# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
CPDH: Teshar, Apr 2026 is a Pauper Commander singleton engine-midrange deck with Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle as the command-zone card and strategic anchor. Treat the list as a white artifact-creature recursion deck whose best games convert cheap historic spells, expendable artifacts, and small creatures into repeated board presence, rather than as a generic white value pile.

- Format validation: The active format is pauper-commander, and the supplied validation contract says the registration passes for this command-zone format.
- Count validation: The registered main deck contains 100 cards, with singleton construction outside the 25 copies of Snow-Covered Plains.
- Sideboard validation: The registered Veles policy sideboard contains exactly 10 cards: Dust to Dust; Standard Bearer; Prismatic Strands; Obsidian Acolyte; Crimson Acolyte; Revoke Existence; Disenchant; Journey to Nowhere; Celestial Flare; Coalition Honor Guard.
- Do not apply 60-card constructed sizing rules: This guide must not flag the 100-card main deck or 10-card sideboard as oversized or undersized under ordinary constructed assumptions.
- Tags: midrange, midrange.
- Stock status: Rogue-to-hybrid engine midrange; assume low external stock heuristics and prefer deck-specific card-role reasoning from visible game state.
- Commander status: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is the named commander and should be evaluated as repeatable engine access, but the agent must still respect commander tax, current legal actions, and whether a historic follow-up is actually available.

The primary role concern is timing the Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle commitment so it creates immediate value or demands an answer on a developed board. Strong setup often includes cheap historic material such as Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Arcum's Astrolabe, Jack-o'-Lantern, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Myr Moonvessel, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, and artifact mana, but those cards are not automatically disposable unless the current legal line turns them into mana, recursion, protection, a relevant body, or graveyard setup.

The mana concern is timing and texture, not broad color fixing. Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, Darksteel Citadel, Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Secluded Steppe, Conduit Pylons, Hidden Grotto, Tocasia's Dig Site, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Springleaf Drum, Buried Treasure, Lotus Petal, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Arcum's Astrolabe should be evaluated for whether they cast early plays, support commander tax, preserve protection mana, or become sacrifice fodder without stranding future turns.

The deck's pressure plan is incremental and must not be confused with fast aggro. Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Filigree Familiar, Perilous Myr, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle can close games after stabilization, but the agent should keep asking whether a value action delays lethal pressure too long.

The legality concern is strict runtime obedience to Veles and the wrapped rules engine. Choose only listed legal action IDs, use visible board state and public information before strategic heuristics, do not infer hidden cards, and do not assert a rules result unless Forge/Veles has exposed that result or the legal action text is deterministic.

Card text check required before relying on exact text for Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, Voyager Quickwelder, Dire Mimic, and Mimic. Until text is confirmed by the engine or visible action text, treat these cards through legal actions, observed card types, costs, board stats, and revealed prompt options rather than assumed printed abilities.

Opponent information status is currently unspecified. No opposing commander, decklist, archetype, or matchup-specific threat package is registered in this request, so matchup decisions must be driven by Veles-provided labels, public game actions, visible permanents, known revealed information, graveyards, exile, stack objects, life totals, clock pressure, and the exact legal actions available at the decision point.

## Thesis
CPDH: Teshar, Apr 2026 assembles a white artifact-creature recursion engine around Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, cheap historic spells, expendable artifacts, and small creatures that replace themselves or return material from the graveyard. The deck wins by stabilizing early, converting artifact and creature churn into repeated board presence, protecting the key engine turn, then closing through incremental combat from Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Perilous Myr, and other visible attackers.

The priority is to create a board where casting Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle immediately matters. Do not expose Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle into open interaction without a legal historic follow-up, protection action, recursion target, or tempo reason that makes waiting worse. The best Teshar turns usually combine a graveyard creature worth returning, a castable historic spell such as Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Arcum's Astrolabe, Jack-o'-Lantern, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Myr Moonvessel, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, or artifact mana, and enough mana or protection to keep the engine from collapsing.

The deck is not trying to be fast aggro, pure combo, hard control, or a blind graveyard deck. Avoid sacrificing resources with Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Shriekhorn, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, or graveyard hate unless the visible line creates mana, protection, recursion texture, a needed answer, or a stronger future Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turn. Avoid spending Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Fanatical Devotion on replaceable bodies unless survival, lethal pressure, or engine continuity depends on it.

Card text check required before relying on exact text for Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, Voyager Quickwelder, Dire Mimic, and Mimic. Until Veles or visible legal action text confirms their function, evaluate them by exposed card type, stats, costs, legal prompts, and board role.

## Role Package
- Threats: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Roving Harper, Inspiring Overseer, Skyscanner, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Perilous Myr, Cathodion, Rusted Slasher, Myr Kinsmith, and evasive or durable small bodies pressure after stabilization. Prioritize attacks that preserve engine pieces unless the current clock demands racing.
- Payoffs: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is the main payoff, with Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Perilous Myr, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and recurring artifact creatures turning exchanges into material. Treat payoff turns as commitment gates, not automatic sequencing.
- Engines: Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Foundry Inspector, Starnheim Courser, Springleaf Drum, Welding Jar, cheap artifacts, and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle form the churn engine. Preserve the engine when the opponent has visible pressure but do not hoard pieces so long that the deck fails to affect combat.
- Velocity: Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Helpful Hunter, Airlift Chaplain, Arcum's Astrolabe, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, and Jack-o'-Lantern keep cards and material flowing. Favor velocity that also blocks, fixes mana, or sets up Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle.
- Interaction: Cathar Commando, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Disenchant, Revoke Existence, Dust to Dust, Perilous Myr, and Springjaw Trap answer visible engines, graveyards, artifacts, enchantments, attackers, or lethal threats. Use interaction patiently unless a public threat is already converting advantage or forcing lethal.
- Protection: Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, Fanatical Devotion, Kami of False Hope, Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, and Prismatic Strands protect the commander, engine, life total, or decisive attack. Keep protection for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, a recursion bridge, or survival unless tempo clearly overrides.
- Recursion: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Voyager Quickwelder rebuild from the graveyard. Choose recursion targets from visible graveyard value and immediate legal follow-up, not from abstract card quality.
- Mana: Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, Darksteel Citadel, Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Secluded Steppe, Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, Tocasia's Dig Site, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Buried Treasure, Lotus Petal, Springleaf Drum, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Jack-o'-Lantern, Arcum's Astrolabe, Ashnod's Altar, Myr Moonvessel, and Cathodion must support early plays, commander tax, and protection windows. Value untapped white access highly when deciding keeps and sequencing.
- Sideboard modules: Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, and Disenchant are artifact/enchantment pressure tools; Journey to Nowhere and Celestial Flare are creature-answer tools; Standard Bearer and Coalition Honor Guard redirect targeted interaction; Crimson Acolyte and Obsidian Acolyte fight color-specific pressure; Prismatic Strands protects combat math and buys setup turns.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Teshar recursion snowball: Set up white mana, at least one meaningful creature in the graveyard, and a castable historic spell before committing Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle. Execute by casting Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle with immediate follow-up from Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Arcum's Astrolabe, Jack-o'-Lantern, Lotus Petal, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Welding Jar, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Myr Moonvessel, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, artifact mana, or another legal historic spell, then recur the creature that best affects the visible turn: Spirited Companion, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Perilous Myr, or a needed blocker. Prioritize this path when Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle can generate value immediately, when protection is available, or when waiting lets the opponent convert a visible board or graveyard engine.
- Protected engine-combat finish: Build a board where Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Thermal Navigator, Perilous Myr, and other bodies can attack while recursion rebuilds trades. Execute by preserving Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or the key attacker with Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, Fanatical Devotion, or sideboard protection when legal. Prioritize this path after stabilizing life total or when the opponent's visible hand/resources cannot easily beat repeated small attacks.
- Ashnod's Altar conversion finish: Use Ashnod's Altar as a mana and material converter only when the sacrifice produces a concrete legal follow-up, commander recast, protected Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turn, or lethal/near-lethal pressure. Execute by sacrificing expendable artifacts or creatures such as Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, Perilous Myr, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Gleaming Barrier, token-like material if visible, or replaceable value bodies when the resulting mana recasts historic spells or advances a decisive board. Prioritize this path when mana bottlenecks, commander tax, or a single explosive turn matters more than keeping the sacrificed body.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Incremental evasive pressure: Win through repeated attacks from Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, and any confirmed evasive text from Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, or Mimic. Card text check required for Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, and Mimic before relying on evasion, pump, or combat abilities; until then, use legal action text and visible stats only.
- Value bodies plus protection: Win by making every removal spell or combat trade inefficient with Spirited Companion, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Priest of Ancient Lore, Filigree Familiar, Helpful Hunter, Airlift Chaplain, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, and Conjurer's Bauble. This path is correct when the opponent is low on cards, graveyard disruption is absent or spent, and combat can close without exposing Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle into a bad exchange.
- Perilous Myr attrition: Use Perilous Myr as a removal, deterrent, or reach piece only according to visible legal triggers and targets. Recur it with Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle when the legal target advances survival, removes a blocker, pressures a planeswalker-equivalent permanent if rules output allows, or converts a sacrifice line into damage.
- Hate-backed lockout pressure: Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Cathar Commando, Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, and Prismatic Strands can turn specific matchups into slow wins by shutting down the visible axis that matters. Do not treat these as generic win conditions; use them when the opponent's public board, graveyard, combat, artifact, enchantment, or targeted-interaction plan is the reason you are losing.

## Emergency Lines
- Behind on life: Prioritize blockers, life-preserving combat, Kami of False Hope, Prismatic Strands if sideboarded, Celestial Flare if sideboarded, Journey to Nowhere if sideboarded, Perilous Myr, Gleaming Barrier, Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, and protection that prevents lethal over speculative engine value. Stop spending life or tempo on tapped cycling lands unless the legal alternatives do not affect survival.
- Behind on board: Stabilize before engine greed by casting cheap bodies, value creatures, Journey to Nowhere if sideboarded, Celestial Flare if sideboarded, Cathar Commando, Perilous Myr, or a protected Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle line that returns an immediate blocker. Sacrifice with Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, or Rusted Slasher only when the resulting legal action changes combat or preserves a more important permanent.
- Behind on cards: Use Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Helpful Hunter, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Arcum's Astrolabe to rebuild, but prefer card flow attached to blockers or mana when under pressure. Avoid cycling Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, or Secluded Steppe if land drops or commander tax are the real constraint.
- Behind on mana: Preserve Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, Darksteel Citadel, Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, Tocasia's Dig Site, artifact mana, and Lotus Petal for turns that unlock Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or protection. Use Ashnod's Altar, Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Springleaf Drum, and Buried Treasure as recovery tools when legal follow-up is visible, not as automatic accelerants.
- Graveyard or commander plan disrupted: Shift to combat-value midrange with protected flyers, artifact creatures, draw bodies, sideboard answers, and patient removal. If Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle becomes too expensive or graveyard targets are absent, stop forcing recursion and convert resources into pressure plus survival until a new graveyard target or historic follow-up appears.
- Win conditions removed or stalled: Win through whatever visible board remains: repeated small attacks, Perilous Myr damage, protected key attacker, or attrition from recursive artifacts. Card text check required before treating Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, or Voyager Quickwelder as a closing engine beyond their legal exposed actions.

## Resource Model
- Life is a stabilizing resource, not a combo fuel, so spend it only when the exchange preserves Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, blocks lethal pressure, or buys a turn for recursion. Treat Kami of False Hope, Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, Gleaming Barrier, Perilous Myr, and sideboard Prismatic Strands or Celestial Flare as life-conversion tools when combat is the opponent's visible plan.
- Hand size converts into board material through cheap artifacts and value creatures, so prefer plays that leave a future historic spell plus a creature in graveyard for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle. Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Helpful Hunter, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Arcum's Astrolabe should replenish cards without emptying the hand into a sweeper or graveyard hate.
- Mana converts into recursion turns, commander tax recovery, and protection windows, so do not sacrifice Lotus Petal, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Buried Treasure, Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, or creatures to Ashnod's Altar unless a concrete legal follow-up is visible. A strong mana conversion casts Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, recasts a historic spell, pays for protection, or creates blockers immediately.
- Board presence is both pressure and fuel, so classify each permanent before trading it. Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, and Thermal Navigator can be attackers; Ornithopter, Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, Gleaming Barrier, Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, and Perilous Myr can be sacrifice or trade material when the resulting trigger or recursion is legal and relevant. Card text check required for Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, and Thermal Navigator before relying on hidden combat text.
- Graveyard cards are a managed inventory for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Voyager Quickwelder. Do not exile, shuffle, or sacrifice graveyard resources with Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, or Conjurer's Bauble if the graveyard is the only route to stabilizing or rebuilding.
- Exile is mostly a denial or spent-resource zone, so use Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Revoke Existence, Dust to Dust, and Journey to Nowhere when the visible target matters more than preserving your own graveyard texture. If an exile action affects both graveyards, verify that opponent pressure or graveyard payoff is more urgent than your next Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle line.
- Lands convert into tempo by entering at the right time, so value untapped Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, and Darksteel Citadel when curving early plays. Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Secluded Steppe, Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, and Tocasia's Dig Site are utility resources that should not delay white mana, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, or protection unless the hand already has enough untapped sources.
- Sacrifice fodder is not free unless the legal result improves the turn. Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, Perilous Myr, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, and Gleaming Barrier are strongest when they protect a key permanent, generate mana for an immediate play, create a death trigger, or place a creature in graveyard for a visible Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle trigger.
- Information converts into patience, so make removal, graveyard hate, and protection choices from public threats and known revealed cards only. Sideboard bullets such as Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, Prismatic Strands, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, and Disenchant should answer the opponent's visible axis rather than a guessed card.

## Mana Guide
- White mana is the first requirement, so keep hands that can produce Snow-Covered Plains mana early or have Ancient Den plus functional plays. Do not keep a hand that only cycles, filters, or taps awkwardly through Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Secluded Steppe, Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Jack-o'-Lantern, or Arcum's Astrolabe unless it also has early board action and a realistic path to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle.
- Untapped early lands should cast material before utility lands are deployed, especially Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Benevolent Bodyguard, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Springleaf Drum, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, or protection. Play tapped cycling lands early only when the hand already has an untapped white source for the next meaningful spell.
- Play land before draw effects when the draw effect does not change land selection and you need guaranteed mana this turn. Consider drawing first with Thraben Inspector clues, Novice Inspector clues, Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, or Arcum's Astrolabe only when land choice is genuinely uncertain and missing a specific untapped land changes the legal sequence.
- Preserve artifact mana for commander and protection turns, especially Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Buried Treasure, Springleaf Drum, Lotus Petal, and Ashnod's Altar. Spending these into replaceable value spells is weaker than holding them to cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle with Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Fanatical Devotion available.
- Sequence Springleaf Drum only when a creature can tap without losing a necessary blocker or attacker. Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, small inspectors, and expendable artifact creatures are acceptable Drum partners when combat pressure is low; do not tap the only relevant blocker under a short clock.
- Use Ashnod's Altar as burst mana only after confirming the sacrifice and follow-up are legal. Preferred sacrifices are expendable bodies, death-value artifacts, or creatures that Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, or Conjurer's Bauble can later recover.
- Cycle Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, and Secluded Steppe only when land count is already sufficient for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle plus likely commander tax. Under mana pressure, playing the land is usually stronger than converting it into a random card.
- Treat colorless and utility lands as support, not substitutes for white. Ancient Den supports historic count and white mana; Darksteel Citadel supports historic count but not white mana; Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, and Tocasia's Dig Site require runtime legal-action checks before relying on exact filtering or utility text.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: keep Snow-Covered Plains or Ancient Den plus two early functional plays and either Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, protection, or velocity. Examples include Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, Thraben Inspector, Chromatic Star, Benevolent Bodyguard, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, and Loran's Escape; or Snow-Covered Plains, Darksteel Citadel, Novice Inspector, Ornithopter, Springleaf Drum, Skyscanner, and Blacksmith's Skill.
- Medium keep: keep two lands with early material and a draw bridge when the hand can reach turn three without spending a fragile resource poorly. Examples include Snow-Covered Plains, Desert of the True, Spirited Companion, Mind Stone, Conjurer's Bauble, Perilous Myr, and Gods Willing; this hand is acceptable if Desert of the True entering tapped does not strand turn-two action.
- Risky keep: keep one-land hands only when Snow-Covered Plains or Ancient Den casts multiple legal one-mana plays and a draw/filter path. Snow-Covered Plains with Thraben Inspector, Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star, Lotus Petal, Ornithopter, Tormod's Crypt, and Leonin Squire can function, but ship if missing the second mana source after early draw would leave no board stabilization.
- Automatic ship: ship hands with no white source, no early board action, or only utility mana. Darksteel Citadel, Conduit Pylons, Hidden Grotto, Tocasia's Dig Site, Everflowing Chalice, Ashnod's Altar, Rusted Slasher, and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is not a keep unless Veles shows a legal path to white mana and early plays.
- Trap hand: do not keep a hand that cycles and filters without a payoff or blocker. Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Arcum's Astrolabe, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Relic of Progenitus, and Tormod's Crypt look busy but do not stabilize unless paired with Snow-Covered Plains, a creature, and a later Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or recursion plan.
- Trap hand: do not keep Ashnod's Altar plus sacrifice fodder as a plan by itself. Ashnod's Altar, Cathodion, Myr Moonvessel, Gleaming Barrier, Workshop Assistant, and no payoff can turn cards into mana without improving the board; keep only if the same hand also casts Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, a recovery creature, or a real defensive line.
- Matchup-dependent keep: keep Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, or Journey to Nowhere-style interaction only when the opponent's public commander, revealed deck, or matchup label makes graveyard pressure or a single threat central. Against unknown pressure, prefer creatures and protection over speculative hate.
- Play/draw rule: on the play, prioritize untapped white mana plus one- and two-mana permanents over slow cycling lands. On the draw, a slower hand with Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, Inspiring Overseer, Filigree Familiar, or Skyscanner is more acceptable if it still has a turn-two board play.
- Commander keep rule: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is a strong opener only with a historic follow-up or protection. A hand that casts Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle on curve but cannot follow with Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Tormod's Crypt, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, or a protective spell risks paying commander tax for no value.
- Unknown-text caution: Card text check required for Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, and Voyager Quickwelder before keeping a hand because of exact text. Keep them as bodies or possible material only when legal actions and visible mana already support the hand.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1: lead on Snow-Covered Plains or Ancient Den when possible, then cast a cheap permanent that creates material. Preferred plays are Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Benevolent Bodyguard, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Springleaf Drum with a free creature, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, or Welding Jar; hold Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, and Loran's Escape unless Veles shows a legal protection decision for a permanent that matters now.
- Turn 1 deviation: play Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, or Secluded Steppe tapped only if the rest of the hand has turn-two white action. If the hand has Ancient Den plus Glint Hawk or Kor Skyfisher, confirm the bounce sequence is legal and does not set mana behind before choosing it.
- Turn 2: build board plus mana before spending cards for abstract value. Preferred plays are Spirited Companion, Mind Stone, Fellwar Stone, Arcane Signet, Springleaf Drum plus creature, Cathar Commando when a body matters, Perilous Myr versus early attackers, or Leonin Squire only when a real artifact target is already in graveyard.
- Turn 2 deviation: use Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, or Cathar Commando reactively when the opponent presents a visible graveyard engine, artifact, enchantment, or lethal setup. Do not fire hate into empty or low-impact public zones just to spend mana.
- Turn 3: choose between stabilizing, drawing, and preparing Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle. Preferred plays include Priest of Ancient Lore, Inspiring Overseer, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Foundry Inspector, Starnheim Courser, Commander's Sphere, or a protected Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle setup if a historic follow-up is available.
- Turn 3 deviation: cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle only when the same turn or next protected turn can convert a historic spell into a meaningful recursion trigger. If removal is likely from visible mana and board context, wait with Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Fanatical Devotion available.
- Turns 4-5: commit to the engine when protection, historic density, and graveyard texture line up. Good turns cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, then use Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Tormod's Crypt, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, or Myr Moonvessel to recur a visible creature that changes combat, mana, or cards.
- Turns 4-5 deviation: if the opponent is ahead on board, stabilize before looping. Prioritize Journey to Nowhere after sideboard, Celestial Flare after sideboard, Cathar Commando, Perilous Myr, Kami of False Hope, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Gleaming Barrier, and profitable blocks over a slow value chain.
- Late game: convert recursion into inevitability or a clock, not endless card motion. Rebuy Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Spirited Companion, Filigree Familiar, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, or Perilous Myr when the result either protects Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, answers pressure, reloads cards, or adds lethal pressure.
- Late game deviation: preserve graveyard tools when they are the only rebuild path. Do not sacrifice Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Relic of Progenitus, or Tormod's Crypt into your own key graveyard unless the opponent's visible graveyard line, lethal threat, or rules-engine legal action makes the exchange necessary.

## Card Roles
- Commander engine: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is the deck's highest-leverage card and should be cast when a historic follow-up, protection piece, or immediate recursion target is visible. Do not expose Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle into open interaction just to use mana; prefer a turn that also casts Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Tormod's Crypt, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, or another legal historic spell. Treat commander tax as a real resource loss; a protected delayed Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is often stronger than an unprotected on-curve one.

- Protection suite: Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, and Fanatical Devotion should protect Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, a recursion bridge, or a lethal attacker before they protect replaceable value creatures. Use protection reactively when Veles shows a legal target and the opposing spell or combat result would break the engine, kill the closing threat, or remove the only stabilizer. Avoid spending protection to save Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, or similar bodies unless survival, lethal pressure, or a sacrifice chain depends on that exact permanent.

- Sacrifice and mana engine: Ashnod's Altar is a commitment card, not a casual ramp piece, because it converts creatures into colorless mana and graveyard texture only when the deck can use the mana or recur the material. Sacrifice Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, Gleaming Barrier, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Perilous Myr, Filigree Familiar, or expendable zero-mana creatures when the legal follow-up improves board, mana, cards, or a Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle chain. Rusted Slasher and Fanatical Devotion are protection-sacrifice outlets; use them to blank removal, preserve commander access, or create profitable death triggers, not to shrink the board without a payoff.

- Artifact cantrip and recursion fuel: Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Arcum's Astrolabe, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, and Shriekhorn are cheap historic permanents that help turn on Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle. Cast Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, and Arcum's Astrolabe early when they fix mana or replace themselves; hold them when Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is imminent and the historic trigger matters more. Use Conjurer's Bauble and Jack-o'-Lantern carefully because they can restore key cards or disturb graveyards; do not self-disrupt a useful Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, or Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle recursion line for low-impact velocity. Use Relic of Progenitus and Tormod's Crypt patiently against visible graveyard engines; their presence can be stronger than firing them early.

- Mana rocks and color tools: Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Springleaf Drum, Lotus Petal, Buried Treasure, Conduit Pylons, and Hidden Grotto are tempo tools that should advance early board development or commander-tax recovery. Prefer permanent mana before one-shot mana unless the one-shot unlocks Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle plus immediate value or a survival play. Springleaf Drum is strongest with Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, or other bodies that are not needed for blocking this turn. Mind Stone and Commander's Sphere may be cashed in later when cards matter more than mana, but avoid sacrificing them before Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, or commander tax is accounted for.

- Lands and cycling lands: Snow-Covered Plains is the default early land because the deck needs reliable white mana more than utility. Ancient Den is both a land and a historic artifact; value it highly with Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, and artifact-count payoffs, but respect artifact removal risk when mana is scarce. Darksteel Citadel supplies durable historic material but not white mana, so do not keep it as the only land path. Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, and Secluded Steppe are slow lands early and card flow late; cycle them only when land count, commander tax, and current legal plays are already covered. Tocasia's Dig Site is a utility land; use its activated ability only when spending mana does not delay board stabilization or a protected engine turn.

- Bounce and replay package: Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, and Aviary Mechanic turn cheap permanents into repeat value, but they can also set back mana if used carelessly. Bounce Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Arcum's Astrolabe, or Ancient Den when the replay is legal and the tempo loss is acceptable. Do not bounce the only white source or a needed blocker unless the resulting line is required for survival, a Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle trigger, or immediate card flow.

- ETB card-flow creatures: Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, and Helpful Hunter are the deck's stabilizing velocity. Cast them early to build material, then recur or bounce them when extra cards convert into protection, land drops, sacrifice fodder, or pressure. Card text check required for Helpful Hunter before relying on exact text; until then, treat it as a possible value creature only when Veles legal actions confirm its effect. Do not loop card-flow creatures forever when a faster attack, protection hold-up, or removal line would close the game.

- Recursion bodies: Leonin Squire and Trusty Packbeast recover cheap artifacts, while Myr Retriever and Workshop Assistant recover artifacts after dying. Use Leonin Squire and Trusty Packbeast when a visible graveyard target such as Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, or Perilous Myr materially changes the turn. Sacrifice Myr Retriever and Workshop Assistant only when the artifact returned is worth the body and the resulting line is legal; avoid trading them off with an empty or irrelevant graveyard.

- Defensive bodies and blockers: Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Gleaming Barrier, Kami of False Hope, Perilous Myr, Cathar Commando, and Benevolent Bodyguard buy time while enabling historic and sacrifice plans. Use zero-mana artifact creatures as Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle triggers, Springleaf Drum material, or emergency blockers. Kami of False Hope should be saved for a combat step that prevents lethal or a major race swing. Perilous Myr is removal pressure and sacrifice value; line it up against small creatures or sacrifice it when damage matters. Cathar Commando is both a body and interaction; hold it when a visible artifact or enchantment is likely to matter soon.

- Cost reducers and artifact payoffs: Foundry Inspector and Starnheim Courser are setup permanents that make multi-spell Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turns more realistic. Cast them before a hand full of artifacts, artifact creatures, or protection-permanent sequences, but do not prioritize them over urgent blockers against pressure. Myr Kinsmith, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Mechanical Mobster, Magic Pot, Exosuit Savior, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Voyager Quickwelder, Kindly Customer, Lunatic Pandora, Spectacular Tactics, and Springjaw Trap require card text checks before exact tactical reliance; use Veles legal action text and visible stats to classify them as blockers, attackers, historic material, removal, protection, or engine pieces at runtime. Card text check required for each of these unfamiliar cards before making a keep, target, or sacrifice decision based on assumed rules text.

- Closing threats: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, and any enlarged or evasive legal attacker are how the deck ends games after stabilizing. Start attacking once protection and recursion can cover a crack-back or removal spell. Do not let value loops replace lethal pressure; if the visible opponent is low or out of blockers, prefer the line that preserves enough defense and advances the clock.

- Removal and hate in the main deck: Cathar Commando, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Perilous Myr, Springjaw Trap, and Spectacular Tactics are the main registered answers before sideboarding. Use them on visible engines, lethal threats, graveyard dependency, or combat swings rather than on the first legal target. Card text check required for Springjaw Trap and Spectacular Tactics before assuming removal, combat, or trap-like timing; follow only legal Veles prompts and visible action labels.

## Interaction Priorities
- Priority: Answer visible engines before replaceable bodies. Use Cathar Commando, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Perilous Myr, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Disenchant, Revoke Existence, Dust to Dust, or Prismatic Strands only when Veles shows a legal action that changes a real axis: opposing commander engine, graveyard recursion, lethal attacker, artifact/enchantment lock, or combat step that otherwise breaks parity.

- Priority: Preserve Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle and Ashnod's Altar over ordinary value creatures. Spend Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Fanatical Devotion first to save Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle when a historic follow-up or recursion chain is available; protect Ashnod's Altar when it converts current creatures into a multi-spell turn or commander-tax recovery. Do not spend protection on Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, or Skyscanner unless the saved body prevents lethal, preserves a decisive sacrifice bridge, or keeps pressure lethal.

- Priority: Exile graveyards at commitment points, not at first contact. Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, and Jack-o'-Lantern should wait for the opponent to target a graveyard card, build a threshold-dependent turn, commit a recursion spell, or make a graveyard payoff visible. Do not shrink your own Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, or Jack-o'-Lantern texture unless stopping the opponent is more important than future recursion.

- Priority: Bait removal with redundant value before exposing the commander. Against open interaction, lead with Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Filigree Familiar, Skyscanner, Foundry Inspector, Starnheim Courser, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, or artifact mana when those plays still advance the board. Commit Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle after the opponent spends mana, after protection is available, or when passing gives the opponent a stronger window.

- Priority: Ignore low-impact creatures when the opponent's engine is the threat. Small attackers can be raced or blanked by Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, Ornithopter, Gleaming Barrier, Kami of False Hope, and token-like material; removal should target evasive clocks, commanders, combo permanents, repeatable card advantage, or creatures whose attack forces bad blocks. Perilous Myr can pressure small utility creatures without spending premium interaction.

- Archetype shift: Against graveyard decks, treat Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Conjurer's Bauble, Leonin Squire, and Trusty Packbeast as a contested resource package. Against artifacts or enchantments, hold Cathar Commando, Disenchant, Revoke Existence, and Dust to Dust for visible permanents that generate mana, cards, locks, or lethal damage. Against red or black removal-heavy decks, value Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, Benevolent Bodyguard, and instant protection more highly once they are in the active configuration.

- Card text check required: Springjaw Trap, Spectacular Tactics, Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, Voyager Quickwelder, Dire Mimic, and Mimic must be used from legal action text and visible stats only until exact text is confirmed.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Attack plan: Start attacking when pressure does not expose Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or the sacrifice engine to a lethal crack-back. Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Dire Mimic, Mimic, and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle are closing tools, but they should not attack into obvious profitable blocks unless damage, evasion, or protection changes the exchange.

- Block plan: Trade replaceable material before engine material. Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Gleaming Barrier, Myr Moonvessel, Cathodion, Perilous Myr, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, and used-up value creatures are preferred blockers when the trade protects life total or buys a Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turn. Avoid blocking with Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Benevolent Bodyguard, Cathar Commando, or Kami of False Hope when their future role is more important than the damage prevented.

- Life thresholds: At 15 or more life, accept small attacks if blocking would lose recursion, protection, or a flyer that can close. At 10 to 14 life, stabilize unless the counterattack is clearly faster. At 9 or less life, prioritize survival, including Kami of False Hope, Prismatic Strands, Celestial Flare, protection-assisted blocks, and sacrifice lines through Fanatical Devotion when legal.

- Protection timing: Use Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, and Fanatical Devotion during combat to win a decisive exchange, preserve Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, save Ashnod's Altar support, or force lethal damage. Do not protect a replaceable attacker merely to push a few damage if the next turn needs protection for commander recursion.

- Archetype shift: Against aggro, block earlier and value Kami of False Hope, Prismatic Strands, Celestial Flare, Gleaming Barrier, Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, and life-buffer bodies. Against control, attack with evasive and recursive bodies while holding protection for removal. Against combo or engine decks, pressure life totals sooner, but keep Cathar Commando and graveyard hate untapped or unspent when their visible target matters.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Selection rule: Treat this list as pseudo-selection, not a true tutor deck. There is no registered Expedition Map or broad library tutor in the main deck; choose from Veles-exposed legal actions for draw, cycling, graveyard return, and search-like prompts rather than assuming access to any missing card.

- Early filtering: Use Arcum's Astrolabe, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Priest of Ancient Lore, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, and cycling lands to hit land drops before spending one-shot artifacts for marginal velocity. If the opener already has white mana and two early plays, prefer board material before cracking draw artifacts unless a missing land drop, protection piece, or Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle setup is the bottleneck.

- Land-drop timing: Play untapped white sources before Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, or Secluded Steppe when a same-turn creature, protection spell, or commander deployment matters. Cycle Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, or Secluded Steppe only when land count is stable, tapped mana would cost tempo, or the hand needs action more than another future mana source.

- Graveyard selection: Choose Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle targets by current role. Return Ashnod's Altar, protection artifacts, cheap historic spells, or a body that reopens a recursion chain before selecting a generic value artifact.

- Airlift Chaplain rule: If Veles reveals a legal Airlift Chaplain selection from milled cards, prioritize the card that fixes the current failure mode: Snow-Covered Plains or another land when mana is short, a low-cost creature when board presence or Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle recursion is needed, and no card only if the legal prompt makes that forced or clearly superior from visible options.

- Myr Kinsmith rule: Card text check required before assuming the exact library-search range. If Veles exposes a legal Myr Kinsmith search or selection prompt, choose the visible Myr option that advances the active plan: Myr Retriever for recursion texture, Myr Moonvessel for mana/sacrifice texture, Perilous Myr for interaction, or a legal alternative only when the action text makes it better for the visible board.

- Self-mill discipline: Use Shriekhorn and Tocasia's Dig Site only when the graveyard has a payoff path through Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, or Ashnod's Altar. Do not mill just to spend mana if the hand lacks recursion, the opponent has graveyard pressure, or decking/resource loss is becoming relevant.

- Bottoming and ordering: For scry, surveil, or similar Veles prompts from Hidden Grotto, Tocasia's Dig Site, or other visible effects, keep white mana, cheap historic spells, protection for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, and immediate interaction. Bottom redundant tapped lands, expensive stranded pieces, or card-text-uncertain options when the visible hand already has their role covered.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Priority rule: Pass priority when the stack is empty, the board is stable, and no legal action advances mana, protection, pressure, or engine setup. Think before passing with open mana if the opponent controls a visible engine, threatens lethal, targets Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, or exposes a graveyard/stack window.

- Commander commitment: Cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle into open mana only when the same turn has a legal historic follow-up, protection from Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Fanatical Devotion, or waiting gives the opponent a stronger board. A naked commander pass is a low-confidence line unless the legal alternatives are worse.

- Historic follow-up timing: After Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle resolves, prioritize cheap historic spells that immediately recur meaningful material. Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Lotus Petal, Welding Jar, and artifact mana are engine triggers only when the graveyard target matters.

- Protection response: Use instant protection in response to removal, damage, exile, bounce, combat damage, or stack interaction when the protected permanent is Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, a lethal attacker, or a recursion bridge. Let removal resolve on replaceable value creatures unless saving them prevents lethal, preserves a chain, or wins combat.

- Graveyard timing: Activate Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, or Jack-o'-Lantern at the opponent's commitment point, not merely because a graveyard contains cards. Respond to a visible target, recursion spell, threshold-like payoff, or lethal graveyard line; preserve your own graveyard when Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or artifact-recursion cards still need it.

- Sacrifice timing: Use Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Cathar Commando, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Buried Treasure, and Lotus Petal only when the sacrifice creates mana, protection, interaction, a card, or a recursion trigger that matters now. Do not sacrifice a bridge piece before the visible stack or board asks for it.

- Combat windows: Hold Kami of False Hope, Prismatic Strands, Celestial Flare, protection spells, Perilous Myr lines, and sacrifice outlets for declared attackers, declared blockers, or damage-prevention windows when Veles shows legal prompts. Do not fire prevention or removal before attacks unless the visible board proves waiting loses the game.

- Optional triggers and payments: Accept optional value only when it advances the active plan and does not consume mana needed for protection, commander tax, graveyard interaction, or a combat trick. Decline low-impact optional payments when the stack or visible board indicates a more important response is likely this turn.

- Card text check required: Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, Voyager Quickwelder, Dire Mimic, and Mimic must follow legal action labels and visible timing only until exact text is verified.

## Sideboard Map
- Sideboard rule: Use exact plans only when the matchup label and visible cards match the role described, then continue to follow Veles legal actions. If the opponent presents a different axis after Game 1, prefer the archetype rules below over a stale plan name.

- Artifact/enchantment pressure rule: Add role cards: Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, and Disenchant against artifact engines, equipment-like pressure, artifact mana snowballs, enchantment locks, or permanent-based graveyard/recursion hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Shriekhorn, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, or another card-text-uncertain pressure piece when the game is about answering visible permanents instead of building graveyard texture.

Artifact/enchantment engine plan
Side in: Dust to Dust; Revoke Existence; Disenchant
Cut: Shriekhorn; Spectacular Tactics; Springjaw Trap

- Dust to Dust role: Bring Dust to Dust when the opponent has multiple important artifacts, artifact lands, mana artifacts, artifact creatures, or a visible artifact engine that makes a two-target exile effect high impact. It is weaker when the opponent shows only one artifact at a time, when your mana is under heavy pressure, or when spending a full turn on sorcery-speed interaction would expose Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle without follow-up.

- Revoke Existence role: Bring Revoke Existence when exiling one artifact or enchantment matters more than destroying it, especially against recursive artifacts, indestructible artifacts, enchantment-based engines, or graveyard loops that destruction would not solve cleanly. It is weaker when the opponent's threats are mostly creatures or stack-based interaction, and it should not displace too much velocity unless a visible permanent demands exile.

- Disenchant role: Bring Disenchant when instant-speed artifact or enchantment interaction matters, especially where holding mana through the opponent's turn can catch a lock piece, combat modifier, or engine permanent before it generates another trigger. It is weaker in slow mirrors where Revoke Existence's exile matters more, and it should not be treated as a creature-removal spell unless Veles presents a legal artifact/enchantment creature target.

- Red creature pressure rule: Add role cards: Crimson Acolyte, Prismatic Strands, Celestial Flare, and Journey to Nowhere against fast red damage, large red attackers, burn-heavy creature decks, or go-wide combat where prevention and clean removal buy time for the Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Relic of Progenitus or Tormod's Crypt when the opponent has no graveyard plan, and reduce slower uncertain engines when early survival is the bottleneck.

Red pressure survival plan
Side in: Crimson Acolyte; Prismatic Strands; Celestial Flare; Journey to Nowhere
Cut: Relic of Progenitus; Tormod's Crypt; Shriekhorn; Magic Pot

- Crimson Acolyte role: Bring Crimson Acolyte against red removal, red attackers, red commanders, or red sweep-like combat pressure when protection from red can keep Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, a key blocker, or a racing attacker alive. It is weaker against nonred creature decks, edict effects, colorless artifacts, and board states where the issue is enchantments or graveyards rather than red sources.

- Prismatic Strands role: Bring Prismatic Strands against combat-heavy damage, burn turns, or boards where preventing one color's damage can buy a full turn cycle. It is weaker against non-damage removal, exile, sacrifice effects, colorless threats, or mixed-color boards where one color choice will not cover the relevant damage; choose color only from visible sources and legal Veles prompts.

- Celestial Flare role: Bring Celestial Flare against tall attackers, suited-up commanders, hexproof-like protection, or combat plans that expose one or two attacking or blocking creatures. It is weaker against token-like wide attacks, opponents that can sacrifice irrelevant attackers, and noncombat engines; wait for legal combat windows rather than firing removal before attackers if survival permits.

- Journey to Nowhere role: Bring Journey to Nowhere when a single creature must be removed cleanly for multiple turns, especially a commander, large attacker, hate creature, or engine creature. It is weaker against decks with easy enchantment removal, many interchangeable bodies, or sacrifice outlets that make one-for-one enchantment removal low impact.

- Targeted-spell pressure rule: Add role cards: Standard Bearer and Coalition Honor Guard against decks whose removal, pump, auras, protection, or combo pieces must target creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: fragile card-velocity bodies or uncertain role cards only when the flagbearer effect changes the matchup axis; do not add both merely because the opponent has creatures.

Targeted interaction tax plan
Side in: Standard Bearer; Coalition Honor Guard
Cut: Spectacular Tactics; Lunatic Pandora

- Standard Bearer role: Bring Standard Bearer when redirecting targeted spells or abilities can protect Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, stop pump-target lines, interfere with aura-style development, or tax spot removal. It is weaker against sweepers, edicts, nontargeted combat, graveyard combo, and opponents that can easily remove a small creature before committing the important target.

- Coalition Honor Guard role: Bring Coalition Honor Guard when the same flagbearer effect needs a sturdier body or when the opponent's targeted plan is central enough that a higher-mana defensive creature is worth the tempo. It is weaker when four mana competes with commander recast plus historic follow-up, or when the opponent's pressure ignores targeting.

- Black removal or black creature pressure rule: Add role cards: Obsidian Acolyte, Journey to Nowhere, and Celestial Flare against black commanders, black spot removal, black attackers, or black attrition decks where protecting Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or blanking a key attack matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: graveyard hate only if the opponent is not using the graveyard, and reduce low-board-impact artifacts when the matchup is about surviving removal plus pressure.

Black attrition plan
Side in: Obsidian Acolyte; Journey to Nowhere; Celestial Flare
Cut: Shriekhorn; Springjaw Trap; Magic Pot

- Obsidian Acolyte role: Bring Obsidian Acolyte against black targeted removal, black combat threats, or black commanders where protection from black can preserve the commander engine or force awkward attacks. It is weaker against sacrifice effects, nonblack removal, artifact threats, and boards where graveyard or enchantment interaction is the real problem.

- Graveyard-light creature rule: Add role cards: Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Prismatic Strands, Crimson Acolyte, or Obsidian Acolyte according to the attacking colors and threat shape. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, and Jack-o'-Lantern only when the opponent's graveyard is not a resource and your own recursion needs graveyard access.

- Graveyard-heavy opponent rule: Keep Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, and Jack-o'-Lantern in the main configuration unless sideboard permanent interaction is more urgent. Add role cards: Revoke Existence or Disenchant only for visible graveyard hate permanents or enchantment/artifact engines; do not dilute the deck's own recursion plan with off-axis cards.

- Low-interaction value mirror rule: Add role cards: Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, or Journey to Nowhere only after seeing artifacts, enchantments, or a must-answer creature that beats your recursive value. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow combat tricks and card-text-uncertain threats before reducing Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, or Workshop Assistant, because those cards keep the Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle engine supplied.

- Role-change rule: After sideboarding, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle remains the engine, but the sideboard card defines the first defensive checkpoint. Against artifacts and enchantments, spend early turns preserving mana for Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, or Disenchant; against combat, preserve bodies and prevention windows for Prismatic Strands, Celestial Flare, Crimson Acolyte, or Obsidian Acolyte; against targeted interaction, protect the flagbearer long enough for Standard Bearer or Coalition Honor Guard to force the opponent through the wrong channel.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: Prioritize survival into recursive stabilization before maximizing artifact velocity. Keep hands with white mana, early bodies, and a path to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or multiple blockers; value Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Kami of False Hope, Gleaming Barrier, Perilous Myr, Phyrexian Walker, Shield Sphere, and Filigree Familiar as time-buying material. Add role cards: Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Prismatic Strands, Crimson Acolyte, or Obsidian Acolyte according to visible attacking colors and threat shape. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Shriekhorn, Magic Pot, Springjaw Trap, or other card-text-uncertain low-board-impact cards when the opponent is forcing early combat.

- Burn: Preserve life total and protection timing over incremental card flow. Use Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, and Fanatical Devotion to protect Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle only when the protected permanent converts into a meaningful board or life-total swing; do not spend protection on replaceable bodies unless it prevents lethal or keeps a key blocker. Add role cards: Crimson Acolyte and Prismatic Strands against visible red damage, plus Standard Bearer or Coalition Honor Guard when burn or pump must target creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Relic of Progenitus and Tormod's Crypt when the opponent is not using the graveyard.

- Go-wide: Trade early, preserve prevention windows, and avoid overvaluing single-target answers. Prioritize bodies that replace themselves, recursive blockers, Kami of False Hope, Perilous Myr, Gleaming Barrier, Filigree Familiar, and flyers that can race only after the board is stable. Prismatic Strands is the highest-impact sideboard card when one color represents most combat damage; Celestial Flare is lower priority if many small attackers can absorb the sacrifice. Add role cards: Journey to Nowhere only for a lord-like, commander-like, or engine creature that makes the wide board lethal. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow self-mill or uncertain artifacts that do not affect combat immediately.

- Single-threat: Answer the threat cleanly before building extra engine loops. Hold Journey to Nowhere for the visible creature that actually beats the current board, and use Celestial Flare when the opponent commits the important attacker or blocker into combat. Protection effects should defend the blocker, sacrifice bridge, or Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turn that lets the deck rebuild after the threat is contained. Add role cards: Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Obsidian Acolyte, or Crimson Acolyte according to color and combat texture. Reduce main-deck emphasis: broad graveyard hate only when it does not answer the single threat or disrupt the opponent's plan.

- Tempo: Develop cheap material without walking Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle into an exposed commander-tax turn. Favor one- and two-mana plays such as Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Benevolent Bodyguard, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Aviary Mechanic, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, and Shield Sphere when they make future turns flexible. Cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle when there is an immediate historic follow-up, protection, or enough mana to recover if it is answered. Add role cards: Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Journey to Nowhere, Disenchant, or Revoke Existence only when visible tempo tools rely on targeting or permanents.

- Control: Force answers through layered must-answer permanents rather than sacrificing the whole hand to one engine turn. Sequence value creatures and artifacts so Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is a reload tool, not the only plan; prioritize Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Spirited Companion, Filigree Familiar, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, and Conjurer's Bauble for sustained material. Hold Ashnod's Altar until it either accelerates a protected Teshar turn, converts expendable bodies into a decisive sequence, or threatens recursion with Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, or Trusty Packbeast. Add role cards: Standard Bearer and Coalition Honor Guard against targeted removal-heavy control, plus Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, or Disenchant against visible artifact or enchantment engines.

- Removal-heavy: Make every important permanent enter with protection, recursion, or immediate value. Prefer casting Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle with Benevolent Bodyguard, Welding Jar, Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, or Fanatical Devotion available, and prefer historic follow-ups that recur a creature immediately. Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, and Jack-o'-Lantern are key recovery tools; do not exile or sacrifice your own graveyard resources casually. Add role cards: Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Obsidian Acolyte, Crimson Acolyte, and Prismatic Strands according to visible removal colors and damage sources.

- Midrange: Win the attrition exchange by making small cards matter twice. Trade expendable artifact creatures and ETB bodies when Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, or Jack-o'-Lantern can convert the graveyard into future material. Do not fire Relic of Progenitus if your graveyard is the stronger resource unless the opponent's graveyard engine is visibly more dangerous. Add role cards: Journey to Nowhere for the largest engine creature, Dust to Dust for artifact permanents, Revoke Existence or Disenchant for artifacts or enchantments, and Celestial Flare for combat-committed tall threats.

- Big mana: Pressure early while holding answers for the first permanent that changes inevitability. Use Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, and other visible attackers to shorten the clock once mana is stable; Card text check required for Dire Mimic, Mimic, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Lunatic Pandora, and Shattered Acolyte before relying on exact abilities. Add role cards: Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, or Journey to Nowhere when the opponent's mana or payoff is artifact, enchantment, or creature based. Reduce main-deck emphasis: pure defensive cards when the visible matchup demands closing speed.

- Combo: Identify whether the combo uses graveyard, artifacts, enchantments, targeted creatures, combat damage, or a single creature before choosing disruption. Hold Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, and Jack-o'-Lantern for visible graveyard commitment, not for minor incidental value; preserve Cathar Commando, Disenchant, Revoke Existence, and Dust to Dust for the permanent that enables the deterministic line when the legal window appears. Standard Bearer and Coalition Honor Guard matter only when the combo's legal actions target creatures. Journey to Nowhere and Celestial Flare matter only when a creature is the visible bottleneck.

- Graveyard: Protect your own recursion while stopping the opponent's highest-impact graveyard window. Use Tormod's Crypt for a large public graveyard commitment, Relic of Progenitus when repeated pressure is better than a single exile, and Jack-o'-Lantern when a single named card matters and legal actions support it. Avoid activating broad graveyard hate before Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Conjurer's Bauble, or Jack-o'-Lantern have produced needed value unless the opponent's visible graveyard line is more urgent. Add role cards: Revoke Existence or Disenchant only for graveyard-enabling permanents.

- Artifact/enchantment: Treat permanent removal as a finite tactical resource. Cathar Commando, Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, and Disenchant should answer visible engines, prison pieces, equipment-like pressure, artifact mana that unlocks a payoff, or enchantments that invalidate combat; do not spend them on replaceable artifacts when Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle can win through normal attrition. Ancient Den and Darksteel Citadel are your own artifacts, so account for opponent artifact hate and your recursion synergies before committing Ashnod's Altar or other key artifacts. Add role cards: Dust to Dust against multiple artifact permanents, Revoke Existence against artifacts or enchantments that should not go to graveyard, and Disenchant when instant-speed timing matters.

- Closing rule: After stabilizing any matchup, convert value into a clock before the opponent redraws inevitability. Attack with flyers and safe bodies when legal actions show favorable combat, but keep at least one recursion bridge, protection piece, or sacrifice outlet available if the opponent can punish overextension. Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Perilous Myr, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Mechanical Mobster, and Thermal Navigator are closing candidates from visible board state; Card text check required before using uncertain printed abilities as the reason for a lethal or defensive line.

## Specific Matchup Notes
- General note: Exact opponents are absent, so these notes are archetype-only and revealed cards override assumptions. Use legal Veles actions, visible permanents, public graveyards, known revealed cards, and current life totals before applying any matchup shortcut.

- Fast creature pressure: Stabilize before maximizing Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle value. Priority targets are large attackers, evasive attackers, combat tricks on the stack, and board states where Kami of False Hope, Gleaming Barrier, Perilous Myr, Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, or Prismatic Strands changes survival math. Add role cards: Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Prismatic Strands, Crimson Acolyte, or Obsidian Acolyte according to visible colors and attack patterns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow self-mill or low-board-impact artifacts when they do not enable an immediate Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turn.

- Removal-heavy midrange or control: Commit Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle only when it gains value immediately or is protected. Preserve Benevolent Bodyguard, Welding Jar, Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, and Fanatical Devotion for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, a recursion bridge, or a lethal attacker. Add role cards: Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Obsidian Acolyte, Crimson Acolyte, and Prismatic Strands when visible interaction makes them relevant.

- Artifact or enchantment engine decks: Hold Cathar Commando and sideboard removal for the permanent that changes the game, not for the first minor target. Priority targets are visible engines, prison effects, artifact mana that unlocks a payoff, enchantments that invalidate combat, and permanents that stop graveyard recursion. Add role cards: Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, and Journey to Nowhere according to permanent type and timing needs.

- Graveyard decks: Use graveyard hate only when the opponent's public graveyard line is more important than your own recursion. Tormod's Crypt is strongest against a visible large commitment, Relic of Progenitus is strongest when repeated pressure matters, and Jack-o'-Lantern is strongest when one public card is the bottleneck. Add role cards: Revoke Existence or Disenchant only when a visible permanent enables the graveyard plan.

- Combo or big-mana decks: Turn early material into a clock while saving disruption for the visible bottleneck. Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Perilous Myr, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Thermal Navigator, and Mechanical Mobster can close from board state, but Card text check required for Dire Mimic, Mimic, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Helpful Hunter, and Voyager Quickwelder before relying on exact abilities. Add role cards: Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, Journey to Nowhere, Standard Bearer, or Coalition Honor Guard only when the visible combo axis matches them.

## Risk Summary
- Mana risk: The deck can keep hands that look busy but fail to produce timely white mana or commander-tax recovery. Flag openers without Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, Arcum's Astrolabe with snow support, or reliable early white access, and do not spend Lotus Petal, Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Jack-o'-Lantern, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Buried Treasure, or Ashnod's Altar before their tempo or protection purpose is clear.

- Matchup risk: The deck can misidentify itself as pure control after stabilizing. Against big mana, combo, and slow control, value bodies must become pressure before the opponent redraws inevitability.

- Draw risk: Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, and Helpful Hunter can generate material without advancing the board. Treat card draw as a bridge toward protection, recursion, removal, or closing pressure, not as the endpoint.

- Over-sideboarding risk: Sideboard cards should change a visible axis. Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, and Prismatic Strands are liabilities when brought in without matching public threats or known matchup texture.

- Graveyard risk: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Conjurer's Bauble, and Jack-o'-Lantern need useful graveyard texture. Avoid broad Relic of Progenitus or Tormod's Crypt activations that erase your own engine unless the opponent's public graveyard action is urgent.

- Sweeper and removal risk: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turns are fragile when they pass without a historic follow-up, recursion target, or protection. Sequence cheap artifacts and creatures so removal still leaves material or a recovery path.

- Closer risk: The deck may stabilize but fail to finish. Prioritize safe attacks and evasive pressure from Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, and other legal attackers when protection or recursion covers the crack-back.

- Interaction and sequencing risk: Protection, sacrifice outlets, and hate pieces are finite. Use legal priority windows to answer stack actions or lethal board states, but avoid firing Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Fanatical Devotion, Cathar Commando, or graveyard hate before the visible action justifies the cost.

## Test Feedback Checklist
- Result driver: Identify the deciding factor before judging single plays. Was the game decided by early white mana, commander access, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle value, Ashnod's Altar mana, protection timing, graveyard disruption, combat damage, sideboard cards, or inability to close after stabilizing?

- Mulligan quality: Record whether the opener had white mana, two functional early plays, and a path to either Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, board stabilization, or pressure. Flag keeps that leaned on Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Arcum's Astrolabe, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Lotus Petal, or Springleaf Drum without a payoff, blocker, or follow-up.

- Mana performance: Track whether Snow-Covered Plains, Ancient Den, Darksteel Citadel, Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Secluded Steppe, Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, Tocasia's Dig Site, and artifact mana produced the needed timing. Note games where Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Buried Treasure, Lotus Petal, or Ashnod's Altar was stranded, spent too early, or failed to convert into tempo.

- Velocity check: Measure whether Thraben Inspector, Novice Inspector, Spirited Companion, Inspiring Overseer, Priest of Ancient Lore, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Filigree Familiar, and Helpful Hunter produced enough material. Flag games where cards were drawn but no protection, recursion, removal, or clock followed.

- Engine timing: Review every Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle commitment for immediate historic follow-up, protection, or meaningful recursion. Mark weak commitments where commander tax increased without value, protection, or a board state that forced the opponent to answer.

- Recursion texture: Check whether Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle had useful graveyard targets. Mark Shriekhorn, Ashnod's Altar, Fanatical Devotion, Rusted Slasher, Cathodion, or self-sacrifice lines as mistakes when they reduced material without enabling a later payoff.

- Protection discipline: Audit Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, Welding Jar, Benevolent Bodyguard, and Fanatical Devotion. Good protection saved Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, a recursion bridge, a lethal attacker, or survival; poor protection saved a replaceable creature without tempo or survival need.

- Removal and hate timing: Review Cathar Commando, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, Jack-o'-Lantern, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Disenchant, Revoke Existence, and Dust to Dust for patience. Good use answered a visible engine, lethal threat, graveyard action, artifact, enchantment, or lock piece; poor use fired before the opponent committed.

- Sideboard impact: Compare Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, Prismatic Strands, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, and Disenchant against actual threats faced. Classify each sideboarded card as axis-changing, merely plausible, stranded, or actively conflicting with the main plan.

- Closing plan: Note how the deck won or failed to win after stabilizing. Track damage and pressure from Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Perilous Myr, Dire Mimic, Mimic, Mechanical Mobster, Thermal Navigator, and other visible attackers; Card text check required before crediting uncertain abilities.

- Mistake capture: Record one pilot mistake and one opponent-pressure lesson per game. Tie each mistake to the legal action chosen, visible state, and alternative action that better advanced survival, engine setup, interaction, or closing.

- Stranded-card review: List cards stuck in hand and why. Separate mana issues, missing targets, unsafe board state, commander tax, graveyard shortage, and Card text check required cases for Lunatic Pandora, Magic Pot, Spectacular Tactics, Springjaw Trap, Exosuit Savior, Kindly Customer, Shattered Acolyte, Thermal Navigator, Mechanical Mobster, Helpful Hunter, and Voyager Quickwelder.

## First Tuning Questions
- Role density question: If losses come from drawing artifacts without pressure, should the list emphasize more bodies like Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Skyscanner, Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Perilous Myr, and Mechanical Mobster over low-impact self-mill or one-shot artifacts?

- Mana question: If commander tax or tapped lands repeatedly cost games, should Snow-Covered Plains count, untapped white sources, or artifact mana density change before adjusting interaction? Track Ancient Den, Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Secluded Steppe, Hidden Grotto, Conduit Pylons, Lotus Petal, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, and Commander's Sphere separately.

- Engine question: If Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle dies before value, should the deck increase protection-role density or reduce fragile commitment turns? Compare outcomes involving Benevolent Bodyguard, Welding Jar, Gods Willing, Apostle's Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Loran's Escape, and Fanatical Devotion.

- Graveyard question: If recursion is often empty, should Shriekhorn, sacrifice outlets, and recyclable artifacts be treated as engine setup more aggressively, or are they creating resource loss without payoff? Review Myr Retriever, Workshop Assistant, Leonin Squire, Trusty Packbeast, Conjurer's Bauble, Jack-o'-Lantern, Cathodion, Rusted Slasher, and Ashnod's Altar.

- Aggro-plan question: If fast creature decks decide games, should the sideboard allocate more weight to Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Prismatic Strands, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, Standard Bearer, or Coalition Honor Guard? Also ask whether main-deck blockers such as Shield Sphere, Phyrexian Walker, Gleaming Barrier, Kami of False Hope, and Perilous Myr performed.

- Control-plan question: If removal-heavy opponents beat the deck, did the pilot commit Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle without immediate value, or is the list short on resilient pressure and protection? Compare games won by incremental flyers against games lost to repeated commander tax.

- Closing-power question: If the deck stabilizes but loses late, should closing roles get more priority than extra velocity? Review whether Inspiring Overseer, Roving Harper, Skyscanner, Glint Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Thermal Navigator, Dire Mimic, Mimic, and Mechanical Mobster actually ended games.

- Sideboard-slot question: If Dust to Dust, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, Journey to Nowhere, Celestial Flare, Standard Bearer, Coalition Honor Guard, Crimson Acolyte, Obsidian Acolyte, or Prismatic Strands was stranded across multiple matches, identify the missing matchup axis before changing slots.

- Role-conflict question: If the pilot alternated between control, engine, and beatdown without a clear reason, should the guide sharpen matchup role rules around when to protect Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, when to race, and when to hold interaction?

## Veles Tactical Policy
### Policy: Opening Keep Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan; pregame
- Cards: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle; Snow-Covered Plains; Ancient Den; Arcum's Astrolabe; Chromatic Star; Chromatic Sphere; Thraben Inspector; Novice Inspector; Spirited Companion
- Phase windows: opening hand and mulligan decisions.
- Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
- Use when: choose between keep and mulligan from a visible opener.
- Avoid when: hand contents are not exposed by Veles.
- Instructions: Keep hands with white mana, two early plays, and either a path to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle or a stabilizing board; mulligan hands with no white source, no early material, or only one-shot artifacts without payoff.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Early White Source And Material Setup
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Snow-Covered Plains; Ancient Den; Darksteel Citadel; Desert of the True; Drifting Meadow; Secluded Steppe; Conduit Pylons; Hidden Grotto; Thraben Inspector; Novice Inspector; Ornithopter; Phyrexian Walker; Shield Sphere
- Phase windows: turns one through three main phases.
- Runtime cues: action:play; action:cast
- Use when: land play and first spell choices are legal.
- Avoid when: a lethal or engine-critical interaction decision is pending.
- Instructions: Lead with untapped white mana when possible, deploy cheap bodies before speculative artifacts, and preserve cycling lands when the hand already has enough mana and needs action density.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Historic Fuel Before Commander
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; mana
- Cards: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle; Chromatic Star; Chromatic Sphere; Conjurer's Bauble; Jack-o'-Lantern; Tormod's Crypt; Relic of Progenitus; Lotus Petal; Welding Jar; Ornithopter; Phyrexian Walker; Shield Sphere
- Phase windows: precombat and postcombat main phases before casting commander.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle; action:cast
- Use when: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle is castable and historic follow-up options are visible.
- Avoid when: no immediate historic spell or protection is available and opponent pressure does not force a blocker.
- Instructions: Cast Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle on turns that also create a recursion trigger, protection shield, or forced answer; delay naked commander commitments when commander tax would punish removal.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Teshar Recursion Target Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: selection; priority
- Cards: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle; Leonin Squire; Trusty Packbeast; Myr Retriever; Workshop Assistant; Perilous Myr; Cathodion; Kami of False Hope; Benevolent Bodyguard
- Phase windows: Teshar trigger resolution.
- Runtime cues: action:target self Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
- Use when: Veles offers graveyard creature targets for a Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle trigger.
- Avoid when: the legal action text hides target identity.
- Instructions: Prefer targets that immediately affect survival, protect the engine, restore artifact material, or pressure the opponent; route target choice through reasoning because board state and graveyard texture decide the target.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Self-Target Teshar Trigger
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
- Phase windows: Teshar trigger target prompt.
- Runtime cues: action:target self Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
- Use when: exactly one legal action contains `target self` and `Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle`.
- Avoid when: two or more target actions are legal.
- Instructions: Select the sole visible self-target action because no strategic comparison exists.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api.
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Ashnod's Altar Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mana; priority; selection
- Cards: Ashnod's Altar; Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle; Cathodion; Myr Retriever; Workshop Assistant; Myr Moonvessel; Perilous Myr
- Phase windows: main phases, sacrifice prompts, and mana payment prompts.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Ashnod's Altar; action:activate Ashnod's Altar; action:sacrifice
- Use when: Ashnod's Altar is castable or sacrifice-for-mana lines are legal.
- Avoid when: sacrificing would remove the only blocker against visible lethal pressure without producing survival or engine value.
- Instructions: Commit Ashnod's Altar when it converts expendable artifacts into commander, recursion, protection, or lethal sequencing; do not sacrifice board material merely because mana can be generated.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Protection Spending Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; priority
- Cards: Gods Willing; Apostle's Blessing; Blacksmith's Skill; Loran's Escape; Welding Jar; Benevolent Bodyguard; Fanatical Devotion
- Phase windows: opponent interaction, combat, stack response, and removal resolution windows.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Gods Willing; action:cast Apostle's Blessing; action:cast Blacksmith's Skill; action:cast Loran's Escape; action:activate Welding Jar; action:activate Benevolent Bodyguard; action:activate Fanatical Devotion
- Use when: a protected permanent, lethal attacker, recursion bridge, or survival blocker is threatened.
- Avoid when: the threatened creature is replaceable and saving it does not preserve engine, mana, survival, or lethal damage.
- Instructions: Protect Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ashnod's Altar, a live recursion bridge, or survival-critical material before protecting ordinary value bodies.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Mandatory Protection Single Action
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction
- Cards: Welding Jar
- Phase windows: regeneration or destruction-prevention prompt.
- Runtime cues: action:activate Welding Jar
- Use when: exactly one legal action contains `activate Welding Jar` and the affected permanent name is visible in the same prompt.
- Avoid when: any alternate protection, sacrifice, or pass action is also legal.
- Instructions: Execute the visible Welding Jar activation only when it is the sole non-pass protection action.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api.
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Graveyard Hate Timing Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction; priority
- Cards: Relic of Progenitus; Tormod's Crypt; Jack-o'-Lantern
- Phase windows: opponent graveyard actions, end steps, and response windows.
- Runtime cues: action:activate Relic of Progenitus; action:activate Tormod's Crypt; action:activate Jack-o'-Lantern
- Use when: opponent graveyard contents or stack actions show recursion, flashback, reanimation, threshold, or lethal graveyard use.
- Avoid when: activating would exile your own needed Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle targets without stopping an immediate opposing line.
- Instructions: Spend graveyard hate to stop visible graveyard conversion, not to reduce a graveyard count casually; preserve your own recursion texture when the opponent has no immediate graveyard action.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Removal And Disenchant Target Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; selection
- Cards: Cathar Commando; Journey to Nowhere; Celestial Flare; Disenchant; Revoke Existence; Dust to Dust
- Phase windows: main phases, combat, opponent combo turns, and stack response windows.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Journey to Nowhere; action:cast Celestial Flare; action:cast Disenchant; action:cast Revoke Existence; action:cast Dust to Dust; action:activate Cathar Commando
- Use when: a visible permanent, attacker, artifact, enchantment, or lock piece must be answered.
- Avoid when: the target is low impact and a more dangerous visible engine or lethal threat can be answered by waiting.
- Instructions: Prioritize lethal threats, commander-enabling engines, prison pieces, and artifact/enchantment engines over replaceable attackers.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sacrifice For Value Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; combat; mana
- Cards: Fanatical Devotion; Rusted Slasher; Ashnod's Altar; Cathodion; Myr Retriever; Workshop Assistant; Perilous Myr; Gleaming Barrier
- Phase windows: combat damage windows, removal responses, and mana prompts.
- Runtime cues: action:sacrifice; action:activate Fanatical Devotion; action:activate Rusted Slasher; action:activate Ashnod's Altar
- Use when: a creature is already dying, blocked profitably, targeted by removal, or needed as mana for a decisive spell.
- Avoid when: the sacrifice removes the only stabilizing blocker or empties the graveyard plan without enabling recursion.
- Instructions: Convert doomed or redundant material into mana, protection, or recursion loops; preserve board presence when sacrifice only changes resources sideways.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Bounce And Replay Sequencing
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection; priority; mana
- Cards: Glint Hawk; Kor Skyfisher; Aviary Mechanic; Thraben Inspector; Novice Inspector; Spirited Companion; Inspiring Overseer; Priest of Ancient Lore; Skyscanner; Filigree Familiar; Chromatic Star; Chromatic Sphere; Arcum's Astrolabe
- Phase windows: main phases and enter-the-battlefield target prompts.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Glint Hawk; action:cast Kor Skyfisher; action:cast Aviary Mechanic; action:return
- Use when: bounce, replay, or return-to-hand choices are legal.
- Avoid when: bouncing a land or mana artifact would prevent the current turn's required mana payment.
- Instructions: Return cards that can be replayed for material, historic triggers, or mana smoothing; choose target pairs through reasoning because hand, mana, and battlefield determine the sequence.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Stabilization Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: combat; interaction
- Cards: Kami of False Hope; Shield Sphere; Phyrexian Walker; Gleaming Barrier; Perilous Myr; Prismatic Strands; Celestial Flare
- Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and prevention windows.
- Runtime cues: action:block; action:cast Prismatic Strands; action:activate Kami of False Hope; action:cast Celestial Flare
- Use when: visible attacks threaten lethal damage, commander access, or the engine turn.
- Avoid when: the race favors attacking and the opponent's crackback is not lethal by visible damage.
- Instructions: Block to preserve life and engine time before protecting small attackers; use prevention or edict effects for lethal, commander-threatening, or tempo-breaking attacks.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Clock Conversion Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: combat; priority
- Cards: Glint Hawk; Kor Skyfisher; Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle; Inspiring Overseer; Roving Harper; Skyscanner; Thermal Navigator; Dire Mimic; Mimic; Mechanical Mobster
- Phase windows: combat and precombat main phase.
- Runtime cues: action:attack; action:cast
- Use when: the board is stable and legal attackers or pressure additions are visible.
- Avoid when: attacking exposes the only blocker to a lethal return attack or weakens a protected Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle turn.
- Instructions: Shift from value to damage once life totals and board state show stabilization; prioritize evasive pressure and artifact bodies that still support recursion.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Mana Rock And Bauble Sacrifice Timing
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority; selection
- Cards: Mind Stone; Commander's Sphere; Chromatic Star; Chromatic Sphere; Conjurer's Bauble; Jack-o'-Lantern; Lotus Petal; Buried Treasure; Everflowing Chalice
- Phase windows: main phases, draw-seeking windows, and payment prompts.
- Runtime cues: action:activate Mind Stone; action:activate Commander's Sphere; action:activate Chromatic Star; action:activate Chromatic Sphere; action:activate Conjurer's Bauble; action:activate Jack-o'-Lantern; action:sacrifice Lotus Petal
- Use when: mana conversion, card draw, graveyard placement, or recursion setup is legal.
- Avoid when: the artifact is needed as historic fuel after Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle resolves this turn.
- Instructions: Sacrifice one-shot artifacts for a concrete cast, draw, or recursion setup; keep them on board when they are the next historic trigger.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Unfamiliar Card Text Safety
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; selection; interaction; combat
- Cards: Lunatic Pandora; Magic Pot; Spectacular Tactics; Springjaw Trap; Exosuit Savior; Kindly Customer; Shattered Acolyte; Thermal Navigator; Mechanical Mobster; Helpful Hunter; Voyager Quickwelder; Dire Mimic; Mimic
- Phase windows: any prompt involving listed cards.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Lunatic Pandora; action:cast Magic Pot; action:cast Spectacular Tactics; action:cast Springjaw Trap; action:cast Exosuit Savior; action:cast Kindly Customer; action:cast Shattered Acolyte; action:cast Thermal Navigator; action:cast Mechanical Mobster; action:cast Helpful Hunter; action:cast Voyager Quickwelder; action:cast Dire Mimic; action:cast Mimic
- Use when: Veles exposes legal actions for listed cards and exact card text is not present in state.
- Avoid when: full Oracle-equivalent text is visible and contradicts this caution.
- Instructions: Card text check required; choose these actions only from visible legal text, mana cost, board role, and immediate tactical need.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Axis Selection
- Priority: High
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Standard Bearer; Coalition Honor Guard; Crimson Acolyte; Obsidian Acolyte; Prismatic Strands; Journey to Nowhere; Celestial Flare; Dust to Dust; Revoke Existence; Disenchant
- Phase windows: between games.
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
- Use when: Veles asks for a legal sideboard plan after a completed game.
- Avoid when: no opponent axis has been observed and the baseline plan is illegal.
- Instructions: Add role cards that answer observed targeting, red damage, black removal, go-wide combat, artifact engines, enchantment engines, or singular creature threats; preserve the Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle engine unless the matchup makes graveyard recursion unreliable.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Pass On Empty Stack
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: priority
- Cards: none
- Phase windows: priority prompts with empty stack.
- Runtime cues: action:pass
- Use when: exactly one legal action contains `pass`, the stack is empty, no mana payment prompt is active, and no cast or activated ability action is legal.
- Avoid when: any non-pass legal action is visible.
- Instructions: Select the sole pass action because Veles exposes no alternative action.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api.
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes
