# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Izzet Sneak and Show is a Timeless combo-control deck built around resolving or activating one decisive cheat effect, then converting Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience into an immediate or near-immediate win. The registered list is 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, and the supplied format-aware validation result passes for Timeless under the active contract of at least 60 main-deck cards and at most 15 sideboard cards.

The normalized archetype tags are combo and control. The combo tag is primary because Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn define the deck's highest-impact turns; the control tag is operational because Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, Into the Flood Maw, Consumed by History, Faerie Macabre, and Hexing Squelcher support the plan by forcing a protected window or breaking up opposing pressure. The duplicate supplied tag pair `combo,control, combo,control` should be treated as one combo-control identity, not as evidence for multiple sub-archetypes.

The stock status is hybrid rather than fully stock or fully rogue. Show and Tell plus Sneak Attack is a familiar strategic shell, but this registration has deck-specific tuning points: maindeck Vexing Bauble, a high count of Stock Up, only 2 Mystical Tutor, 2 Omniscience rather than a heavier all-in Omniscience package, and a sideboard mix of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Consumed by History, Faerie Macabre, Into the Flood Maw, Hexing Squelcher, and extra Vexing Bauble. Runtime decisions should therefore follow this exact registration instead of importing assumptions from Legacy Sneak and Show, Historic/Timeless generic combo decks, or other blue-red shells.

The main legality concern is not deck size, because the supplied validation passes; the practical legality concern is action fidelity. The pilot must choose only actions exposed by Veles and the rules engine, must not assume hidden opponent cards, and must not treat familiar cheat-combo shortcuts as legal unless Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, or another visible legal action is actually available. Card text check required for any exact-mode or digital-specific handling of Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, Hexing Squelcher, and Petrified Hamlet before making line claims that depend on their full Oracle or platform text.

The mana identity is explosive but uneven. Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox enable early Show and Tell or Sneak Attack pressure, while Steam Vents, Thundering Falls, Island, Mountain, Polluted Delta, Scalding Tarn, Misty Rainforest, Flooded Strand, and Petrified Hamlet must supply the colored requirements for Brainstorm, Ponder, Mystical Tutor, Force of Will, Stock Up, Vexing Bauble, Sneak Attack, and sideboard cards. The pilot should treat hands with fast mana but no coherent colored plan as risky, and should treat hands with selection but no acceleration as slower control-combo hands rather than automatic keeps.

The role concern is commitment timing. Izzet Sneak and Show is strongest when it can present a fast must-answer threat while holding Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, or sufficient selection to rebuild; it is weakest when it commits Show and Tell into an unknown opposing permanent payoff, activates Sneak Attack without a meaningful creature or follow-up, or imprints the wrong card to Chrome Mox and loses the only path to a protected combo turn. Runtime policy should separate setup decisions from go-now decisions, with go-now decisions requiring visible mana, action legality, payoff availability, pressure assessment, and interaction context.

Opponent information status is unspecified. No target opponent deck, known metagame, revealed hand, public graveyard pattern, or matchup result is supplied for this batch, so the default guide must remain opponent-agnostic and visible-state driven. Later matchup sections may describe broad archetype adaptations, but no decision agent should infer exact opposing cards unless Veles state, public logs, revealed information, or the current matchup label exposes them.

## Thesis
Izzet Sneak and Show assembles a protected cheat-effect turn by pairing Show and Tell or Sneak Attack with Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience. The deck wins by resolving one high-impact permanent or attack sequence that overwhelms normal card exchange, then using velocity and protection to either end the game quickly or reload into a second decisive action.

The first priority is finding a complete line, not casting spells for generic efficiency. A good hand or turn cycle normally contains a cheat effect, a payoff, mana that reaches the relevant breakpoint, and either protection or enough selection to fix the missing piece; a hand with only expensive threats, only cantrips, or only fast mana is not automatically functional.

The second priority is choosing the right commitment window. Show and Tell is the cleanest route when the visible risk of the opponent putting in a stronger permanent is acceptable, Sneak Attack is stronger when red mana and creature density allow immediate damage or Atraxa, Grand Unifier value, and Omniscience is strongest when it can convert hand size and selection into a snowball rather than just sit exposed.

The deck is not trying to become a fair blue-red tempo deck by default. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer can support post-board pressure, Vexing Bauble can tax specific opposing interaction patterns, and Force of Will can buy time, but the main plan is still to force through a decisive combo turn rather than trade one-for-one indefinitely.

The deck is also not trying to spend every resource at the first legal opportunity. Chrome Mox imprint decisions, Force of Will pitch decisions, Brainstorm timing, Mystical Tutor timing, and Show and Tell timing all require preserving the most constrained piece of the current hand, because one careless exile or counter can strand multiple powerful cards without a legal path to deploy them.

Runtime decisions must respect Veles state over archetype memory. The pilot should not assume hidden interaction, exact opposing permanents, or deterministic rules shortcuts unless revealed information or legal action text supports them; Card text check required for Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, Hexing Squelcher, and Petrified Hamlet before relying on exact text-sensitive lines.

## Role Package
- Threats: Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn are the primary creature threats because they justify Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, and Omniscience setup. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the preferred stabilizing threat when life total, cards, or board presence matter; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the preferred closing threat when a Sneak Attack attack or protected cheat turn can end the game or force an unrecoverable board state.

- Payoffs: Omniscience is the noncreature payoff that turns Show and Tell into a hand-deployment engine, especially with Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Mystical Tutor, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn available. Show and Tell into Omniscience should be treated as a commitment gate, because it is powerful only if the visible hand and follow-up actions can convert it before the opponent benefits from their own Show and Tell permanent.

- Engines: Show and Tell and Sneak Attack are the defining engines. Show and Tell compresses mana requirements and enables Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience ahead of schedule; Sneak Attack converts red mana and creature cards into immediate pressure, emergency blockers only when legal and relevant, or Atraxa, Grand Unifier card flow if the rules engine exposes the needed action sequence.

- Velocity: Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, and Mystical Tutor locate missing engine pieces, payoffs, protection, and mana. Brainstorm should protect important cards from discard only when timing and shuffle access make that line legal and useful; Ponder should prioritize completing the current combo triangle; Mystical Tutor should usually find Show and Tell, Force of Will, or a text-confirmed instant/sorcery role card according to visible need; Stock Up requires card text verification before exact tactical ranking.

- Interaction: Force of Will is the main stack-interaction card and should be spent on actions that stop the combo, stop survival, or prevent a faster opposing win. Vexing Bauble is maindeck interaction that can shape stack exchanges, but the pilot should use only the legal actions and visible text exposed at runtime rather than assuming every opposing answer is affected.

- Protection: Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, careful cantrip timing, and patient commitment are the protection package. The pilot should protect the first winning window when the hand cannot easily rebuild, but should save protection when the current action is only setup and the opponent has not presented a visible must-answer threat.

- Recursion: The registered deck has no dedicated recursion module. The practical rebuild plan is selection plus redundant engines and payoffs, so avoid exiling or imprinting the last copy of a needed role unless the current line is materially stronger than waiting.

- Mana: Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox create fast combo turns, while Steam Vents, Thundering Falls, Island, Mountain, Polluted Delta, Scalding Tarn, Misty Rainforest, Flooded Strand, Petrified Hamlet, and Sink into Stupor provide colored access or flexible slots according to their legal text. Prioritize blue for Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Mystical Tutor, and Force of Will, red for Sneak Attack, and enough total mana to move from selection into the cheat effect without passing an avoidable vulnerable turn.

- Sideboard modules: Vexing Bauble increases stack-protection pressure in matchups where its text is relevant; Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer offers a post-board pressure pivot; Consumed by History is a sideboard answer card with text-sensitive application; Into the Flood Maw is a sideboard tempo or answer card with text-sensitive application; Faerie Macabre is graveyard interaction; Hexing Squelcher is a sideboard interaction piece requiring card text verification before exact target or timing policy.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Show and Tell into Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the highest-pressure creature line when the opponent is unlikely to put in a visible permanent that immediately invalidates the attack. Setup requires Show and Tell, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, three mana or fast mana from Ancient Tomb plus colored sources, and preferably Force of Will or Vexing Bauble protection; execute only when the legal action sequence confirms Show and Tell can put Emrakul, the Aeons Torn onto the battlefield. Prioritize this line when the opponent is ahead on cards but not presenting an immediate lethal board, because the attack step threatens a decisive swing even if the opponent survives.

- Show and Tell into Omniscience is the strongest engine line when the hand contains follow-up spells that convert immediately. Setup requires Show and Tell plus Omniscience and enough remaining cards to exploit free casting, such as Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, or Mystical Tutor; Card text check required for Stock Up before valuing exact follow-up quality. Prioritize Omniscience over a naked creature when the visible hand can chain into more threats or protection before passing priority, and deprioritize it when Omniscience would enter with no legal payoff available.

- Sneak Attack into Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the cleanest immediate kill or near-kill line when red mana and a creature card are available. Setup requires Sneak Attack on battlefield or castable, red mana for activation, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in hand, and a combat step where attacking is legal; execute by resolving Sneak Attack, activating it only when the rules engine offers the legal activation, then attacking if allowed. Prioritize this line when waiting gives the opponent another draw step to find interaction, when life total pressure demands ending the game now, or when Force of Will can protect the critical permanent or activation window.

- Sneak Attack into Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the stabilizing win path when life, cards, or board position make immediate Emrakul pressure insufficient. Setup requires Sneak Attack, red activation mana, Atraxa, Grand Unifier in hand, and a reason to value the enter-the-battlefield swing or body over pure damage; Card text is familiar enough to treat Atraxa, Grand Unifier as a reload/stabilization payoff, but exact revealed-card choices must follow engine output. Prioritize Atraxa, Grand Unifier when behind on resources, when multiple future combo pieces are needed, or when an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn attack would not close the game.

- Force of Will and Vexing Bauble protect commitment turns, not random tempo exchanges. Use Force of Will on opposing actions that stop Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, or survival, and preserve blue pitch cards unless the current window is decisive. Use Vexing Bauble only according to visible legal text and runtime prompts; do not assume it covers an opposing card unless Veles exposes that relevance.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier can win as a fair battlefield threat after Show and Tell when the game calls for stabilization rather than speed. Choose this path when the opponent has creature pressure, the hand is low on follow-up, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is unavailable; protect Atraxa, Grand Unifier if it is the only route to rebuild, but do not overprotect it when Show and Tell or Sneak Attack redundancy remains.

- Omniscience plus selection can become a delayed inevitability engine even without an immediate lethal creature. Use Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, and Mystical Tutor to find Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Force of Will after Omniscience resolves; Card text check required for Stock Up before treating it as a specific card-count effect. Prioritize this route when the opponent cannot visibly punish the extra turn and the hand has enough velocity to continue.

- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is a post-board pressure pivot, not the default Game 1 plan. Use it when sideboarded in and when the opponent is likely to overload on anti-combo interaction or when a low-cost threat can pressure life total and resources while the deck holds Force of Will. Do not let Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer distract from assembling Show and Tell or Sneak Attack if the combo is already close.

- Hard-casting expensive threats is an emergency fallback, not a planned route. Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox can accelerate, but Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn are primarily cheat targets; consider hard-cast lines only if the rules engine shows legal mana and the game has slowed enough that waiting is safer than forcing a weaker combo window.

- Vexing Bauble can create a protective soft-lock texture in stack-heavy games. Treat it as a way to make the real win condition safer, not as a win condition by itself, and sequence it before commitment only when doing so does not lose the mana or card needed to execute Show and Tell or Sneak Attack.

## Emergency Lines
- When behind on life, prioritize the line that changes the battlefield or ends the game this turn. Sneak Attack into Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is preferred if it can attack immediately; Sneak Attack or Show and Tell into Atraxa, Grand Unifier is preferred when stabilization and card reload matter more than raw damage. Avoid spending life or Ancient Tomb mana casually if the opponent’s visible board makes that life loss lethal.

- When behind on board, stop sculpting once a legal stabilizing threat is available. Atraxa, Grand Unifier should be valued highly if it can block, reload, or buy time, while Emrakul, the Aeons Torn should be valued when the attack will remove enough opposing resources or end the game. Use Force of Will on actions that create lethal pressure before the combo turn.

- When behind on cards, protect the rebuild engine instead of the first marginal spell. Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Mystical Tutor, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Omniscience are the ways back into the game; avoid Chrome Mox imprints and Force of Will pitches that exile the only remaining payoff or engine unless the alternative is losing immediately.

- When short on mana, use selection to find the missing breakpoint before committing. Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox enable explosive turns, but Chrome Mox can permanently remove an important card; imprint only when the resulting mana creates a real legal line or prevents a near-term loss. Fetch and land sequencing should preserve blue for selection and Force of Will support, and red for Sneak Attack.

- When win conditions are removed or stranded, rebuild by role rather than card name. Find any remaining engine plus any remaining payoff: Show and Tell with Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience; Sneak Attack with Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; or Omniscience with enough draw and selection to locate the next threat.

- When facing faster combo or graveyard recursion, become a protected-combo deck with minimal detours. Force of Will must answer the opposing decisive action when visible, Faerie Macabre can matter after sideboarding against graveyard lines, and the pilot should not tap out for slow setup if the opponent can win before the next turn cycle.

## Resource Model
- Life is a spendable resource only until Ancient Tomb or combat pressure makes the next turn unsafe. Use Ancient Tomb aggressively to reach Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Vexing Bauble, or protected selection breakpoints, but stop paying 2 life for marginal cantrips or redundant setup when the opponent has visible lethal pressure or burn-like reach represented by public information.

- Hand size is the deck's real combo bank, because Show and Tell and Sneak Attack require both an enabler and a payoff. Preserve Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and Omniscience unless Chrome Mox or Force of Will converts that card into an immediate legal protected win or prevents a near-term loss.

- Mana converts into compressed turns, not long-board development. Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox let the deck skip normal pacing; spend that burst when it creates Show and Tell, Sneak Attack plus activation red, or Vexing Bauble plus protection, and avoid using acceleration for low-impact selection unless the hand lacks a required piece.

- Board presence is mostly binary: either a cheated payoff is present or the board is an emergency liability. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the stabilizing board resource, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the pressure resource, and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is a post-board alternate pressure plan when combo density is attacked.

- Graveyard value is incidental unless sideboard cards make it relevant. Brainstorm, Ponder, Mystical Tutor, Force of Will, fetch lands, and spent combo pieces can inform future lines, but do not treat the graveyard as a main engine; after sideboarding, Faerie Macabre is the graveyard bullet and should be held for visible graveyard-dependent opposing actions when legal.

- Exile is usually a cost paid to Force of Will or Chrome Mox, so every exile decision must price the lost role. Exiling an extra blue selection spell is safer than exiling the only Force of Will pitch, only payoff, only Show and Tell, or only Sneak Attack; Chrome Mox imprint should produce a concrete mana breakpoint, not merely tidy the hand.

- Lands are both mana and shuffle infrastructure. Fetch lands improve Brainstorm and Ponder decisions, Ancient Tomb supplies the explosive colorless breakpoint, Steam Vents and Thundering Falls supply colored access, Island and Mountain protect against damage-sensitive lines, and Petrified Hamlet is utility mana only when the rules engine shows it can pay the current cost.

- Sacrifice fodder is not a planned resource in this list. Do not make decisions that assume disposable permanents unless the board visibly contains a legal sacrifice candidate and the engine presents a legal action; the registered main deck is built to cheat threats, not to grind sacrifice exchanges.

- Tempo is gained by forcing the opponent to answer a decisive permanent before they are ready. Use Vexing Bauble, Force of Will, and fast mana to convert one turn of vulnerability into a protected commitment, but do not spend tempo on optional setup if a legal Show and Tell or Sneak Attack line already wins or stabilizes.

- Information is created by Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Mystical Tutor, fetch sequencing, and revealed cards from Atraxa, Grand Unifier. Card text check required for Stock Up before relying on exact card-count assumptions; use visible selections to identify missing roles rather than to chase generic card advantage.

- Sideboard bullets convert narrow matchups into specific axes. Vexing Bauble supports stack fights, Faerie Macabre pressures graveyard lines, Into the Flood Maw handles visible permanents when its legal text applies, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer shifts into pressure, and Consumed by History plus Hexing Squelcher require card text checks before assigning exact runtime jobs.

## Mana Guide
- Prioritize blue first, red second, and colorless acceleration third. Blue casts Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Mystical Tutor, Force of Will support cards, Into the Flood Maw, and likely sideboard interaction; red is mandatory for Sneak Attack and its activation; Ancient Tomb enables speed but cannot replace colored requirements.

- Keep hands that have a legal path to an enabler plus payoff within the first few turns. A strong keep usually contains blue selection or a castable enabler, enough mana to reach Show and Tell or Sneak Attack, and at least one payoff or tutor path; a fast hand without colored mana is risky unless Chrome Mox plus imprint clearly fixes it.

- Mulligan hands that have only payoffs and no selection or enabler. Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and Omniscience are powerful but stranded without Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or enough selection to find one; do not keep a hand just because it contains multiple expensive cards.

- Sequence fetch lands around Brainstorm and Ponder. If Brainstorm is available and the hand contains cards that may need to be put back, consider waiting to crack Scalding Tarn, Polluted Delta, Misty Rainforest, or Flooded Strand until after Brainstorm resolves; if a color is required immediately, fetch before casting the spell.

- Play lands before draw or selection when the current turn already requires that mana. Hold a fetch land before Brainstorm or Ponder when mana is already sufficient and shuffle value matters; play Ancient Tomb or a colored source first when the legal action sequence depends on casting Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Vexing Bauble, or protection this turn.

- Treat Chrome Mox as a commitment accelerator. Imprint only when the resulting mana enables a concrete action such as turn-one or turn-two Show and Tell, early Sneak Attack, Vexing Bauble plus development, or survival through interaction; avoid imprinting Force of Will or the only blue card when stack protection is the reason the hand is keepable.

- Use Ancient Tomb to reach decisive breakpoints, then protect life total. Ancient Tomb into Show and Tell or Sneak Attack is a core line; Ancient Tomb into repeated low-impact spells is poor when the opponent has visible pressure. If life is low, prefer colored lands or Chrome Mox when they satisfy the same legal cost.

- Preserve red mana for Sneak Attack turns. A Sneak Attack line often needs mana to cast the enchantment and red mana to activate it, so do not spend the only red source on optional actions if the hand contains Sneak Attack plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

- Use tapped or conditional lands only when they do not block the commitment turn. Thundering Falls and Petrified Hamlet should be sequenced according to actual engine legality and tapped status; do not assume they provide immediate colored mana unless Veles shows that they do.

- Sideboard mana must respect cheap bullets without delaying the combo. Vexing Bauble, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Into the Flood Maw, Faerie Macabre, Consumed by History, and Hexing Squelcher should be cast or held only when their visible role matters; do not over-sequence sideboard cards in a way that misses the Show and Tell or Sneak Attack window.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: keep hands with a fast enabler, a payoff, and either protection or selection. Examples include Ancient Tomb plus Show and Tell plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Ancient Tomb plus Sneak Attack plus red access plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; or Chrome Mox plus blue card plus Ponder/Brainstorm plus a clear route to Show and Tell or Sneak Attack.

- Medium keep: keep hands with mana plus multiple looks but no current enabler when they can see enough cards before falling behind. Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, fetch land, and Force of Will can justify a slower hand, but Card text check required before relying on Stock Up for a specific number or quality of cards.

- Risky keep: keep payoff-heavy hands only when the mana and selection are already functional. Atraxa, Grand Unifier plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn plus Omniscience is not a plan by itself; it becomes acceptable only with Brainstorm/Ponder/Mystical Tutor access, enough mana, and a plausible enabler window.

- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no mana, one land with no Chrome Mox and no cheap selection, all payoffs with no enabler, all interaction with no route to pressure, or Ancient Tomb-only mana that cannot cast the hand's blue or red spells. Do not keep a hand because it contains expensive threats if Veles shows no legal path to deploy them.

- Matchup-dependent keep: keep Force of Will plus blue pitch more highly against visible fast combo or early must-answer pressure, and keep Vexing Bauble more highly when opposing stack interaction or free-spell pressure is expected from public matchup context. Keep Faerie Macabre only post-board when the opponent's graveyard axis is known or visible; do not keep it as generic interaction.

- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, favor Ancient Tomb, Chrome Mox, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, and Vexing Bauble hands that can commit before the opponent develops. On the draw, value Force of Will, Brainstorm, Ponder, and fetch lands more because the opponent may present disruption or a faster board first.

- Trap hand: do not keep Chrome Mox hands that require imprinting the only blue card while also relying on Force of Will. Do not keep Sneak Attack hands without red mana or an activation path. Do not keep Show and Tell plus Omniscience without a follow-up payoff unless selection or Mystical Tutor can realistically find one.

- Mulligan bottoming: bottom redundant expensive cards before mana, enablers, and protection. Prefer keeping one payoff, one enabler or tutor path, enough mana, and one piece of selection/protection over keeping multiple Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience copies.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1: develop mana and information toward a protected turn-two or turn-three commitment. Preferred plays are fetch into Ponder, fetch-held Brainstorm when the hand has cards to hide or shuffle, Vexing Bauble when it materially protects the combo turn, or Ancient Tomb/Chrome Mox acceleration when it creates a legal immediate Show and Tell or Sneak Attack line.

- Turn 1 deviation: commit immediately only when the legal action is decisive and waiting is worse. Ancient Tomb plus Show and Tell plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn can be correct, but account for visible opponent mana, known interaction, and whether Force of Will or Vexing Bauble protects the line.

- Turn 2: assemble the missing role with Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, or Mystical Tutor before spending the enabler. Prioritize finding Show and Tell or Sneak Attack when a payoff is already present; prioritize finding Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience when the enabler is already present.

- Turn 2 deviation: use Force of Will aggressively only against actions that stop the combo, kill before the next decision cycle, or remove the only active path. Preserve Force of Will when the opponent's play is low-impact and your next turn can present Show and Tell or Sneak Attack with protection.

- Turn 3: make the first serious commitment if the hand has a legal enabler plus payoff and the opponent has not forced a defensive posture. Show and Tell is cleaner when the payoff is Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Omniscience with follow-up; Sneak Attack is stronger when red activation mana and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Atraxa, Grand Unifier are ready.

- Turn 3 deviation: delay the combo when selection can add protection without losing the game. Cast Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, or Mystical Tutor first if the board is stable and the hand lacks Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, a second enabler, or a payoff that stabilizes immediately.

- Turns 4-5: shift from pure speed to protected inevitability. Use extra lands to cast Sneak Attack and activate it in the same turn, use Force of Will to force through the key spell, and use Atraxa, Grand Unifier as the preferred stabilizer when life total or board pressure matters.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: respect Ancient Tomb damage under pressure. If life is low, avoid spending Ancient Tomb on optional selection or sideboard bullets when colored lands can pay, and prefer the line that resolves a stabilizing Atraxa, Grand Unifier or ends the game with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

- Late game: treat every draw step as a role-completion puzzle. Selection should find the missing enabler, payoff, protection, or mana; redundant Sneak Attack, Show and Tell, Omniscience, or expensive payoffs are expendable to Brainstorm reshaping, Chrome Mox only if the mana breakpoint matters, or Force of Will only if protecting the final window.

- Late-game deviation: use sideboard permanents and bullets only when they answer a visible axis or create a protected combo turn. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer can pressure when the combo is disrupted, Into the Flood Maw can interact with a visible legal target, Faerie Macabre should answer graveyard-dependent actions, and Consumed by History or Hexing Squelcher require Card text check required before tactical reliance.

## Card Roles
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier: treat Atraxa, Grand Unifier as the preferred Show and Tell stabilizer when life total, battlefield pressure, or resource depth matters. Put it onto the battlefield when the legal line needs a body that can blunt attacks and refill the hand; prefer Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when annihilator or immediate Sneak Attack damage is the only clean way to end the game. Do not cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier fairly unless Veles shows abundant mana and no better enabler path, because the deck is built to cheat it into play.

- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn: treat Emrakul, the Aeons Torn as the highest-impact finisher and the best Sneak Attack payoff. Sneak Attack plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn often converts red mana into a decisive attack, while Show and Tell into Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is strongest when the opponent is unlikely to put in a permanent that wins first, removes the line, or survives the attack plan. Avoid keeping redundant Emrakul, the Aeons Torn copies over enablers, protection, or selection.

- Omniscience: treat Omniscience as the Show and Tell payoff that turns stocked hands into overwhelming turns. It is best when the hand already contains Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Stock Up, Brainstorm, Ponder, Mystical Tutor, or another follow-up spell; it is weaker when it enters with no payoff and the opponent can untap first. Do not assume Omniscience alone wins unless the visible hand and legal actions show a follow-up chain.

- Show and Tell: treat Show and Tell as the cleanest main combo enabler and the card most sensitive to opponent-visible risk. Cast it when the hand has a payoff that materially improves the board immediately, when protection or Vexing Bauble reduces interaction risk, or when waiting gives the opponent too much time. Do not fire Show and Tell just because it is legal if the only payoff is poor, the opponent can put in a threatening permanent, or selection can produce a safer window.

- Sneak Attack: treat Sneak Attack as the resilient red enabler that rewards having both red mana and activation mana available. Prioritize lines that cast Sneak Attack and activate it in the same turn when the opponent may remove or answer it; a naked Sneak Attack is acceptable only when the opponent is constrained, the hand has redundancy, or waiting is worse. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the premium Sneak Attack target, while Atraxa, Grand Unifier can stabilize and refill when lethal is not immediate.

- Brainstorm: use Brainstorm as a hand-sculpting and protection tool, not as automatic turn-one card draw. Hold it with Scalding Tarn, Polluted Delta, Misty Rainforest, or Flooded Strand when the hand contains redundant payoffs, extra enablers, or cards to hide from discard. Cast it earlier when the hand is missing mana, missing an enabler, or needs a blue card for Force of Will. Avoid Brainstorm-locking expensive cards on top without a shuffle or strong follow-up selection.

- Ponder: use Ponder to find the missing role: mana, enabler, payoff, protection, or sideboard interaction. Cast it early when the hand lacks a clear route; hold it only when Brainstorm plus fetch sequencing is more valuable or when a known Mystical Tutor top card should not be disturbed. Shuffle away piles that do not produce a legal combo line or defensive answer in the needed time window.

- Stock Up: treat Stock Up as a deeper setup spell whose exact card text needs runtime verification. Card text check required. Use it when the game can afford a setup turn and the hand needs either redundancy or a missing combo role; avoid spending a critical turn on Stock Up when a legal Show and Tell or Sneak Attack line must happen now to survive. If Veles exposes specific selection choices, choose cards that complete enabler plus payoff plus protection before speculative value.

- Mystical Tutor: use Mystical Tutor as a role-finder for the next decisive turn, most often for Show and Tell, Force of Will, Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, or sideboard instant/sorcery interaction when legal and present. Cast it at a time that preserves draw timing and avoids giving away a plan unnecessarily. Do not tutor for a payoff if Mystical Tutor cannot legally find that card type; respect the rules-engine candidate list instead of assuming access.

- Force of Will: treat Force of Will as the bridge through opposing disruption and the emergency brake against faster wins. Pitch redundant blue cards, extra selection, or extra payoff only when the opposed spell would stop the combo, win before the next turn cycle, remove the only enabler, or force an unwinnable board. Preserve Force of Will against low-impact plays when the hand is one turn from a protected Show and Tell or Sneak Attack.

- Chrome Mox: use Chrome Mox to create speed, colored access, and same-turn Sneak Attack activation windows. Imprint only when the remaining hand still has a coherent plan; do not exile the only blue card needed for Force of Will unless the accelerated combo is stronger than holding protection. Chrome Mox is better with redundant expensive cards or duplicate enablers, and worse when it turns a keepable sculpting hand into low-resource gambling.

- Vexing Bauble: treat Vexing Bauble as a protection and disruption piece whose exact timing depends on visible stack rules. Card text check required. It is most important when opposing free interaction, free combo pieces, or pitch spells are expected; it is less important when the deck needs raw speed or when it conflicts with Force of Will sequencing. Do not deploy it automatically if it will shut off the deck's own emergency protection at the wrong moment.

- Sink into Stupor: treat Sink into Stupor as flexible interaction or mana only after checking the exact visible mode and text. Card text check required. Use the spell side when it answers a decisive opposing stack or board action according to Veles; use the land side when the hand needs mana stability more than a conditional answer. Do not count it as untapped colored mana unless the rules engine confirms the land characteristics and entry state.

- Ancient Tomb: use Ancient Tomb as the deck's fastest way to reach Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Stock Up, or multi-spell turns. Spend its life cost aggressively when it creates a protected combo window or a decisive setup turn; reduce reliance on it when creature pressure or burn-like reach makes life total a real resource. Ancient Tomb plus Chrome Mox often converts medium hands into explosive hands, but Ancient Tomb-only hands still need colored access.

- Steam Vents: treat Steam Vents as the main fetchable red-blue dual and the most important land for balancing Brainstorm/Ponder/Force of Will with Sneak Attack. Shock only when the untapped mana changes the current or next-turn legal line; fetch tapped or choose a different land when life total is under pressure and no immediate spell requires untapped access.

- Scalding Tarn, Polluted Delta, Misty Rainforest, and Flooded Strand: use fetch lands to support Brainstorm, fix colors, and manage known top cards from Ponder or Mystical Tutor. Preserve a fetch when Brainstorm will need a shuffle, but crack it earlier when the hand must cast Ponder, Force of Will support spells, or Sneak Attack on curve. Do not shuffle away a tutored or intentionally kept top card unless the current plan has changed.

- Island and Mountain: use basic lands to reduce pain and maintain function through pressure or land interaction. Island supports blue selection and Force of Will setup; Mountain supports Sneak Attack activation and red sideboard cards if legal. Fetch basics when life total matters or the hand already has the other color covered.

- Thundering Falls and Petrified Hamlet: treat these lands as conditional fixing pieces and verify their exact battlefield behavior through Veles. Card text check required for Petrified Hamlet. Use them when they improve color stability without delaying the combo; avoid lines that assume they enter untapped, produce a specific color, or enable a spell unless the rules engine exposes that mana as available.

- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer: use Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer post-board as an alternate pressure and resource plan when opponents over-focus on stopping Show and Tell or Sneak Attack. It is not the primary combo plan; deploy it when early combat is realistic and it does not delay a stronger protected combo window.

- Consumed by History: use Consumed by History only with card-text verification and visible legal targets. Card text check required. Bring it in for matchups where its answer profile is relevant, then cast it to clear the specific obstacle that prevents the combo or stabilizes the board.

- Into the Flood Maw: use Into the Flood Maw as tactical interaction only when Veles shows a legal target that matters now. Card text check required. It can buy a combo turn or break a specific permanent/creature bottleneck, but it should not replace a live combo commitment unless the visible board demands interaction first.

- Faerie Macabre: use Faerie Macabre as graveyard interaction when the opponent's graveyard plan is known, visible, or publicly implied by matchup context. Hold it until the graveyard target matters unless waiting risks losing priority or missing the window. Do not spend it as generic disruption into an empty or irrelevant graveyard.

- Hexing Squelcher: use Hexing Squelcher only after confirming exact text and legal targets. Card text check required. Treat it as a sideboard answer to a visible activated/triggered or targeted axis only if Veles confirms the action it can interact with; do not assume it stops a card name or ability class from memory.

## Interaction Priorities

- Counter first: use Force of Will on spells that would win before the next turn cycle, remove or invalidate the only active enabler, stop a committed Show and Tell or Sneak Attack turn, or strip the hand when it contains a ready combo. Do not spend Force of Will on low-impact setup if the hand can win soon with protection.

- Protect the commitment: treat the turn that casts Show and Tell, casts Sneak Attack, or activates Sneak Attack with Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn available as the main protection window. Pitch redundant Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, extra payoff, or duplicate enabler only when the protected line remains coherent after the exile cost.

- Counter opposing combo acceleration differently by speed: against faster combo, counter the first visible spell that makes their win legal this turn or removes the last chance to interact; against slower combo, preserve Force of Will for the payoff, tutor, or protection piece Veles exposes as decisive. Do not assume hidden combo pieces; reason from public zones, stack, mana, and known reveals.

- Bounce first: use Sink into Stupor or Into the Flood Maw only when Veles shows a legal target that either blocks the current combo line, creates lethal pressure before the next turn, or removes a temporary lock long enough to resolve Show and Tell or Sneak Attack. Card text check required for exact target class and timing.

- Remove first: use Consumed by History only after Veles confirms its text, legal targets, and timing. Card text check required. Prioritize the visible hate piece, threat, or permanent class that prevents the combo from resolving or surviving; avoid using it as generic cleanup when a protected enabler is already available.

- Exile first: use Faerie Macabre on graveyard cards only when the opponent's visible graveyard action, trigger, recursion spell, or known matchup plan makes those cards matter now. Hold Faerie Macabre through harmless graveyard growth if the opponent has not presented the graveyard-dependent payoff or activation window.

- Discard policy: this registered deck has no main-deck or sideboard discard spell, so never plan around making the opponent discard unless the rules engine exposes a legal action from another effect. If no discard action is listed, choose among the actual legal actions instead of inventing hand attack.

- Ability interaction: use Hexing Squelcher only when Veles exposes a legal ability or target that its verified text can interact with. Card text check required. Prioritize abilities that counter the combo turn, create immediate lethal pressure, or generate an irreversible resource swing.

- Bait deliberately: bait permission or removal with Vexing Bauble, Stock Up, Ponder, redundant Show and Tell, or redundant Sneak Attack when the hand has a second enabler or Force of Will backup. Do not bait with the only enabler plus only payoff unless waiting gives the opponent a faster clock or more disruption.

- Ignore low-impact plays: ignore small creatures, cantrips, tapped mana development, and nonlethal value engines when the hand can assemble Show and Tell plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Show and Tell plus Omniscience, or Sneak Attack plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn before those plays matter. Reassess if Ancient Tomb life loss, shock lands, or attacks put the deck under a two-turn clock.

- Archetype adjustment: against aggro, spend interaction earlier on pressure that compresses Ancient Tomb and Steam Vents life payments; against control, save Force of Will for the fight over enablers and use Vexing Bauble carefully around your own Force of Will; against graveyard decks, preserve Faerie Macabre for the graveyard window rather than casting unrelated setup into a known kill turn; against artifact, enchantment, or permanent-hate decks, verify Consumed by History and Into the Flood Maw target rules before relying on them.

## Combat And Trading Rules

- Default combat role: avoid fair combat unless Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is post-boarded or a payoff creature is already on the battlefield. The main deck wins by resolving Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, Show and Tell, or Sneak Attack, not by trading small creatures.

- Attack with payoff creatures when the attack advances a deterministic or near-deterministic finish and does not expose a better line to unnecessary risk. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn attacks are usually decisive, but still follow Veles legal attackers, summoning status, blockers, effects, and phase output rather than assuming inevitability.

- Use Atraxa, Grand Unifier as both stabilizer and pressure after resolution. Attack when life total and blockers allow continued advantage; hold back only if blocking is necessary to survive an opposing crack-back or if a visible effect makes attacking materially worse.

- Sneak Attack combat: activate Sneak Attack for Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when the resulting attack is expected to end the game or leave the opponent unable to recover; activate Sneak Attack for Atraxa, Grand Unifier when the immediate card selection, lifelink body, or pressure stabilizes the current board. Do not spend the only red activation into a visible bounce, prevention, or sacrifice effect without considering Force of Will or waiting.

- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer combat: attack with Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer only when Veles shows no favorable blocker or the resource swing matters more than preserving it. Do not trade Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer into a random creature unless the trade protects life total, clears a path for a later attack, or buys the combo turn.

- Blocking priority: block to survive first, preserve combo resources second, and protect Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer only when its future attacks are realistic. Atraxa, Grand Unifier can block aggressively against creature decks if the lifelink or body stabilizes, but do not block into visible tricks when winning next turn is already legal.

- Life thresholds: spend life from Ancient Tomb and Steam Vents freely above pressure-neutral totals when it creates a faster protected combo; become conservative when visible attacks plus known stack reach can kill within one or two turns. If life is low, prefer lines that use Show and Tell immediately, deploy Atraxa, Grand Unifier to stabilize, or bounce a lethal attacker over sculpting with Stock Up.

- Trading rules: trade only post-board creatures or payoff bodies when the trade prevents lethal, preserves a protected combo turn, or removes a specific blocker that stops Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer from becoming a real plan. Do not trade Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn for ordinary board parity unless survival requires it.

- Protection in combat: hold Force of Will for combat-step interaction only when the visible spell or ability changes lethal math, removes the payoff creature, or prevents the decisive attack. Do not counter a minor combat trick if the opponent remains dead to the current attack or if Force of Will is needed for the next stack fight.

- Archetype differences: against aggro, block and bounce earlier because every Ancient Tomb activation matters; against control, combat is mostly about protecting resolved payoff creatures from stack interaction and avoiding unnecessary exposure; against graveyard or combo decks, attack as a clock once a payoff resolves and save Faerie Macabre or Force of Will for their comeback window; against midrange, use Atraxa, Grand Unifier to stabilize and convert card advantage, then attack when the battlefield no longer threatens a profitable crack-back.

## Selection And Tutor Rules

- Sequence selection to answer the next missing piece first: identify whether the hand lacks an enabler, payoff, mana, protection, or red access before choosing with Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Mystical Tutor, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or fetch lands. Do not spend selection chasing marginal upgrades when a protected Show and Tell plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Show and Tell plus Omniscience, or Sneak Attack plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn line is already legal.

- Use Ponder early to find the first functional combo pair or missing land, especially Ancient Tomb, Steam Vents, Island, Mountain, or a fetch land. Shuffle only when the visible top cards do not produce a near-term enabler, payoff, necessary mana color, or Force of Will backup.

- Use Brainstorm as a protection and hand-quality tool rather than a casual draw spell. Prefer Brainstorm with Scalding Tarn, Polluted Delta, Misty Rainforest, or Flooded Strand available so uncastable extra copies of Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, redundant lands, or situational Vexing Bauble can be put back and shuffled away.

- Preserve Brainstorm against discard or known hand pressure when the opponent can see or attack the hand. Hide the key enabler, payoff, or Force of Will on top only when a fetch shuffle, next draw, or immediate combo turn keeps the line coherent.

- Use Stock Up when the game asks for depth instead of immediate setup. Card text check required; if Veles shows it as a legal selection spell, prioritize combinations that complete enabler plus payoff, add Force of Will plus blue card, or find land plus combo piece over low-impact redundancy.

- Use Mystical Tutor for the exact spell the hand cannot otherwise produce. Find Show and Tell when a payoff is ready; find Force of Will when the next turn requires stack protection; consider Ponder, Brainstorm, Stock Up, or Sink into Stupor only when Veles legal actions and visible state show that setup, bounce, or card flow is more urgent than combo assembly.

- Time Mystical Tutor around draw steps and known pressure. Casting it before the draw step can convert immediately into Show and Tell or Force of Will, while casting it too early can expose the plan to shuffle effects, discard windows, or tempo loss.

- Choose Atraxa, Grand Unifier cards by role coverage first. When Atraxa, Grand Unifier presents multiple card types, take the enabler, protection, mana source, or follow-up payoff that best prevents the opponent from recovering; do not select extra expensive payoffs over a needed Force of Will, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, land, or setup spell.

- Manage fetch lands as selection resources. Hold Scalding Tarn, Polluted Delta, Misty Rainforest, and Flooded Strand when Brainstorm or Ponder may need a shuffle, but fetch earlier when mana color, life total, or playing around visible effects matters more than future card quality.

- Make land drops after selection when possible. Cast Ponder or Brainstorm before choosing a land drop if the hand has multiple land options and the selection spell can reveal whether Ancient Tomb speed, Steam Vents red-blue access, basic Island stability, Mountain red access, Thundering Falls, or Petrified Hamlet is needed.

- Bottom or shuffle away stranded pieces only when they are truly redundant in the visible plan. Extra Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn can be dead without enablers, but the first payoff is essential; extra Show and Tell can be weak against a dangerous opposing permanent, while extra Sneak Attack can be strong through counter-heavy games.

## Priority And Stack Rules

- Treat the combo-turn stack fight as the deck's decisive priority window. Before casting Show and Tell, activating Sneak Attack, or resolving Omniscience, check visible opponent mana, known cards, public graveyards, current stack objects, Vexing Bauble status, and Force of Will resources rather than assuming the enabler will resolve.

- Use Force of Will primarily to force through or protect Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Counter opposing spells that stop the combo, produce lethal before the next turn, remove the resolved engine at the key moment, or create a lock that prevents casting the needed enabler.

- Do not counter low-impact setup by default. Let opposing cantrips, small creatures, and ordinary value spells resolve when the hand can assemble a faster protected kill, unless those spells visibly find or represent immediate disruption that Veles exposes through legal actions or public information.

- Respect Vexing Bauble on both sides of the table. Card text check required; when Veles shows Vexing Bauble affecting non-hand casting or free spells, avoid locking your own Force of Will or alternative line unless the Bauble is deliberately protecting the combo from the opponent's visible interaction.

- Activate Sneak Attack only in windows that convert mana into immediate value. Prioritize end-step or combat-ready activations according to Veles legal timing, and choose Emrakul, the Aeons Torn for decisive attacks or Atraxa, Grand Unifier when stabilization, lifelink, or selection is the needed result.

- Let your own Show and Tell resolve only when the chosen permanent is already decided from visible legal choices. Prefer Atraxa, Grand Unifier when card advantage and stabilization matter, Omniscience when the hand can chain spells or deploy payoffs, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when the board and timing make the payoff decisive.

- Reassess after each opponent response. If the opponent counters the first enabler and the hand still has another Show and Tell or Sneak Attack, preserve Force of Will only if it is needed for the second fight; if the opponent taps low, shift from sculpting to committing when the legal line is available.

- Use Sink into Stupor as interaction only when Veles confirms a legal target and the bounce effect matters now. Card text check required; prioritize stack or battlefield objects that stop the combo, threaten lethal, or undo a Show and Tell downside over cosmetic tempo plays.

- Use Into the Flood Maw post-board only when its verified legal target changes the current turn. Card text check required; hold it for hate permanents, lethal attackers, or blockers that prevent a decisive attack when Veles exposes the action.

- Use Faerie Macabre at the graveyard window, not on autopilot. Respond to visible recursion, graveyard combo setup, or a target announcement when the relevant cards are public in graveyards; otherwise preserve it as hidden-speed interaction if still in hand.

- Pass priority confidently when the stack is harmless and the hand benefits from patience. Passing is correct when the opponent has no lethal or disruptive object on stack, your next draw or held selection improves the combo, and spending Force of Will, Brainstorm, Mystical Tutor, or bounce now would reduce protection.

- Do not invent optional payments, triggers, or activated abilities. Choose only legal Veles actions, and when Chrome Mox imprint, Sneak Attack activation, Vexing Bauble activation, or any sideboard card ability appears, evaluate the visible cost, target, and timing before committing.

## Sideboard Map

- Default post-board goal: preserve a fast protected Show and Tell or Sneak Attack core while changing only the interaction package that the matchup actually tests. Keep enough blue cards for Force of Will, enough payoffs for every enabler, and enough red access for Sneak Attack after sideboarding.

- Vexing Bauble is for free-spell and stack-fight matchups where the opponent relies on zero-mana or no-mana interaction. Card text check required; use it when Veles shows the game revolves around free counters, free protection, or cascade-like casting, but remember it can constrain your own Force of Will if the rules engine exposes that conflict.

- Vexing Bauble is weaker when the opponent pressures life total with battlefield damage and does not interact on the stack. Against creature-heavy decks, extra Vexing Bauble should not displace the enabler-payoff density needed to end the game.

- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is for slower control, combo mirrors, and hands that need a one-mana threat to tax removal before the combo turn. Use it as a role-shift card when the opponent will overload on narrow combo interaction and may keep hands light on cheap creature answers.

- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is poor when blockers, cheap removal, or life-total pressure make early combat unreliable. Do not bring it into boards where the runtime state suggests it cannot connect and would only dilute Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or protection.

- Consumed by History is the broad permanent-answer slot when the matchup presents resolved hate, lock pieces, large creatures, or battlefield engines that block the combo. Card text check required; use it only according to Veles legal targets and verified effect text, and treat it as a safety valve rather than a reason to play a long fair game.

- Consumed by History is weakest when the opponent's relevant interaction is mostly stack-based or graveyard-based. In those games, preserve Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, Faerie Macabre, or speed rather than overloading on conditional battlefield answers.

- Into the Flood Maw is tempo interaction for a hate permanent, lethal attacker, or blocker that changes the decisive turn. Card text check required; prefer it when the matchup requires a cheap answer that buys one turn for Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

- Into the Flood Maw is bad when bouncing does not answer the actual problem. Avoid leaning on it against recursive threats, enter-the-battlefield value, or stack-only disruption unless Veles shows a legal target whose temporary removal wins or saves the current turn.

- Faerie Macabre is for graveyard combo, recursion, escape-style pressure, reanimation, and graveyard-resource decks. Use it at the exact public graveyard window when Veles shows relevant cards in graveyards or a target announcement; do not spend it just because a graveyard has ordinary filler.

- Faerie Macabre is poor when graveyards are incidental. It should not reduce combo consistency against decks whose primary plan is battlefield pressure, countermagic, or discard unless public information proves graveyard dependence.

- Hexing Squelcher is for activated-ability or triggered/ability-centric matchups if verified by card text and Veles legal actions. Card text check required; bring it when the opponent's known plan relies on a specific permanent ability, graveyard ability, planeswalker ability, artifact ability, or utility engine that the card can legally answer.

- Hexing Squelcher is bad when the opponent attacks with ordinary spells and creatures rather than abilities it can affect. Do not add it merely as generic interaction; use it only when the card text and matchup expose targets or timing that matter.

Fast Free-Spell Combo Or Stack Mirror
Side in: 2 Vexing Bauble
Cut: 2 Stock Up

- Plan use: choose this plan when the opponent is a combo or control deck where free interaction and stack positioning matter more than battlefield removal. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer gives an alternate pressure axis, while extra Vexing Bauble can force both players to respect mana-paid interaction.

- Plan caution: if Vexing Bauble would visibly shut off your only protection line with Force of Will, prioritize a mana-paid or protected sequence before deploying it. Do not turn a good Force of Will hand into an unprotected all-in hand unless waiting is worse.

Permanent-Hate Creature Pressure
Side in: 4 Consumed by History; 2 Into the Flood Maw
Cut: 2 Vexing Bauble; 2 Stock Up; 1 Mystical Tutor; 1 Ponder

- Plan use: choose this plan when the opponent presents hate permanents, disruptive creatures, or fast battlefield pressure that can stop or race Show and Tell. Consumed by History and Into the Flood Maw should create the one clean opening needed for a protected enabler.

- Plan caution: do not overplay the control role after adopting this plan. The deck still wins by resolving Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Omniscience into Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, not by trading resources indefinitely.

Graveyard Combo Or Recursion
Side in: 3 Faerie Macabre; 2 Vexing Bauble
Cut: 2 Stock Up; 1 Sink into Stupor; 1 Mystical Tutor; 1 Ponder

- Plan use: choose this plan when public matchup knowledge or visible game actions show graveyard dependency plus free-spell interaction. Faerie Macabre supplies no-mana graveyard disruption, while Vexing Bauble challenges no-mana casting lines if verified by the rules engine.

- Plan caution: keep Faerie Macabre hidden until the target window matters. Spending it early on low-impact cards can leave the opponent free to execute the real graveyard line later.

Activated-Ability Engine Or Utility Permanents
Side in: 2 Hexing Squelcher; 2 Into the Flood Maw; 2 Consumed by History
Cut: 2 Vexing Bauble; 2 Stock Up; 1 Mystical Tutor; 1 Ponder

- Plan use: choose this plan only when Hexing Squelcher has verified targets or matchup text that matters. Into the Flood Maw and Consumed by History add redundancy against the same permanent-based axis while preserving the main combo shell.

- Plan caution: if Hexing Squelcher has no visible or expected legal role, prefer Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, or the maindeck configuration instead. A dead specialized answer is worse than another selection spell in a deck that must assemble two-card pressure.

Slow Removal-Heavy Control
Side in: 2 Vexing Bauble
Cut: 2 Stock Up

- Plan use: choose this plan when the opponent expects only Show and Tell and Sneak Attack and may weaken creature removal. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer can force early action, and Vexing Bauble can make free interaction less reliable if the text applies.

- Plan caution: do not keep low-combo hands solely because they contain Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. The creature is a pressure tool, not a new primary win condition.

- Add role cards: against broad battlefield hate, prioritize Consumed by History and Into the Flood Maw. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower card-flow slots such as Stock Up and the least necessary expensive payoff when the matchup demands immediate answers.

- Add role cards: against graveyard decks, prioritize Faerie Macabre before generic bounce. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards that do not affect the graveyard race or accelerate a protected combo.

- Add role cards: against free-spell control or combo, prioritize Vexing Bauble and possibly Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. Reduce main-deck emphasis: clunky interaction and excess expensive payoff copies, while maintaining enough blue cards for Force of Will.

- Add role cards: against ability-centric engines, use Hexing Squelcher only after card text and legal targets are confirmed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble when the opponent is not using no-mana casting, and slow selection when tempo interaction is required.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: race from a protected combo posture, not from a long-answer posture. Keep hands that produce fast Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Omniscience with Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and treat Ancient Tomb life loss as acceptable only when it advances the decisive turn. Add role cards: Consumed by History and Into the Flood Maw when the opponent's pressure or hate permanents can visibly delay the combo. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower Stock Up lines and excess expensive payoff density when the matchup is decided before extra card flow matters.

- Control: force the opponent to answer multiple different axes instead of exposing one all-in Show and Tell. Prioritize cantrips that assemble mana, enabler, payoff, and protection; preserve Force of Will for opposing counters, discard payoff follow-ups, or permanent answers that stop Sneak Attack or Omniscience. Add role cards: Vexing Bauble and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer when free interaction or slow removal-heavy positioning matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sink into Stupor and the slowest card-flow slot when the opponent is not presenting early battlefield pressure.

- Combo: identify whether you are faster, more protected, or forced to interact. Fast hands with Ancient Tomb, Chrome Mox, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, and a payoff can race, but hands without pressure need Force of Will or Vexing Bauble to avoid losing before the first decisive spell. Add role cards: Vexing Bauble against no-mana stack fights, Faerie Macabre against graveyard-dependent combo, and Hexing Squelcher only if card text and visible legal actions show relevant ability targets. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Stock Up turns that do not affect the combo race.

- Tempo: value mana efficiency and threat density over perfect sculpting. Tempo opponents punish tapped lands, Ancient Tomb damage, and cantrip turns that do not change the board, so prefer sequences that create a must-answer Sneak Attack or protected Show and Tell quickly. Use Brainstorm and Ponder to hide or find redundant payoff, but do not spend every early turn selecting if the opponent already has a short clock. Add role cards: Into the Flood Maw for one-turn tempo openings and Consumed by History for hate or pressure if verified by card text. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Stock Up when spending three mana without affecting the board is too slow.

- Midrange: play as the bigger inevitability deck while respecting discard and permanent disruption. Mulligan toward hands with redundant enablers or Brainstorm protection for key cards; a single Show and Tell plus one payoff may be fragile if the opponent can strip the payoff before the combo turn. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is especially important when the first threat needs to reload after removal or discard, while Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is strongest when a single attack is enough to end the game. Add role cards: Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, and sometimes Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer against slow removal piles. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble when no-mana casting is not central.

- Big mana: combo before the opponent's expensive permanents dominate. Do not drift into a draw-go control plan unless Force of Will must stop a single game-ending spell; your strongest line is usually to assemble Show and Tell or Sneak Attack with protection before their mana engine converts into inevitability. Be cautious with Show and Tell if the opponent can put a visible or strongly expected high-impact permanent onto the battlefield; prefer Sneak Attack or Omniscience when available and tactically safer. Add role cards: Vexing Bauble if their interaction relies on free spells, or Hexing Squelcher only with verified ability targets. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow bounce if their threats are mostly spells rather than permanents.

- Graveyard: preserve Faerie Macabre for the exact graveyard window that matters. Do not fire it at incidental graveyard cards while the opponent still has the public resources to execute a larger recursion or combo line. Show and Tell remains the primary clock, but a protected combo turn is often better than racing without interaction if the opponent can win from the graveyard at instant speed. Add role cards: Faerie Macabre first, Vexing Bauble when no-mana casting also matters, and Hexing Squelcher only if card text confirms a graveyard ability role. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Stock Up and the least necessary expensive payoff copy.

- Artifact/enchantment: treat hate permanents as timing problems, not reasons to abandon the combo. If a visible permanent stops Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Force of Will, or activated abilities, hold the enabler until Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, Sink into Stupor, or a verified Hexing Squelcher line creates a legal opening. Card text check required for Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, and Hexing Squelcher; only rely on them when Veles shows legal targets or confirmed text. Add role cards: Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, Hexing Squelcher for ability-centric permanents, and Vexing Bauble only for no-mana casting. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards that do not help answer or race the hate permanent.

- Go-wide: win before combat math overwhelms life total, and avoid spending Force of Will on low-impact creatures unless they represent lethal or a lock. Atraxa, Grand Unifier can stabilize better than most payoffs if it legally enters and survives, while Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is preferred when one attack ends the game before the opposing board attacks back. Do not pay unnecessary Ancient Tomb life into a visible lethal crack-back unless that mana produces the decisive spell. Add role cards: Consumed by History and Into the Flood Maw for hate permanents, lords, or lethal attackers if legal. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Stock Up lines under a short clock.

- Single-threat: answer only the threat or permanent that changes the combo clock. A large single creature often lets the deck spend life and cards aggressively to win with Show and Tell or Sneak Attack, but a protected single threat with disruption may require Force of Will or bounce before committing. Use Into the Flood Maw or Sink into Stupor when a temporary answer opens a deterministic combo turn; avoid treating temporary bounce as a permanent control plan. Add role cards: Into the Flood Maw and Consumed by History when the threat or its support permanent is the bottleneck. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble unless the opponent's protection uses no-mana spells.

- Burn: respect life total as a real resource, especially with Ancient Tomb, fetch lands, Steam Vents, and Chrome Mox card disadvantage. Keep faster combo hands and avoid slow Stock Up sequences unless they find protection or the missing combo piece immediately. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is often the preferred Show and Tell payoff if its life swing or stabilization is legally relevant; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is preferred when immediate annihilation or a one-turn kill is required. Add role cards: Into the Flood Maw only for a visible lethal permanent or blocker, and Consumed by History only when card text confirms a relevant target. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble when the opponent's plan is direct damage rather than free interaction.

- Removal-heavy decks: punish dead removal by presenting noncreature engines and delayed payoff deployment. Sneak Attack and Omniscience are stronger than exposing a fair creature plan, while Show and Tell should be timed around discard, edict-like effects, and visible answers. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is useful only when the opponent has reduced early creature interaction or when early pressure forces awkward answers; do not keep weak hands solely for Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. Add role cards: Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Vexing Bauble against slow control-removal shells, and Consumed by History for permanent hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: bounce that does not answer their disruption axis.

- Mirror or similar cheat-threat decks: choose the enabler that gives the opponent the least profitable symmetry. Show and Tell can hand the opponent a comparable permanent, so prefer Sneak Attack when it avoids giving them a free battlefield entry, or use Show and Tell only when your payoff and follow-up are better under visible information. Force of Will is for the opposing enabler, opposing protection, or a spell that breaks symmetry. Add role cards: Vexing Bauble and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer for stack pressure and alternate damage. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Stock Up and reactive cards without targets.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only: revealed cards override assumptions. Treat these notes as default role cues until Veles exposes exact opponent cards, legal actions, stack objects, graveyard contents, and battlefield constraints.

- Fast creature decks: race with Show and Tell or Sneak Attack before combat damage makes Ancient Tomb and Steam Vents too costly. Prioritize Atraxa, Grand Unifier when stabilization matters and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when one attack will end the game. Add role cards: Into the Flood Maw and Consumed by History only when card text and legal targets confirm they answer pressure or blockers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Stock Up lines and excess Vexing Bauble when the opponent is not using no-mana interaction.

- Stack-interaction decks: force the combo through with patience rather than speed alone. Protect Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, or the payoff turn with Force of Will, and use Vexing Bauble when visible or expected no-mana spells matter. Mystical Tutor should usually find the missing combo enabler or Force of Will rather than a low-impact cantrip. Add role cards: Vexing Bauble and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. Reduce main-deck emphasis: temporary bounce without targets.

- Discard decks: value redundant enablers and top-deck manipulation over fragile single-card plans. Brainstorm can hide key cards when Veles shows a legal draw/selection window before discard resolves; Ponder and Stock Up rebuild after discard if life total and clock allow. Prioritize Sneak Attack or Omniscience when Show and Tell symmetry is risky. Add role cards: Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer against slow hands and Consumed by History for hate permanents if legal.

- Graveyard decks: preserve Faerie Macabre for the graveyard window that changes the game. Do not spend it on incidental cards if the opponent can still assemble the visible graveyard engine. Force of Will should cover the enabler that Faerie Macabre cannot answer. Add role cards: Faerie Macabre first, Vexing Bauble if no-mana spells are part of the opponent plan, and Hexing Squelcher only when card text confirms a relevant ability.

- Permanent-hate decks: identify whether the obstacle stops Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Force of Will, or activated abilities. Hold the combo piece until Sink into Stupor, Into the Flood Maw, Consumed by History, or Hexing Squelcher creates a legal opening. Card text check required for Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, Hexing Squelcher, Sink into Stupor, and Vexing Bauble before relying on exact interaction scope.

- Mirror or cheat-threat decks: avoid careless Show and Tell symmetry. Prefer Sneak Attack when it avoids giving the opponent a free permanent, and use Show and Tell only when your revealed payoff and follow-up beat the opponent’s visible or strongly inferred battlefield entry. Force of Will should prioritize opposing enablers, protection, or a spell that wins the stack fight.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: Ancient Tomb accelerates decisive turns but can lose races through repeated life loss. Fetch lands and Steam Vents also tax life, so do not pay life for speed unless the mana produces Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Force of Will support, or a necessary selection spell.

- Color risk: Chrome Mox can fix explosive hands but creates card disadvantage and may remove the blue card needed for Force of Will. Imprint only when the remaining hand still has a coherent enabler, payoff, and protection or selection path.

- Matchup risk: Show and Tell is symmetrical. Do not cast it into an opponent who can put a visible or likely stronger permanent onto the battlefield unless your Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience line wins through that exchange.

- Draw risk: Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, and Mystical Tutor can look powerful while failing to affect the board. Under a short clock, selection must find a missing combo piece, protection, or a legal answer rather than improve card quality slowly.

- Over-sideboarding risk: adding too many role cards weakens the density of Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, and blue support. Keep the deck a combo-control deck after sideboarding, not a reactive midrange shell.

- Graveyard risk: Faerie Macabre is powerful only at the correct graveyard window. Early use can leave the deck exposed to the actual recursion or combo action.

- Sweeper/removal risk: normal creature removal is often low impact against the main plan, but edict effects, exile effects, bounce, or permanent hate can matter after a cheated payoff. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is safer for rebuilding; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is safer when one attack ends the game.

- Closer risk: Sneak Attack threats may be temporary, and Show and Tell threats may face immediate answers. Choose Atraxa, Grand Unifier when the hand needs reload or stabilization; choose Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when the visible board and life totals reward immediate annihilator pressure.

- Interaction risk: Force of Will is not a generic counterspell in this deck. Spend it on opposing enablers, lethal disruption, hate that blocks the combo, or stack interaction aimed at the decisive turn.

- Sequencing risk: Mystical Tutor, Brainstorm, and fetch lands can either perfect the draw or lock in a bad card order. Use them with visible draw timing, shuffle access, and known pressure in mind; do not tutor for a card that cannot be cast before the opponent’s next decisive action.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: identify whether the game was decided by a resolved Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or by failure to assemble/protect one of those lines before the opponent's clock mattered.

- Mulligans: record whether each keep had an enabler, payoff, mana, and either Force of Will or selection, and flag any keep that relied on Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, or Mystical Tutor to find multiple missing categories.

- Mana: note every game where Ancient Tomb life loss, Steam Vents shock decisions, fetch timing, Chrome Mox imprint, or missing red/blue mana changed the viable line.

- Velocity: check whether Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, and Mystical Tutor found the missing piece quickly enough, or whether selection consumed turns without producing Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, protection, or a payoff.

- Engine commitment: review each combo turn for whether waiting was better than casting Show and Tell into symmetry, activating Sneak Attack without enough damage, or tapping out for Omniscience without follow-up.

- Interaction: audit Force of Will use for decisive stack fights only, and mark any counter spent on a low-impact spell while a combo blocker, hate card, or opposing enabler resolved later.

- Sideboard: verify each sideboarded game stayed threat-dense, and record whether Vexing Bauble, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Faerie Macabre, Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, or Hexing Squelcher affected the turn it was drawn or cast.

- Removal and answers: log whether Sink into Stupor, Into the Flood Maw, Consumed by History, or Hexing Squelcher had legal text-supported targets, and whether holding them opened a better combo window than spending them immediately.

- Closing: record whether Atraxa, Grand Unifier was chosen when stabilization or reload mattered, whether Emrakul, the Aeons Torn was chosen when one attack could end the game, and whether Omniscience converted into enough follow-up.

- Role: compare intended role to actual play pattern, especially games where the deck became too reactive after sideboarding or too fast into visible interaction.

- Mistakes: flag any legal-action choice that ignored visible board state, public graveyards, stack objects, known revealed cards, or rules-engine warnings.

- Stranded cards: list any repeated stranded copies of Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, Sneak Attack, Show and Tell, Force of Will, or sideboard cards, and name the missing resource that stranded them.

- Overperformers and underperformers: track which exact cards produced wins, bought turns, or sat unused, separating main-deck performance from sideboard-game performance.

## First Tuning Questions

- Card quantities: if hands frequently have payoff without enabler, should the balance among Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn change, or is the issue mulligan discipline and selection sequencing?

- Protection density: if combo turns lose to stack interaction, are 4 Force of Will and main-deck Vexing Bauble enough, or should sideboard Vexing Bauble enter more often against those matchups?

- Mana base: if Ancient Tomb and Steam Vents life loss decide races, should fetch/shock sequencing change first, or does the deck need a different land mix around Island, Mountain, Thundering Falls, Petrified Hamlet, and the fetch lands?

- Chrome Mox tension: if Chrome Mox imprints too many blue cards or payoffs, is the acceleration still winning more games than the card disadvantage costs?

- Cantrip mix: if Stock Up is too slow under pressure, should it be reduced in aggressive matchups, or is it still necessary to rebuild after discard and counter-heavy games?

- Aggro plan: if fast creature decks win before the combo stabilizes, should Into the Flood Maw and Consumed by History be prioritized more often after card text checks, or should the main plan mulligan more aggressively to Ancient Tomb starts?

- Control plan: if stack-interaction decks beat rushed combo turns, should the pilot wait longer for Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, and extra selection, or is Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer needed more often as an alternate pressure card?

- Graveyard plan: if graveyard decks win through Faerie Macabre, was the card used at the wrong window, drawn too late, or insufficient as the only graveyard-specific pressure?

- Closer selection: if Atraxa, Grand Unifier wins more stabilized games than Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, should payoff preference shift by matchup, or are failed Emrakul lines caused by poor Sneak Attack timing?

- Sideboard slots: if Consumed by History, Into the Flood Maw, Hexing Squelcher, or Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer lack legal impact, should those slots become more focused on the matchups actually producing losses?

- Role conflict: if post-board hands contain too many answers and too few combo pieces, which main-deck cuts are weakening the deck's identity, and should sideboard plans preserve more Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, and payoff density?

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Mulligan To Combo Structure
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan
- Cards: Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Omniscience; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Chrome Mox; Ancient Tomb; Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up; Force of Will
- Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan, London bottom
- Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; prompt:bottom
- Use when: choosing keep, mulligan, or bottom cards from visible opening-hand data.
- Avoid when: the hand has payoff density but no enabler, no selection, and no acceleration path.
- Instructions: Keep hands with mana plus an enabler or credible selection path, then prefer a payoff and protection. Bottom redundant legendary payoffs before Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, mana, or Force of Will unless the visible hand already has multiple enablers.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Pregame Role And Play Choice
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: pregame
- Cards: Ancient Tomb; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Force of Will; Vexing Bauble
- Phase windows: pregame, play/draw choice
- Runtime cues: prompt:play first; prompt:draw first
- Use when: Veles exposes a legal play/draw decision.
- Avoid when: tournament structure or match metadata fixes the choice.
- Instructions: Choose play when the hand or matchup rewards Ancient Tomb starts, early Vexing Bauble, or fast combo. Consider draw only when the matchup is attrition-heavy and the hand needs extra card flow more than tempo.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Early Mana Setup
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Ancient Tomb; Chrome Mox; Steam Vents; Island; Mountain; Thundering Falls; Petrified Hamlet; Scalding Tarn; Polluted Delta; Misty Rainforest; Flooded Strand
- Phase windows: turns 1-3, pre-combo turns
- Runtime cues: action:play; action:fetch; action:imprint
- Use when: sequencing lands, fetches, and acceleration before the first combo attempt.
- Avoid when: a legal lethal or survival action is already on stack or board.
- Instructions: Build access to blue for selection and permission, red for Sneak Attack, and two-mana bursts for Show and Tell. Spend Ancient Tomb life deliberately against pressure; shock Steam Vents only when the current or next decision needs untapped colored mana.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Chrome Mox Imprint Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana, selection
- Cards: Chrome Mox; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Force of Will; Brainstorm; Ponder; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack
- Phase windows: early turns, combo setup, mulligan recovery
- Runtime cues: action:imprint Chrome Mox; prompt:choose card to exile
- Use when: Chrome Mox asks for an imprint choice or when casting it consumes a card.
- Avoid when: imprinting removes the only enabler, only payoff, only protection, or only colored card needed for Force of Will.
- Instructions: Imprint excess selection or redundant payoffs only when the resulting mana enables a concrete line. Preserve Force of Will plus blue card against visible interaction unless speed is the only survival path.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Selection Before Commitment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up; Mystical Tutor; Scalding Tarn; Polluted Delta; Misty Rainforest; Flooded Strand
- Phase windows: main phase, end step, upkeep, pre-combo turn
- Runtime cues: action:cast Brainstorm; action:cast Ponder; action:cast Stock Up; action:cast Mystical Tutor
- Use when: the hand is missing enabler, payoff, protection, or required mana.
- Avoid when: casting selection taps mana needed for a protected combo attempt this turn.
- Instructions: Use Ponder and Stock Up to find missing categories. Use Brainstorm with shuffle access when possible, and avoid locking excess payoffs on top without a fetch. Use Mystical Tutor for the exact missing instant or sorcery only when draw timing and mana make it actionable.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Show And Tell Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority, interaction, selection
- Cards: Show and Tell; Omniscience; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Force of Will; Vexing Bauble
- Phase windows: main phase, protected combo turn
- Runtime cues: action:cast Show and Tell
- Use when: Show and Tell is legal and the hand has a payoff to put onto the battlefield.
- Avoid when: visible public information shows a better opposing permanent risk, available stack interaction without protection, or no payoff in hand.
- Instructions: Commit when waiting increases the opposing clock or discard risk more than it improves protection. Prefer Omniscience when follow-up spells are visible; prefer Atraxa, Grand Unifier to reload or stabilize; prefer Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when one attack is likely decisive.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Show And Tell Single Payoff Placement
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Show and Tell; Omniscience; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Phase windows: Show and Tell resolution
- Runtime cues: action:put Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:put Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; action:put Omniscience
- Use when: the prompt is resolving Show and Tell and exactly one legal action contains one of the listed payoff card names.
- Avoid when: two or more listed payoff names appear in separate legal actions.
- Instructions: Choose the single visible payoff action and let the rules engine resolve the symmetric effect. Do not infer opponent hidden choices.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sneak Attack Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority, combat, mana
- Cards: Sneak Attack; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Ancient Tomb; Chrome Mox; Force of Will
- Phase windows: main phase, beginning of combat, combat trick windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Sneak Attack; action:activate Sneak Attack
- Use when: Sneak Attack can enter or activate with a visible creature payoff and red mana access.
- Avoid when: activation produces no attack, cannot stabilize life total, or exposes the only payoff into visible removal without sufficient reward.
- Instructions: Commit when immediate damage, annihilator pressure, lifelink stabilization, or Atraxa reload matters this turn. Preserve red mana for activation after resolving Sneak Attack, and account for the end-step sacrifice clause if the engine exposes it.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sneak Attack Single Creature Entry
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Sneak Attack; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Phase windows: Sneak Attack activation resolution
- Runtime cues: action:put Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:put Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Use when: a Sneak Attack-related prompt offers exactly one legal action containing Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
- Avoid when: both creature names appear in separate legal actions.
- Instructions: Choose the single visible creature-entry action. Let later attack, trigger, and sacrifice decisions be handled by their own prompts.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Omniscience Conversion Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority, selection
- Cards: Omniscience; Show and Tell; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up; Force of Will
- Phase windows: post-resolution main phase, combo turn
- Runtime cues: action:cast Omniscience; action:cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:cast Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Use when: Omniscience is legal or already on the battlefield and free spells are legal.
- Avoid when: casting Omniscience leaves no follow-up and the opponent has a visible clock or disruption window.
- Instructions: After Omniscience, cast draw and payoff actions that expand resources before passing. Use Force of Will to protect the conversion turn, not low-impact spells.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Force Of Will Permission Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction, priority
- Cards: Force of Will; Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up; Mystical Tutor; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Omniscience
- Phase windows: opponent combo turn, own combo turn, stack fights
- Runtime cues: action:cast Force of Will; prompt:choose card to exile
- Use when: a stack object threatens the combo, prevents resolution, creates lethal pressure, or is opposing decisive engine action.
- Avoid when: the target is low impact and Force of Will plus blue card is needed to protect Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Omniscience.
- Instructions: Counter hate, permission, discard, or opposing enablers that materially change the next turn cycle. Exile the least necessary blue card while preserving the current combo line.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Vexing Bauble Protection Timing
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction, priority
- Cards: Vexing Bauble; Force of Will; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Omniscience
- Phase windows: early turns, pre-combo turn, stack interaction windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Vexing Bauble; action:activate Vexing Bauble
- Use when: Vexing Bauble is legal and the matchup or visible stack rewards constraining zero-mana interaction. Card text check required for exact triggered and activated modes.
- Avoid when: casting it delays the only fast combo line against a short clock.
- Instructions: Deploy before the decisive combo turn when protection matters more than speed. Consider cashing it only when the rules engine shows the draw action and its static role is no longer needed.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Answer Permanent Or Stack Obstacles
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction, priority
- Cards: Sink into Stupor; Into the Flood Maw; Consumed by History; Hexing Squelcher
- Phase windows: opponent end step, pre-combo main phase, combat survival, stack windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Sink into Stupor; action:cast Into the Flood Maw; action:cast Consumed by History; action:cast Hexing Squelcher
- Use when: a visible permanent, spell, ability, or attacker blocks the combo or threatens survival. Card text check required for Consumed by History and Hexing Squelcher target limits.
- Avoid when: the target is cosmetic and spending the answer removes protection from the combo turn.
- Instructions: Use temporary answers to open the exact combo window, not to trade for marginal resources. Follow engine legality for targets and zones.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Graveyard Interaction Window
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction, priority
- Cards: Faerie Macabre
- Phase windows: opponent graveyard setup, spell or ability targeting graveyard, pre-combo survival window
- Runtime cues: action:discard Faerie Macabre; action:exile
- Use when: the opponent has visible graveyard cards and a legal Faerie Macabre action is exposed.
- Avoid when: no graveyard-dependent action is pending and using it now does not change visible next-turn risk.
- Instructions: Exile cards tied to the pending graveyard action or the opponent's known engine. Do not name hidden cards or assume unavailable targets.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Payoff Combat Decisions
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Sneak Attack
- Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, post-combat
- Runtime cues: action:attack; action:block
- Use when: a payoff creature is on the battlefield and combat choices are legal.
- Avoid when: combat action text is ambiguous and the visible board requires damage math.
- Instructions: Attack with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when legal unless a visible rule or lethal crackback makes attacking wrong. Use Atraxa, Grand Unifier defensively when lifelink or blocking preserves a future combo turn; attack when vigilance and life swing improve survival.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Ragavan Sideboard Pressure
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: combat, priority, sideboard
- Cards: Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
- Phase windows: post-board early turns, combat, removal-light games
- Runtime cues: action:cast Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer; action:attack Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
- Use when: Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is in the post-board deck and legal actions support a pressure plan.
- Avoid when: it delays a protected combo turn or attacks into visible blockers without a clear rules-engine benefit.
- Instructions: Use Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer to pressure control and punish slow starts, but keep combo density as the primary plan. Do not rely on unknown exiled cards for planning until Veles exposes them.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Plan Selection
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Vexing Bauble; Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer; Consumed by History; Into the Flood Maw; Faerie Macabre; Hexing Squelcher; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Omniscience; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Stock Up
- Phase windows: between games, sideboard lock
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
- Use when: choosing a legal sideboard plan after Game 1 or Game 2.
- Avoid when: proposed swaps violate the registered 75 or reduce threats below a functional combo core.
- Instructions: Add role cards for the revealed matchup while preserving enough enablers, payoffs, mana, and selection. Bring Faerie Macabre for graveyard reliance, Vexing Bauble and Ragavan against stack-heavy control, and answer cards only when their legal targets matter.
- Pilot skill floor: light-model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
