Hidden Strings; Pore Over the Pages; Into the Flood Maw; Divide by Zero; Consider; Dig Through Time
Phase windows: every priority window
Runtime cues: action:pass; action:decline
Use when: the only decision is whether to act or pass with visible legal actions available.
Avoid when: an opponent spell, combat step, or lethal board requires evaluating interaction.
Instructions: Pass when acting would spend engine resources without improving the current turn or next combo turn. Re-evaluate before passing with open interaction, available selection at end step, or a visible chance to start the Lotus Field chain.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Pass With No Actions
Priority: Low
Decision families: priority
Cards: none
Phase windows: any priority window
Runtime cues: action:pass
Use when: the legal action list contains only pass or decline actions and no selectable spell, ability, target, mana, combat, sideboard, or selection action.
Avoid when: more than one non-pass legal action is present.
Instructions: Choose the pass or decline action exactly as listed by the rules engine.
Pilot skill floor: rules-safe deterministic
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Role Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Anger of the Gods; Spider-Sense; Divide by Zero; Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; Niv-Mizzet, Parun; Sphinx of the Final Word; Vivi Ornitier; Accumulate Wisdom; Boomerang Basics; Firebending Lesson; Iroh's Demonstration; Improvisation Capstone; Quantum Riddler
Phase windows: sideboarding after game 1, sideboarding after game 2
Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
Use when: Veles requests a legal sideboard plan for the next game.
Avoid when: requested swaps violate registered 75 constraints.
Instructions: Keep Lotus Field, Hidden Strings, Pore Over the Pages, and cheap selection density high. Add Anger of the Gods and Spider-Sense against fast creature pressure, extra Divide by Zero and Boomerang Basics against tempo or hate permanents, and alternate finishers against heavy interaction after card text verification.
Pilot skill floor: light model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Exact Sideboard Submission
Priority: Medium
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Anger of the Gods; Spider-Sense; Divide by Zero; Lier, Disciple of the Drowned; Niv-Mizzet, Parun; Sphinx of the Final Word; Vivi Ornitier; Accumulate Wisdom; Boomerang Basics; Firebending Lesson; Iroh's Demonstration; Improvisation Capstone; Quantum Riddler
Phase windows: sideboard submission confirmation
Runtime cues: action:submit sideboard
Use when: a previously selected sideboard plan is fully validated and the current legal action text is the submit action.
Avoid when: Veles reports any invalid sideboard count, duplicate overage, or missing registered card.
Instructions: Submit only the validated plan. Do not alter cuts or additions during deterministic confirmation.
Pilot skill floor: rules-safe deterministic
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes
