# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Sphere Shops is a Vintage prison-aggro artifact deck built around Mishra's Workshop, Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Crucible of Worlds, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, and fast artifact threats. The registered list is 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, and the provided format-aware validation contract says the deck passes Vintage construction checks.

- Format: Vintage.
- Main deck: 60 cards registered.
- Sideboard: 15 cards registered.
- Tags: prison; aggro; artifact.
- Stock status: hybrid Shops shell. The mana denial core is familiar Vintage Workshop strategy, while the threat mix of Scrawling Crawler, Patchwork Automaton, Nettlecyst, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, and Karn, the Great Creator should be treated as deck-specific rather than generic Shops autopilot.
- Runtime rule: Veles must choose only actions exposed by the rules engine, use visible board state before strategic preference, and never assume hidden cards, card text, or legal outcomes that Forge has not exposed.

The deck's primary identity is a prison deck that wins by making the opponent's spells late, expensive, or unusable while attacking with artifact creatures and construct-like scalable threats. Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, and Null Rod are not interchangeable hate pieces; each should be evaluated against visible mana, spell volume, free-spell reliance, artifact-mana reliance, and whether the pilot's own artifact mana is still needed.

The mana base is powerful but internally tense. Mishra's Workshop is the best opener for artifact permanents, Ancient Tomb accelerates at a life cost, Tolarian Academy scales with artifact density, and Urza's Saga can become a threat package, but Null Rod turns off Black Lotus, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and the five Moxen after they are on the battlefield. The pilot should front-load expendable artifact mana before locking it under Null Rod when legal, but should not delay Null Rod if the visible opposing plan is more damaged by it than Sphere Shops is.

The land-denial package is a real plan, not a side theme. Crucible of Worlds with Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter can convert early tax pressure into a soft lock; Golos, Tireless Pilgrim can find a land that completes the current plan if its triggered or activated options are legal and visible. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara, so any use of that land should remain conditional on Forge's exposed legal actions and visible text cues.

The role baseline is aggressor-prison against slower spell decks, mana-denial control against greedy mana and Bazaar-style setups, and stabilizing artifact midrange against creature pressure after sideboard. The deck should not be piloted as pure control: when a lock piece has already constrained the opponent, Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Lodestone Golem, Urza's Saga, Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard, or Karn, the Great Creator should convert the window into a clock.

Opponent information status is unknown unless supplied by the match context, public game actions, revealed cards, or sideboard stage. Matchup labels may guide opening priorities, but the pilot must not infer exact hidden cards from archetype alone. If the engine reveals only generic zones, counts, or legal actions, decisions must stay anchored to those visible facts.

## Thesis
Sphere Shops assembles asymmetric time pressure: fast artifact mana and Mishra's Workshop deploy tax pieces, Null Rod, land destruction, and artifact threats before the opponent can convert cheap Vintage cards into a stable game. The deck wins when the opponent is forced to spend multiple turns answering Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, Lodestone Golem, Null Rod, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or Smokestack while Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Urza's Saga, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, or sideboard Wurmcoil Engine ends the game.

The priority is to turn every early mana advantage into either a lock piece or a clock, not to preserve resources for a long fair game. Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, the five Moxen, Tolarian Academy, and Urza's Saga can produce explosive starts, but they should be sequenced around Null Rod tension: spend or deploy artifact mana first when possible, then shut off opposing artifact mana if that is more damaging to the opponent than to the current hand.

The deck is not trying to answer everything one-for-one. Its removal is minimal before sideboarding, its card selection is limited, and its strongest games come from constraining categories of play rather than trading cleanly on the stack or battlefield. Do not hold Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, or a land-denial action for abstract future value when the visible board says the opponent is still developing and the lock piece is legal now.

The core tactical question is whether the current turn needs prison density, mana denial, or pressure. Add taxes when the opponent can still cast multiple spells, use Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or Crucible of Worlds loops when mana is the bottleneck, and deploy Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Lodestone Golem, or Urza's Saga pressure when the opponent is already constrained. Golos, Tireless Pilgrim should find the land that advances the active plan when Forge exposes that choice; Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara, so choose it only when its visible legal action or text supports the current line.

## Role Package
- Threats: Patchwork Automaton is an early artifact creature that rewards continued artifact deployment; Scrawling Crawler is a registered four-copy pressure card, but Card text check required for exact triggered or static text; Lodestone Golem is both attacker and tax piece; Nettlecyst converts artifact density into a large body or equipment threat; Urza's Saga can become a threat source if the rules engine exposes its chapter actions; Wurmcoil Engine is the sideboard stabilizer-finisher for creature pressure and removal-heavy games.

- Payoffs: Karn, the Great Creator is a high-impact planeswalker payoff whose legal actions should be checked carefully because this registered sideboard contains artifacts and nonartifact hate, not a generic wishboard assumption. Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is a land-selection payoff that can find mana, denial, utility, or inevitability lands when legal. Smokestack is the prison payoff that turns excess permanents, Crucible of Worlds recursion, and constrained opposing mana into a permanent-resource lock.

- Engines: Crucible of Worlds plus Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter is the main repeatable denial engine. Smokestack plus redundant artifacts, lands from Crucible of Worlds, or expendable mana artifacts can pressure opposing permanents. Urza's Saga plus artifact density is a pressure and selection engine only when its visible chapters and search choices are exposed by Forge.

- Velocity: Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Tolarian Academy, and Urza's Saga enable early lock deployment. Use fast mana to get under the opponent before Null Rod disables activated artifact mana, and value life from Ancient Tomb as a resource only while the clock or lock justifies it.

- Interaction: Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Lodestone Golem, Null Rod, Vexing Bauble, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Smokestack, Karn, the Great Creator, Karakas, Dismember, Mindbreak Trap, Disruptor Flute, Grafdigger's Cage, Leyline of the Void, and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale are the interaction package. Card text check required for exact Vexing Bauble and Disruptor Flute use, so follow exposed legal text rather than memory.

- Protection: Protection is mostly preemptive denial. Null Rod protects against artifact-mana recovery, Sphere of Resistance and Trinisphere protect against spell chains, Vexing Bauble may protect against free-spell sequences if text confirms, Chalice of the Void can block selected mana values, and Karakas can answer or protect legendary creatures only through legal actions the engine exposes.

- Recursion: Crucible of Worlds is the registered recursion center, primarily for Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Urza's Saga, Ancient Tomb, Mishra's Workshop, Inventors' Fair, Karakas, and utility lands after destruction or sacrifice. Do not assume graveyard access unless Forge exposes the land-play permission.

- Mana: The mana module is land-heavy but specialized: Mishra's Workshop powers artifacts, Ancient Tomb trades life for speed, Tolarian Academy scales with artifacts, Inventors' Fair and Talon Gates of Madara require text-conditional use, and Golos, Tireless Pilgrim can bridge into specific land roles.

- Sideboard modules: Mindbreak Trap and Disruptor Flute support spell-combo disruption; Grafdigger's Cage and Leyline of the Void attack graveyard or library-casting plans; Dismember answers creatures; Null Rod adds artifact-mana suppression; The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale punishes creature boards; Wurmcoil Engine adds stabilizing pressure.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Prison-pressure opening wins by converting Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Tolarian Academy, or Urza's Saga into immediate restriction plus clock. Prioritize Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, Null Rod, or Lodestone Golem before extra pressure when the opponent is still mana-light, has not stabilized, or has visible cheap-spell density. Execute by spending artifact mana before Null Rod when that preserves tempo, then attack with Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Lodestone Golem, Nettlecyst bodies, or Urza's Saga tokens while the opponent pays through taxes. Disruption comes from opposing removal, artifact hate, land destruction, or bounced lock pieces, so keep adding redundant constraints when the clock is already adequate.

- Land-denial lock wins when Crucible of Worlds lets Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter deny the opponent's functional mana every turn. Prioritize this line when the opponent is short on lands, dependent on a specific nonbasic land, constrained by Sphere of Resistance or Trinisphere, or unable to cast through repeated land loss. Execute by making the legal graveyard land play only when Forge exposes it, then replaying denial lands before developing lower-impact threats if the opponent's next spell matters more than one extra attacker. Protect the line by preserving Crucible of Worlds unless a faster lethal clock or Smokestack line clearly dominates the visible game.

- Smokestack wins by turning permanent count into a delayed but compounding prison. Prioritize Smokestack when you have excess permanents, Crucible of Worlds recursion, disposable Moxen after Null Rod, Urza's Saga material, or a board where the opponent cannot replace permanents efficiently. Execute conservatively when ahead: feed expendable artifacts or replayable lands first, avoid sacrificing the only pressure source unless the opponent is closer to running out of permanents than you are, and keep land destruction active if it prevents recovery. Disruption is any opponent board that can race before Smokestack matters, so do not choose this as the main plan when behind on combat unless The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale or Wurmcoil Engine is already part of the post-board plan.

- Artifact creature pressure wins when Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, and Lodestone Golem end the game before the opponent escapes the lock. Prioritize pressure when at least one tax or mana-denial piece is already active, when the opponent is topdecking through Null Rod, or when the hand lacks a durable prison engine. Execute by deploying Patchwork Automaton before artifact follow-ups when legal and tempo-positive, using Nettlecyst to create the largest visible attacker or equipment line, and attacking unless holding back a blocker is required to survive the crack-back. Card text check required for Scrawling Crawler, so treat its exact combat or damage contribution as conditional on visible rules text.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Golos, Tireless Pilgrim wins by selecting the land that makes the current plan self-sustaining. Use Golos, Tireless Pilgrim to find Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Mishra's Workshop, Tolarian Academy, Urza's Saga, Karakas, Inventors' Fair, Ancient Tomb, or Talon Gates of Madara only through legal exposed choices, and pick the land that closes the visible gap: denial when opponent mana is fragile, mana when your hand is clogged, Urza's Saga when pressure is missing, Karakas when a legal legendary-creature action matters, and utility only when its text is confirmed. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Inventors' Fair tactical activations.

- Karn, the Great Creator wins as a high-impact prison or value permanent when the board is stable enough to protect it. Prioritize Karn, the Great Creator when Null Rod-style artifact suppression is desirable, when a planeswalker activation can change the visible game, or when the opponent is not presenting lethal pressure. Do not assume a generic wish package; use only legal actions and visible registered sideboard choices if Forge exposes them.

- Urza's Saga wins as a creature-land pressure engine when its chapter abilities and token production are visible and time permits. Prioritize Urza's Saga when the opponent is already taxed, when a Construct-style threat is likely to be larger than single-card attackers, or when a search chapter can find a registered artifact that advances the lock. Do not delay an urgent Sphere of Resistance, Null Rod, Wasteland, or Strip Mine line just to grow a future Urza's Saga payoff.

- Sideboard stabilizer pressure wins through Wurmcoil Engine when creature combat, removal, or life pressure makes normal small attackers unreliable. Prioritize Wurmcoil Engine after sideboarding when Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, or racing damage has made life total dangerous, or when the opponent's board requires a large stabilizing body rather than another tax piece.

## Emergency Lines
- When behind on life, stop treating Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt damage as free if another legal mana route preserves the same lock or blocker. Prioritize Wurmcoil Engine post-board, Nettlecyst bodies, large Patchwork Automaton lines, and defensive Scrawling Crawler or Lodestone Golem blocks over incremental prison pieces that do not affect the next combat step.

- When behind on board, choose visible actions that immediately reduce attackers, create blockers, or deny combat mana. Use Dismember after sideboarding when a creature must die, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale when the opponent relies on multiple creatures, Smokestack only if you can survive the delay, and Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter when removing a mana source cuts off the opponent's next attack-enabling play.

- When behind on cards, convert the battlefield into the card advantage engine. Crucible of Worlds plus Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or replayed utility lands is the cleanest recovery path; Smokestack is acceptable only with fodder or recursion; Urza's Saga and Golos, Tireless Pilgrim are priority plays when they visibly create material without exposing you to lethal.

- When behind on mana, preserve lands and delay self-locking where possible. Do not deploy Null Rod before using Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, or Moxen if those activated resources are needed for the current hand, and do not sacrifice lands to Smokestack unless Crucible of Worlds or a winning lock compensates.

- When primary threats are removed, rebuild around the opponent's bottleneck instead of forcing dead pressure lines. If creatures are answered, lean into Crucible of Worlds land denial, Smokestack attrition, Karn, the Great Creator, or Urza's Saga; if prison pieces are answered, deploy Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, or Lodestone Golem and race while using any remaining Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or Null Rod action to slow recovery.

## Resource Model
- Life is a fast-start resource, not a buffer to ignore. Spend Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt damage to land Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Crucible of Worlds, Patchwork Automaton, or a fast lock before the opponent develops; stop spending life when the visible board makes the next combat step or burn-like reach decisive. Post-board, Dismember is worth life only when the target changes combat math, removes a must-answer engine, or preserves a stronger prison piece than the life total would.

- Hand size is front-loaded into permanent count. This deck converts opening cards into lands, Moxen, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, tax artifacts, Null Rod, and artifact creatures; a kept hand should either produce immediate mana denial, immediate taxing, or a credible artifact-pressure curve. Do not hoard cheap artifacts for theoretical later value when Patchwork Automaton, Urza's Saga, Tolarian Academy, Smokestack, or Nettlecyst can convert them into board presence now.

- Mana is both acceleration and a weapon. Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Black Lotus, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, and Tolarian Academy create explosive starts, while Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Null Rod, and Crucible of Worlds make the opponent's mana worse. Sequence so your own burst mana is used before Null Rod shuts off activated artifact mana.

- Board count matters because Smokestack and combat both reward material. Feed Smokestack with redundant Moxen after Null Rod, replayable Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, expendable Urza's Saga material, or low-impact permanents before sacrificing active pressure, Crucible of Worlds, or the mana source needed to keep casting. If you are behind on board, choose stabilizing permanents and blockers before a slow attrition line.

- Graveyard value is mostly land recursion. Crucible of Worlds turns Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, sacrificed lands, and destroyed utility lands into repeated actions; prioritize it when the opponent is constrained by lands or when Smokestack requires fodder. Do not assume graveyard access through exile effects or hidden zones unless Forge exposes the legal play.

- Exile is not a primary resource unless a visible effect creates a legal play. Karn, the Great Creator may expose sideboard or exiled-card decisions depending on rules-engine output, but the agent must not assume a generic wish line. Treat exile as public information first and as a playable zone only when legal actions say so.

- Lands are threats, mana, denial, and insurance. Mishra's Workshop and Ancient Tomb cast the deck; Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter attack the opponent's recovery; Urza's Saga and Inventors' Fair are conditional engines; Karakas and Talon Gates of Madara are utility lands whose exact tactical use depends on visible legal text. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Inventors' Fair activations.

- Sideboard bullets convert narrow matchups into clearer plans. Leyline of the Void and Grafdigger's Cage attack graveyard dependence, Mindbreak Trap and Disruptor Flute attack stack or named-card pressure, Dismember answers creatures, Null Rod increases artifact suppression, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale pressures creature swarms, and Wurmcoil Engine stabilizes races.

## Mana Guide
- Keep mana hands that cast a lock piece or pressure under their own taxes. A strong keep has Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb plus a meaningful artifact, or multiple fast artifacts that deploy Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Patchwork Automaton, Crucible of Worlds, or Nettlecyst before the opponent's second major decision. Mulligan hands that are all denial lands with no castable spell, all artifact mana that loses to your own immediate Null Rod, or colored spells without reliable color.

- Color requirements are light but real. Golos, Tireless Pilgrim requires five mana including colorless-friendly sources but may need colored mana for activated text if exposed; Karn, the Great Creator is colorless; most prison and threat cards are artifact or colorless. Preserve Moxen or Black Lotus for Golos, Tireless Pilgrim lines only when the visible legal actions make that mana matter more than deploying Null Rod.

- Play Mishra's Workshop before other lands when it is needed to cast the current artifact sequence. Use Ancient Tomb when two colorless mana changes the turn, but prefer Mishra's Workshop, Tolarian Academy, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, or Moxen when they produce the same lock without life loss. Use Tolarian Academy after artifact deployment when it will visibly produce more mana.

- Sequence Null Rod after activated artifact mana has been spent for the turn. If the hand needs Black Lotus, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, or Sol Ring to deploy multiple permanents, use those resources first, then cast Null Rod. If opposing artifact activation is the immediate threat, casting Null Rod earlier can override your own future acceleration.

- Play land before draw only when the land action is forced or tactically locked. Before a draw or selection action, delay the land drop if seeing the next card could change whether you need Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Urza's Saga, Tolarian Academy, Karakas, Inventors' Fair, or Talon Gates of Madara. Play land first when you must pay for Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, a visible tax trigger, or an immediate legal spell.

- Use Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter as mana denial before generic development when the opponent's visible lands are the bottleneck. Use them after deploying a tax piece when possible, because a taxed opponent loses more time from each destroyed land. With Crucible of Worlds active, prioritize repeatable denial over marginal extra attackers unless combat is the faster clock.

- Treat Urza's Saga as a mana land with a clock attached, not a free delay excuse. Play it early when you can support its chapters and still cast lock pieces; delay it when the hand must immediately use Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb for Sphere of Resistance, Null Rod, Trinisphere, Patchwork Automaton, or Crucible of Worlds.

- Respect self-taxing math every turn. Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, and Lodestone Golem can strand your own follow-up cards, so count post-tax mana before choosing between lock piece, threat, and land destruction. The best mana line is the one that leaves the opponent with fewer meaningful legal actions while still letting your next visible play happen.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: keep Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb plus Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Null Rod, Patchwork Automaton, Crucible of Worlds, Nettlecyst, or Lodestone Golem when the hand deploys at least one lock piece and one follow-up threat or denial land. A hand such as Mishra's Workshop, Sphere of Resistance, Patchwork Automaton, Wasteland, Mox Pearl, Crucible of Worlds, and any castable artifact is a premium prison-pressure start.

- Strong keep: keep fast artifact mana hands that spend Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, or Moxen before Null Rod and produce a board that remains functional after Null Rod. A hand that casts Sphere of Resistance plus Null Rod plus Patchwork Automaton or Crucible of Worlds is often better than a hand that saves activated artifacts for later.

- Medium keep: keep one lock piece, one threat, and imperfect mana when the first two turns are still scripted. Ancient Tomb plus Sphere of Resistance and Scrawling Crawler is acceptable on the play if follow-up mana exists; Mishra's Workshop plus Nettlecyst but no disruptive permanent is slower and needs matchup or draw-step help.

- Risky keep: keep land-destruction-heavy hands only when they also cast a tax effect or Crucible of Worlds quickly. Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Crucible of Worlds, and no Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb can be excellent against land-dependent visible starts, but it is too slow if the opponent can operate from artifacts, graveyard, or cheap spells before the lock starts.

- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no castable first-turn spell, no disruptive permanent, or mana that conflicts with itself. Ship all Wasteland and Ghost Quarter hands without another mana source, all Null Rod plus unspent Moxen/Mana Vault/Mana Crypt/Sol Ring hands that cannot deploy anything meaningful first, and hands where Tolarian Academy produces too little mana because no artifacts are castable.

- Trap hand: do not keep a hand that looks explosive only before counting your own Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, and Null Rod. If the hand casts a single tax piece and then strands Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, Smokestack, Nettlecyst, or Scrawling Crawler for multiple turns, treat it as a mulligan unless the tax piece is matchup-winning by itself.

- Matchup-dependent keep: keep Null Rod-heavy hands against visible or expected artifact-mana opponents, but reduce confidence when Null Rod disables the hand's only acceleration. Keep Leyline of the Void only after sideboarding when it is in the opening hand and graveyard pressure is the reason for the plan; do not assume it can be found later unless a legal action says so.

- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, value Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, and Lodestone Golem above slower engines because the first tax changes the opponent's whole turn. On the draw, value Mindbreak Trap after sideboarding, Null Rod, fast Wasteland or Strip Mine, and Dismember after sideboarding more highly when the opponent can act before your first main phase.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1 priority: deploy the strongest lock that the hand can support without stranding the next turn. Preferred starts are Mishra's Workshop into Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere, Thorn of Amethyst, Chalice of the Void, Null Rod after spending artifact mana, Patchwork Automaton plus another cheap artifact, or Crucible of Worlds when Wasteland/Strip Mine/Ghost Quarter recursion is already available.

- Turn 1 deviation: choose Null Rod before creature pressure when opposing artifact mana or activated artifacts are the visible bottleneck. Choose Patchwork Automaton or Scrawling Crawler first when no tax piece is available and the hand needs an immediate clock; Card text check required for Scrawling Crawler's exact combat and activated modes.

- Turn 2 priority: convert the first lock into a clock or a mana-denial loop. Cast Patchwork Automaton, Nettlecyst, Lodestone Golem, or Scrawling Crawler when the opponent is already taxed; use Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter when their visible land is the only route through Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, or Null Rod.

- Turn 2 deviation: play Crucible of Worlds before another threat when repeated Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or Smokestack fodder is more constricting than combat damage. Play Urza's Saga when it advances board count and future pressure without delaying an urgent lock or land-destruction action.

- Turn 3 priority: establish the durable engine. Smokestack is preferred when you have expendable permanents or Crucible of Worlds support and the opponent has fewer resources; Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is preferred when a specific land such as Wasteland, Strip Mine, Urza's Saga, Inventors' Fair, Karakas, Tolarian Academy, or Talon Gates of Madara is exposed as useful by legal actions. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Inventors' Fair activations.

- Turn 3 deviation: choose Karn, the Great Creator when the legal action set offers a high-impact sideboard or static-lock line, but do not assume any wish target without rules-engine output. Choose Nettlecyst or Patchwork Automaton instead when the opponent is under lock and life total is the shortest path to ending the game.

- Turns 4-5 priority: tighten the lock while ending the game. Maintain Wasteland/Strip Mine/Ghost Quarter recursion with Crucible of Worlds, feed Smokestack with low-impact or replayable permanents, and attack with Patchwork Automaton, Nettlecyst-equipped bodies, Lodestone Golem, Scrawling Crawler, constructs from Urza's Saga, or Wurmcoil Engine after sideboarding when stabilizing matters.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: stop adding symmetrical taxes when they only trap your own hand and the opponent is already constrained. Spend mana on pressure, land destruction, Smokestack management, or a visible Karn, the Great Creator line instead of casting an extra Sphere of Resistance that prevents your next relevant spell.

- Late game priority: preserve the recursive resource that keeps the opponent from rebuilding. Keep Crucible of Worlds, active land denial, Smokestack advantage, Urza's Saga pressure, or a large Nettlecyst threat over marginal artifact mana that Null Rod already suppresses. If the lock is broken, rebuild from the highest-impact legal permanent rather than holding cards for hidden future certainty.

## Card Roles
- Sphere of Resistance is the primary first-turn tax and should be cast before most threats when the hand can still function under it. Prefer it on turn 1 off Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, or Moxen when it delays the opponent more than it delays follow-up Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Crucible of Worlds, or land destruction. Avoid stacking extra Sphere of Resistance copies when the visible board already constrains the opponent and the extra tax would strand Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, Smokestack, or Nettlecyst.

- Thorn of Amethyst is the spare sphere effect that is strongest against spell-heavy opponents and weaker against creature-heavy boards. Cast it early when the opponent's visible plan depends on cheap noncreature spells, but recognize that it taxes your own noncreature artifacts, Crucible of Worlds, Smokestack, Nettlecyst, Karn, the Great Creator, and sideboard interaction. When both Thorn of Amethyst and Sphere of Resistance are legal, prefer the one that leaves the cleanest next-turn line unless the opponent's noncreature density makes Thorn clearly superior.

- Trinisphere is the high-impact lock piece for hands that can deploy it before the opponent has developed. Cast Trinisphere early when it will convert cheap opposing spells into full-turn commitments, especially on the play. Do not assume Trinisphere is enough by itself if the opponent already has mana in play; follow it with Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Null Rod, or a fast clock.

- Chalice of the Void is a precision prison piece, not an automatic cast. Use the rules-engine legal action text for available values and choose the value only after considering your own hand. A low-value Chalice of the Void can protect a sphere lock from cheap interaction, but a poorly chosen value can shut off Black Lotus, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Sol Ring, Vexing Bauble, or sideboard cards. Card text check required for exact runtime value handling if Forge presents multiple cast modes.

- Null Rod is the most important anti-artifact lock and the easiest self-own. Cast Black Lotus, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Sol Ring first when those mana sources are needed to build a board before Null Rod resolves. Prioritize Null Rod against artifact-mana opponents, activated artifact engines, and visible boards where their mana advantage beats your land denial. Delay Null Rod when your only route to deploy threats or taxes depends on artifact activations that have not yet been spent.

- Vexing Bauble is a cheap artifact lock supplement that attacks free-spell lines while growing artifact-count payoffs. Cast it early when it does not block a stronger Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, or Null Rod turn. Remember that Null Rod can shut off activated artifact abilities, so treat any Vexing Bauble draw mode as conditional on legal action text rather than assumed.

- Patchwork Automaton is the preferred early clock because nearly every artifact you cast can increase its relevance. Lead with Patchwork Automaton when no decisive tax is available or when the hand can play it before chaining cheap artifacts. Avoid exposing it as the only plan when a lock piece would prevent the opponent from executing first. In combat, attack with Patchwork Automaton when the damage clock matters more than preserving a blocker; hold it back only when visible opposing pressure can race or force a bad trade.

- Scrawling Crawler is a main pressure card and artifact body, but its exact triggered and activated text must be verified at runtime. Card text check required. Cast Scrawling Crawler when the board needs a clock under spheres or when artifact count matters for Nettlecyst, Tolarian Academy, Inventors' Fair, or Urza's Saga. Do not assume it blocks profitably, drains life, draws cards, or punishes draws unless the visible rules text or engine output confirms that mode.

- Nettlecyst is the scalable finisher that turns prison clutter into lethal damage. Cast Nettlecyst when you already have several artifacts, when a living weapon body is useful, or when equipping an evasive or durable creature is legal and advances the fastest clock. Do not tap out for Nettlecyst before an urgent Sphere of Resistance, Null Rod, Crucible of Worlds, or land-destruction line if the opponent can escape next turn. Treat equip decisions as board-dependent; moving Nettlecyst onto Patchwork Automaton, Lodestone Golem, a construct, or Wurmcoil Engine after sideboarding can be decisive, but only if legal action text confirms the target.

- Lodestone Golem is both a threat and another tax piece. Cast it when the opponent is already slowed and a four-power clock shortens the game, or when an added nonartifact tax matters more than developing recursive engines. Avoid Lodestone Golem when its tax prevents casting the follow-up that actually wins, especially Karn, the Great Creator, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Smokestack, or Crucible of Worlds.

- Smokestack is the attrition lock and should be committed only when you can break symmetry. Cast Smokestack when Crucible of Worlds, Urza's Saga tokens, expendable Moxen after Null Rod, replayable lands, or extra permanents let you sacrifice better than the opponent. Do not increase pressure blindly if the opponent has more disposable permanents or if sacrificing your own lock pieces would reopen the game. With Crucible of Worlds, prioritize sacrificing Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or other replayable lands when that preserves battlefield pressure.

- Crucible of Worlds is the deck's long-game engine and the reason land destruction becomes a lock. Cast Crucible of Worlds before extra threats when Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or fetchable utility lands are already visible in graveyard or hand and the opponent depends on lands. Pair it with Smokestack to turn land sacrifice into a resource loop. Do not cast Crucible of Worlds into a board where it has no land to recur and a live threat or sphere would matter immediately.

- Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is a land tutor and late-game body, with any activated mode conditional on legal action output and mana availability. Use Golos, Tireless Pilgrim to find Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Urza's Saga, Inventors' Fair, Karakas, Tolarian Academy, Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Talon Gates of Madara, or a missing mana source according to the current bottleneck. Prefer land denial when the opponent is locked, Urza's Saga when pressure is needed, Tolarian Academy when artifact count unlocks big turns, and Karakas only when its legendary interaction is visible and relevant. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara.

- Karn, the Great Creator is a commitment card that must be chosen for a visible high-impact line, not because it is generically powerful. Cast Karn, the Great Creator when the board and legal actions suggest a useful static ability, loyalty action, or sideboard access line. Do not assume any specific sideboard artifact or wish target unless the rules engine exposes that legal choice. Protect Karn, the Great Creator by prioritizing blockers, land denial, or Null Rod when the opponent can attack it down immediately.

- Mishra's Workshop is the best explosive mana source and should be sequenced to cast artifact lock pieces before colored or utility lands. Use Mishra's Workshop for Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Crucible of Worlds, Smokestack, and Lodestone Golem. Remember it cannot pay for all nonartifact costs; use Ancient Tomb, Moxen, Black Lotus, Tolarian Academy, or other lands when the legal spell requires different mana.

- Ancient Tomb is the flexible prison land that trades life for tempo. Spend life aggressively to cast a turn-1 or turn-2 lock, threat, Crucible of Worlds, or Nettlecyst, but reconsider repeated Ancient Tomb activations when under a short creature clock or after Mana Crypt damage. Mishra's Workshop is preferred for artifacts when possible so Ancient Tomb remains available for nonartifact costs.

- Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter are disruption first and mana sources second. Use them early when cutting the opponent off a color, a key land, or enough mana to escape Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, or Lodestone Golem. With Crucible of Worlds, repeat the land-destruction action unless a lethal attack, urgent lock piece, or Smokestack decision takes priority. Ghost Quarter can give the opponent a land depending on rules text and format context, so use it when the target land is worth that risk or when Crucible of Worlds makes repeated pressure available.

- Urza's Saga is both threat and utility, and its chapter timing should shape sequencing. Play Urza's Saga when it can make constructs under a prison shell or when a future search is valuable, but avoid relying on a specific search target until the engine exposes the legal options. Constructs are excellent Nettlecyst carriers and Smokestack fodder, but do not sacrifice the tempo of an urgent Sphere of Resistance or Null Rod just to start Saga a turn earlier.

- Tolarian Academy, Inventors' Fair, Karakas, and Talon Gates of Madara are utility lands whose value depends on visible text and legal actions. Tolarian Academy is strongest after cheap artifacts are deployed and weakest in empty-board openers. Inventors' Fair may provide life or tutoring only if the engine confirms the conditions and legal activation; Card text check required. Karakas matters when a relevant legendary permanent is visible. Talon Gates of Madara requires card text verification before making tactical assumptions.

- Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, and Mox Sapphire are acceleration tools that should usually be spent before Null Rod. Use them to front-load prison, then accept that Null Rod may convert them into inert permanents that still count for artifact synergies. Avoid keeping hands that rely on post-Null Rod activations unless the first turn already deploys enough lock and pressure to justify it.

## Interaction Priorities
- Prioritize mana denial before creature removal when a tax piece is already active. Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter should hit the land that lets the opponent pay through Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, or Lodestone Golem, especially colored sources or lands producing multiple mana.

- Prioritize Null Rod against artifact-mana and activated-artifact decks before adding redundant pressure. Lead Null Rod when the opponent's visible mana, board, or archetype suggests Moxen, artifact engines, or artifact abilities matter more than your own Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, or Moxen staying active. Do not delay Null Rod just to preserve small acceleration if the lock already converts those artifacts into battlefield material.

- Prioritize Chalice of the Void and Vexing Bauble only when the legal action text and matchup context make the disruptive number or effect matter. Do not assume a hidden curve; use visible spells, known archetype, and prior game logs to decide whether these are lock pieces or low-impact permanents.

- Use Dismember after sideboarding on creatures that break the lock or race through it first. Remove mana creatures, artifact hate creatures, fast lethal threats, or creatures attacking Karn, the Great Creator before spending Dismember on small attackers that can be blanked by Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Wurmcoil Engine, or constructs.

- Use Mindbreak Trap after sideboarding for stack turns that threaten to invalidate prison. Hold it for storm-like chains, protected combo turns, or decisive stack sequences; do not spend it on the first spell if Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, or Null Rod already makes the turn collapse. If multiple target choices are exposed, exile the spell or set of spells that actually wins or unlocks the win, not the bait.

- Use Grafdigger's Cage and Leyline of the Void after sideboarding as archetype hate, not generic interaction. Keep them high against graveyard, library-cast, or recursion plans; de-emphasize them against fair creature decks unless public information shows they stop a real line. Do not name them as removal for battlefield threats.

- Use Karakas only when a relevant legendary permanent is visible and the rules engine exposes a legal action. Bounce opposing legendary threats or protect your own legendary permanent only if that play advances the lock, saves Karn, the Great Creator pressure, or prevents lethal. Card text check required for any edge case involving Talon Gates of Madara.

- Bait opposing answers with redundant prison pieces when the next card is decisive. If Sphere of Resistance is already functioning, a second Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Scrawling Crawler, or Patchwork Automaton can draw interaction before Crucible of Worlds, Karn, the Great Creator, Smokestack, Nettlecyst, or Golos, Tireless Pilgrim. Do not bait when the opponent can immediately win if the bait fails to constrain them.

- Ignore low-impact permanents while the opponent is mana-constrained. Attack lands, spell chains, graveyards, or key threats first; do not spend Wasteland, Strip Mine, Dismember, or Karn, the Great Creator loyalty on cards that are already stranded under Trinisphere, Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Lodestone Golem, or Null Rod.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Attack early when the prison lock is already taxing the opponent's ability to answer. Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Lodestone Golem, Nettlecyst carriers, Urza's Saga constructs, and Wurmcoil Engine should convert every locked turn into damage unless attacking exposes Karn, the Great Creator, loses the only blocker against lethal, or sacrifices an important artifact body to bad combat.

- Preserve engine permanents over marginal damage. Do not attack with the only creature needed to protect Karn, the Great Creator, crew a future combat plan, carry Nettlecyst safely, or feed Smokestack if the opponent can punish the attack. With Smokestack active, count future sacrifice needs before offering expendable artifact creatures in combat.

- Trade aggressively when the trade keeps the opponent from operating. Trading Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, a construct, or Nettlecyst germ for a mana creature, fast clock, hate creature, or planeswalker attacker is correct when Sphere of Resistance, Null Rod, Crucible of Worlds, or land destruction will win afterward. Avoid trading the only meaningful clock if the opponent is locked but not yet under pressure.

- Block to protect life once Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, and opposing attacks create a short clock. Treat life as a prison resource early, but stop paying life or taking avoidable combat damage when repeated Ancient Tomb activations, Mana Crypt triggers, or a wide battlefield can put you dead before Smokestack, Crucible of Worlds, or Nettlecyst stabilizes.

- Protect Karn, the Great Creator when its next activation or static pressure matters more than player damage. Leave back Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, constructs, Nettlecyst carriers, or Wurmcoil Engine if visible attackers can remove Karn, the Great Creator and the Karn line is the current path to victory.

- Use Nettlecyst as a clock first and a combat trick only when legal actions expose equip choices. Equip to the creature that creates the shortest safe clock or the best blocker; do not assume equip is free, instant-speed, or legal without engine output. A large Nettlecyst carrier can end games faster than additional lock pieces when the opponent is already constrained.

- Value Wurmcoil Engine after sideboarding as stabilization, not merely damage. Attack or block with it to reverse races against creature decks, but avoid unnecessary trades into exile, bounce, or sacrifice effects when public information shows those effects can neutralize it.

- Change combat posture by matchup. Against combo and spell-heavy decks, attack whenever it shortens the clock under spheres and only hold blockers for known creatures. Against creature aggro, block earlier, prioritize Dismember and Wurmcoil Engine, and do not let Ancient Tomb damage make races unwinnable. Against control, pressure planeswalkers and life totals while preserving Crucible of Worlds, Smokestack, and recursive land denial.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Use Golos, Tireless Pilgrim as the deck's cleanest land tutor when the lock needs a specific land more than another threat. Find Mishra's Workshop when artifact mana production is the bottleneck, Wasteland or Strip Mine when Crucible of Worlds is active or a visible land must be attacked, Urza's Saga when a construct plan and a one-mana-or-less artifact search are valuable, Inventors' Fair when life and artifact count make its utility relevant, or Karakas only when a relevant legendary permanent is visible.

- Use Golos, Tireless Pilgrim conservatively under Null Rod. Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is an artifact creature, so do not assume its activated ability is available through your own Null Rod; follow the rules engine's legal action list. If the only exposed Golos line is the land-search trigger, prioritize the land that immediately fixes the current prison or clock problem.

- Use Urza's Saga chapter search as a lock-piece selection, not a generic value tutor. Favor Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, or Mox Sapphire when acceleration still matters and Null Rod is not shutting them off; favor Vexing Bauble or Chalice of the Void when the legal search text exposes them and the matchup makes one-mana or zero-mana spell disruption relevant. Do not fetch mana artifacts into your own Null Rod unless artifact count, construct size, or immediate mana before Null Rod matters.

- Use Karn, the Great Creator selection only from visible legal choices. If the engine exposes sideboard artifact choices, choose Grafdigger's Cage against graveyard or library-cast lines, Disruptor Flute against a known activated/spell-name pressure point, Null Rod against artifact-mana or artifact-engine decks, or Wurmcoil Engine when stabilization and a resilient clock matter. Do not assume Karn can access nonartifact sideboard cards such as Mindbreak Trap, Dismember, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, or Leyline of the Void unless the rules engine explicitly offers them.

- Sequence land drops before selection when the selection depends on visible mana. Play Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, or a Mox before casting Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, Nettlecyst, Smokestack, Trinisphere, or multiple prison pieces if the engine shows that doing so unlocks the selected line. Delay Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter only when holding the land conceals a land-destruction target without costing a key spell this turn.

- Treat Crucible of Worlds as repeatable pseudo-selection over lands already visible in graveyard. When Crucible of Worlds is active, land choices become a sequence: replay Wasteland or Strip Mine to keep the opponent off mana, replay Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb to deploy artifacts, replay Urza's Saga to rebuild constructs and search, or replay Inventors' Fair if its activated line is legal and important. Do not spend a land drop on a low-impact land when a recursive land-destruction loop is constraining the opponent.

- Treat draw and filtering as minimal. The deck has no broad cantrip package, so do not pass hoping to sculpt unless the current hand cannot legally deploy a meaningful lock, threat, or land-destruction action. Card text check required for Scrawling Crawler before using it as a draw-related planning anchor; use only visible engine events and legal triggers when deciding around it.

- Bottoming, scrying, and unknown-card selection should follow prison priorities if an outside effect creates them. Keep Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Crucible of Worlds, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Patchwork Automaton, Nettlecyst, and matchup hate when they solve the visible game; bottom redundant mana rocks under Null Rod, extra legendary or low-impact lands, or slow threats when the hand already has pressure and needs disruption.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Use priority to deploy lock pieces before giving the opponent a cheap window. Lead with Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, Null Rod, or Lodestone Golem when they constrain the opponent's next legal actions more than an extra attacker would. If multiple taxes are legal, prefer the one that changes the current turn's spell math, not the one that is merely redundant.

- Let irrelevant spells resolve under an established lock. Do not spend Mindbreak Trap, Dismember, Karn, the Great Creator activations, Karakas actions, Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter on spells or permanents that are already stranded by Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, or Smokestack. Interact when the spell breaks mana denial, removes the lock, creates lethal pressure, or enables a combo turn.

- Hold Mindbreak Trap after sideboarding for decisive stack turns. Use it when the opponent's visible spell chain, storm-like sequence, or protected combo action would beat prison if it resolves; do not fire it at a low-impact bait spell while a tax piece already makes the rest of the turn fail. If the rules engine exposes multiple target sets, choose the set that removes the actual payoff or the spell that unlocks the payoff.

- Use Dismember at the last safe point when waiting may expose a better target. Kill mana creatures, hate creatures, must-answer attackers, or threats aimed at Karn, the Great Creator before they generate value or damage that matters. Do not delay through combat damage or a lethal stack window just to preserve Dismember.

- Activate Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter when the opponent's mana is the bottleneck. Fire land destruction before the opponent can use the land to pay through Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, or Lodestone Golem, especially with Crucible of Worlds active. Wait only when the opponent is tapped out and a better visible target is likely to matter before their next priority window.

- Manage Smokestack triggers as a commitment, not a reflex. Add soot counters only when your battlefield, Crucible of Worlds loop, expendable artifacts, or construct tokens can support the sacrifice schedule better than the opponent. Decline or stop escalating if the next upkeep would consume your only lock piece, only threat, or key mana source before the opponent is meaningfully constrained.

- Respect optional payments and activated abilities under your own hate. Null Rod can shut off your Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Moxen, and artifact activated abilities, so use those resources before Null Rod when the engine offers the window and the mana matters. Do not assume Talon Gates of Madara has a useful priority action; Card text check required, and follow only exposed legal actions.

- Use combat trick windows mainly for removal, Karakas, and post-block priority decisions. If the opponent commits a blocker or attacker that changes the race, use Dismember or Karakas only when the visible target is legal and the exchange preserves a lock, saves Karn, the Great Creator, prevents lethal, or forces through a decisive Nettlecyst, Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Lodestone Golem, construct, or Wurmcoil Engine attack.

- Pass priority deliberately when the stack favors prison. Passing is correct when the opponent is taxed, your battlefield is advancing, and no legal action improves the lock, clock, or survival. Passing is suspicious when unused mana could deploy Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Null Rod, Crucible of Worlds, Karn, the Great Creator, Smokestack, Nettlecyst, Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Lodestone Golem, or a relevant sideboard hate card before the opponent untaps.

## Sideboard Map
- Use sideboarding to sharpen the lock for the opponent's escape route, not to become a generic midrange deck. Keep the core density of Mishra's Workshop mana, Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Crucible of Worlds, Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, and Nettlecyst unless a matchup makes a specific piece low-impact. Respect that Null Rod also affects Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, and the Moxen, so additional Null Rod is strongest when the opponent is hurt more than this deck.

Fast graveyard combo / Bazaar-style graveyard engines
Side in: 3 Leyline of the Void; 3 Grafdigger's Cage; 2 Mindbreak Trap
Cut: 3 Null Rod; 2 Smokestack; 1 Karn, the Great Creator; 1 Vexing Bauble; 1 Nettlecyst

- Mulligan more aggressively in this plan because Leyline of the Void is most valuable from the opening hand. Grafdigger's Cage is the secondary graveyard lock when Leyline of the Void is absent or answered, and Mindbreak Trap covers explosive stack turns that ignore permanent-based hate. Smokestack and Karn, the Great Creator are slower here because the opponent may win before incremental prison matters.

Artifact mana / Shops mirror / Saga artifact boards
Side in: 1 Null Rod; 2 Dismember; 2 Wurmcoil Engine
Cut: 1 Vexing Bauble; 1 Thorn of Amethyst; 1 Trinisphere; 1 Chalice of the Void; 1 Scrawling Crawler

- Increase Null Rod when opposing artifact mana, construct tokens, equipment-like artifact pressure, or activated artifact engines are visible. Dismember answers Patchwork Automaton-sized early pressure only if the rules engine confirms a legal target and the life payment does not create lethal exposure. Wurmcoil Engine becomes the stabilizing finisher when both decks trade lock pieces and land destruction.

Blue spell-combo / fast noncreature storm turns
Side in: 2 Mindbreak Trap; 1 Disruptor Flute; 1 Null Rod
Cut: 2 Smokestack; 1 Nettlecyst; 1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim

- Prioritize Mindbreak Trap when the opponent's route is a decisive stack turn through cheap spells. Disruptor Flute is best when a visible or strongly inferred named spell, activated plan, or timing bottleneck matters; Card text check required before relying on exact naming or timing restrictions. Additional Null Rod punishes artifact mana chains, but deploy usable Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, and Mox mana first when the engine offers the legal window.

Creature pressure / Initiative-style or hatebear pressure
Side in: 2 Dismember; 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale; 2 Wurmcoil Engine
Cut: 1 Vexing Bauble; 1 Thorn of Amethyst; 1 Trinisphere; 1 Chalice of the Void; 1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim

- Bring Dismember for creatures that attack through the prison, protect the opponent's mana, or threaten Karn, the Great Creator. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale is strongest when the opponent depends on multiple creatures and weakest when your own Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Lodestone Golem, construct tokens, or Wurmcoil Engine must stay alive without spare mana. Wurmcoil Engine is the pressure reset button when Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt damage have made racing unsafe.

Blue control / fair Xerox-style interaction
Side in: 1 Disruptor Flute; 2 Mindbreak Trap; 2 Wurmcoil Engine
Cut: 2 Smokestack; 1 Chalice of the Void; 1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim; 1 Scrawling Crawler

- Use Disruptor Flute as a proactive answer to a known high-impact card only when naming is legal and tactically clear from public information. Mindbreak Trap is a safety valve against protected bursts rather than a routine counterspell. Wurmcoil Engine improves threat quality when small artifact creatures are exposed to removal and the game is likely to reach a stabilized lock.

- Add role cards: Leyline of the Void against graveyard engines, recursive creature plans, graveyard combo, and decks where the graveyard is the main resource. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Null Rod and Smokestack when graveyard speed is the issue and the opponent is not leaning on artifact activation. Leyline of the Void is poor when drawn after the opening hand unless the rules engine still shows a meaningful legal way to deploy it and the graveyard resource remains central.

- Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage against library-to-battlefield, graveyard casting, creature recursion, and engine lines that the card text actually stops. Card text check required before assuming it stops a specific opponent action. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow finishers and redundant taxes when Cage is needed before the opponent's first payoff turn. Grafdigger's Cage is poor against decks that win from hand, battlefield, or artifact mana without using graveyard or library-entry routes.

- Add role cards: Mindbreak Trap against storm-like spell chains, free-spell bursts, and turns where one resolving payoff beats all permanent locks. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Smokestack and expensive threats when the matchup is decided on stack timing. Mindbreak Trap is poor against creature boards, single-threat fair plans, and opponents who can win through permanents without casting multiple relevant spells in a turn.

- Add role cards: Disruptor Flute against decks centered on a narrow named card, planeswalker, activated ability, or repeated spell pattern visible from public information. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest threat or least relevant tax. Disruptor Flute is poor when the opponent presents many interchangeable threats or when the correct name is not inferable from visible game context.

- Add role cards: Dismember against early creatures, large attackers, mana creatures, hate creatures, and blockers preventing a lethal artifact-creature attack. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Chalice of the Void, Thorn of Amethyst, or Trinisphere when they do not constrain the opponent's creature deployment. Dismember is poor when life total is under direct pressure from Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, attacks, or burn-like effects.

- Add role cards: the fourth Null Rod against artifact mana, activated artifact engines, construct-heavy Urza's Saga boards, and opposing equipment-like artifact plans. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble, Thorn of Amethyst, or other taxes that overlap poorly with the visible plan. Null Rod is poor when your own artifact mana is needed to cast the hand and the opponent's relevant resources are lands, creatures, or graveyard permanents.

- Add role cards: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale against creature swarms, token boards, and low-mana creature decks pressured by Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, and Trinisphere. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow noncreature cards that do not affect combat. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale is poor when you must maintain multiple creatures and cannot pay upkeep, or when the opponent wins with few creatures.

- Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine against creature races, removal-heavy fair decks, Ancient Tomb damage races, and prison mirrors where a single resilient threat matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: one slower Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, one Scrawling Crawler, or a narrow tax depending on the matchup. Wurmcoil Engine is poor against fast combo when six mana arrives after the decisive turn.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: Keep hands that create an immediate resource choke plus a body, because Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter are strongest before the opponent empties their hand. Prioritize Patchwork Automaton and Scrawling Crawler as early blockers only when they do not delay a lock piece that would stop multiple future spells. Add role cards: Dismember, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, and Wurmcoil Engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble, slow Smokestack lines, and narrow taxes that do not change creature deployment. Avoid self-damage races when Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, and Dismember together put life within visible attack range.

- Control: Lead with prison pressure before committing the expensive threat, because blue control is most vulnerable when Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere, Thorn of Amethyst, Lodestone Golem, or Chalice of the Void constrains interaction before Karn, the Great Creator or Golos, Tireless Pilgrim matters. Favor redundant must-answer permanents over a single all-in threat unless the engine shows the opponent is tapped low or already constrained. Add role cards: Disruptor Flute, Mindbreak Trap, and Wurmcoil Engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Smokestack when the game is about stack timing rather than permanent attrition, and a narrow one-mana lock piece when it no longer taxes the visible plan.

- Combo: Mulligan toward a fast lock, because a hand with only creatures and slow lands gives combo too much time. Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere, Thorn of Amethyst, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, Null Rod, and Lodestone Golem are the main pressure points, with Wasteland and Strip Mine denying setup lands when the opponent depends on specific mana. Add role cards: Mindbreak Trap, Disruptor Flute, Grafdigger's Cage, Leyline of the Void, or Null Rod according to the visible engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Smokestack, Nettlecyst, Wurmcoil-speed plans, and excess Golos, Tireless Pilgrim when the matchup ends before attrition matters.

- Tempo: Make the opponent spend mana inefficiently every turn, because tempo decks punish hands that stumble after using Ancient Tomb or artifact mana. Prioritize Sphere of Resistance before Patchwork Automaton when the opponent still has cheap interaction available, but switch to creature pressure once one prison layer is established. Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter should attack colored sources before utility lands when the visible hand pressure suggests the opponent needs exact mana to double-spell. Add role cards: Dismember for early threats and Disruptor Flute for a known bottleneck card. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Smokestack if sacrificing permanents would fall behind on board.

- Midrange: Build a board that survives removal while keeping mana constrained, because midrange can answer one prison piece but struggles under overlapping taxes plus land destruction. Patchwork Automaton is important when artifact sequencing can grow it beyond small removal; Nettlecyst is important when the battlefield has enough artifacts to make one threat demand an answer. Crucible of Worlds with Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter is the long-game lock, but do not spend the turn on Crucible of Worlds if an immediate creature or planeswalker threat will snowball. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Dismember, and sometimes Disruptor Flute. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the least relevant tax after the opponent's curve is already slowed.

- Big mana: Deny land development first, because big mana decks often beat creature pressure if their mana engine survives. Keep Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Crucible of Worlds, and Golos, Tireless Pilgrim hands more highly when they also contain a sphere effect or fast artifact mana. Use Ghost Quarter more aggressively when the opponent's visible plan depends on one land type, but respect that it may give a replacement land if the rules engine offers that outcome. Add role cards: Disruptor Flute when a named payoff or activation is clear, and Mindbreak Trap only when the deck wins through a decisive spell chain. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Null Rod if opposing mana is mostly lands rather than artifacts.

- Graveyard: Treat the graveyard as the opponent's mana source or hand only when public information confirms that role. Add role cards: Leyline of the Void and Grafdigger's Cage. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Smokestack lines, excess creature equipment pressure, or Null Rod when artifacts are not central. Keep hands with Leyline of the Void more aggressively if it begins on the battlefield and the opponent's plan visibly needs graveyard access. Use Grafdigger's Cage only for effects its actual card text stops; Card text check required before assuming it prevents a specific library or graveyard action. Continue attacking mana with Sphere of Resistance and Wasteland so hate permanents are not the only defense.

- Artifact/enchantment engines: Null Rod is a primary lock against activated artifact engines, but sequence your own Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, and Mox mana before Null Rod when the legal actions allow and the mana is needed. Karn, the Great Creator, Sphere of Resistance, and Wasteland reinforce the same plan by reducing artifact utility and mana elasticity. Add role cards: the fourth Null Rod, Disruptor Flute for a known engine card, and Dismember only if creatures are part of the engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble or creature-only pressure when the opponent's artifact board is the problem. Against enchantment-centric engines, rely more on taxes, land destruction, and racing because this list has limited direct enchantment interaction.

- Go-wide: Convert mana denial into a creature tax, because wide boards ignore one large attacker but suffer under The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale plus Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Sphere of Resistance, and Trinisphere. Add role cards: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Dismember, and Wurmcoil Engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow stack interaction and slow Smokestack if it will not stabilize before attacks matter. Preserve life total carefully with Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt, and avoid making extra creatures with Urza's Saga if The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale upkeep would force bad sacrifices.

- Single-threat: Answer or outsize the one threat while keeping the opponent from protecting it. Dismember is highest value when the target is the only meaningful clock, when it blocks lethal artifact pressure, or when it threatens Karn, the Great Creator. Karakas matters only when the visible threat is legal for it; do not assume it can answer nonlegendary or protected creatures. Nettlecyst, Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, and Wurmcoil Engine can win the race if taxes prevent backup interaction. Add role cards: Dismember, Wurmcoil Engine, and Disruptor Flute when the threat or protection card is known. Reduce main-deck emphasis: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale plans unless the opponent adds multiple creatures.

- Burn: Lower self-inflicted damage unless the lock is decisive, because Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Dismember can put the game within visible lethal range. Prioritize Trinisphere, Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, and Chalice of the Void before slow attrition. Wurmcoil Engine is the stabilizing payoff if six mana is realistic under the current board. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, and Dismember only for creatures that create more damage than the life payment risks. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Smokestack and unnecessary Ancient Tomb activations when life total is already pressured.

- Removal-heavy decks: Diversify threat types and force awkward answers, because one-for-one removal is weaker against overlapping prison permanents, Crucible of Worlds recursion, Urza's Saga tokens, and Wurmcoil Engine. Patchwork Automaton is best when cheap artifact sequencing can grow it before removal resolves; Nettlecyst is best when an artifact-dense board makes any creature a serious carrier. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine and Disruptor Flute when a known answer or sweeper-like effect can be named legally. Reduce main-deck emphasis: small creature density only when bigger resilient threats and lock pieces are available. Keep Crucible of Worlds plus land destruction active so removal-heavy opponents cannot convert time into clean mana.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only: Revealed cards override archetype assumptions, because Veles must follow legal actions, visible board state, public information, and rules-engine output before this guide. Treat these notes as priority ordering until the opponent proves a different plan.

- Fast spell-chain combo: Lock the stack and mana before attacking, because this matchup is lost when the opponent gets one low-cost turn through soft taxes. Priority targets are early noncreature spell velocity, artifact mana, and any visible payoff that requires multiple spells in one turn. Add role cards: Mindbreak Trap, Disruptor Flute, and sometimes Grafdigger's Cage if public card text or revealed actions show it matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Smokestack pressure and creature equipment lines that do not change the current turn.

- Graveyard combo: Lead with Leyline of the Void when available, then add Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere, Thorn of Amethyst, Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter so the opponent cannot simply answer one hate card and rebuild. Priority targets are graveyard access, mana burst, and any visible engine card that turns the graveyard into a hand. Add role cards: Leyline of the Void, Grafdigger's Cage, and Mindbreak Trap only when the opponent also chains spells. Reduce main-deck emphasis: excess Null Rod when opposing artifacts are not central.

- Artifact mana or activated-artifact decks: Deploy Black Lotus, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Sol Ring before Null Rod when that mana is needed, then make Null Rod and Karn, the Great Creator matter. Priority targets are opposing mana artifacts, activated artifact engines, and lands that let the opponent cast through Sphere of Resistance. Add role cards: Null Rod and Disruptor Flute. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble or slow creature-only pressure if the artifact engine is already active.

- Creature pressure: Stabilize life total before greedily expanding the lock, because Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Dismember can make races unsafe. Priority targets are the largest clock, evasive threats, and creatures that break through Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, or Wurmcoil Engine. Add role cards: Dismember, Wurmcoil Engine, and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Smokestack if it costs too much board presence.

- Control or removal-heavy decks: Force mana awkwardness while presenting resilient pressure, because one answered creature is acceptable if Crucible of Worlds plus Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter keeps the opponent constrained. Priority targets are colored sources, planeswalkers or finishers if visible, and sweepers or answers named by Disruptor Flute when known. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Disruptor Flute, and Dismember only for must-answer creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: redundant Null Rod when the opponent is mostly lands and spells.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, and artifact mana create explosive hands, but Null Rod can shut off this deck's own Black Lotus, Moxen, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Sol Ring. Sequence needed activated artifact mana before Null Rod or Karn, the Great Creator locks when legal.

- Matchup risk: Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, and Chalice of the Void can be low impact against opponents already using lands and expensive permanents. Shift toward land destruction, creature pressure, Wurmcoil Engine, or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale when taxes do not constrain visible actions.

- Draw risk: Hands with only lock pieces and no clock can give the opponent time to draw mana, while hands with only Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, or Golos, Tireless Pilgrim can fail to disrupt. Prefer opening hands that combine one mana plan, one restriction, and one path to pressure or recursion.

- Over-sideboarding risk: Adding too many narrow hate cards can dilute the core plan of mana denial plus artifact pressure. Preserve enough Sphere of Resistance, land destruction, and threats unless public information proves a single axis decides the game.

- Graveyard risk: Leyline of the Void and Grafdigger's Cage are powerful only when their actual text applies to the visible opponent plan. Card text check required before assuming Grafdigger's Cage stops a specific library, graveyard, or cast pattern.

- Sweeper/removal risk: Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, and Nettlecyst can be answered if deployed without mana pressure. Keep Crucible of Worlds, Urza's Saga, Wurmcoil Engine, or repeated land destruction active when the opponent shows removal-heavy play.

- Closer risk: Smokestack and Crucible of Worlds can win slowly, but they may not beat an established clock. Convert lock advantage into Patchwork Automaton, Nettlecyst, Scrawling Crawler, Lodestone Golem, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, or Wurmcoil Engine before the opponent has time to recover.

- Interaction risk: Mindbreak Trap, Vexing Bauble, Disruptor Flute, and Chalice of the Void require correct timing and visible legal action text. Do not spend them into low-impact actions when a decisive spell chain, known card, or protected payoff is likely.

- Sequencing risk: Land destruction before sphere effects can let cheap spells resolve, but sphere effects before mana development can strand this deck's own hand. Use the current legal actions, available mana, and opponent revealed cards to decide whether Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, or a tax piece comes first.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: Record whether the game was decided by early Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere, Chalice of the Void, Null Rod, land destruction, creature pressure, or a failure to close after the lock was established.

- Mulligans: Note whether the opening hand had a credible mana source, at least one disruptive permanent or land-destruction line, and a pressure plan from Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Lodestone Golem, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, or Urza's Saga.

- Mana: Track whether Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Black Lotus, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Sol Ring enabled the intended first two turns or were stranded by Null Rod sequencing.

- Velocity: Ask whether the deck spent its first turns restricting the opponent or merely developing artifacts that did not affect opposing legal actions.

- Engines: Record whether Crucible of Worlds plus Wasteland, Strip Mine, or Ghost Quarter actually repeated land pressure, and whether Smokestack advanced a locked board or weakened our own board under pressure.

- Removal and stabilization: Note whether Dismember, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Wurmcoil Engine, Karakas, or blockers from Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, and Urza's Saga changed combat math before life total became unsafe.

- Sideboard impact: Record whether Mindbreak Trap, Disruptor Flute, Grafdigger's Cage, Leyline of the Void, sideboard Null Rod, Dismember, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, and Wurmcoil Engine matched the opponent's revealed plan or diluted the prison-pressure core.

- Closing: Ask whether the game was won quickly after mana denial, or whether excess Sphere of Resistance effects, Smokestack counters, or passive lock pieces gave the opponent time to rebuild.

- Role accuracy: Note whether Sphere Shops correctly chose prison, aggro, or attrition mode based on visible opponent actions, rather than following a fixed plan after public information changed.

- Mistakes: Flag any pass where a legal Wasteland, Strip Mine, Ghost Quarter, Sphere of Resistance, Null Rod, Karn, the Great Creator, Chalice of the Void, Vexing Bauble, or Mindbreak Trap action appeared materially better from visible information.

- Stranded cards: Track cards stuck in hand because of colorless mana, Mishra's Workshop restrictions, Null Rod, tax effects, or missing legal targets, especially Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Karn, the Great Creator, Smokestack, Nettlecyst, and Wurmcoil Engine.

- Overperformers and underperformers: Mark which exact cards converted legal actions into wins, which cards were repeatedly irrelevant, and which cards were strong only when drawn before or after a specific lock piece.

## First Tuning Questions

- Sphere density: Are 4 Sphere of Resistance, 1 Thorn of Amethyst, 1 Trinisphere, and 1 Lodestone Golem enough early restriction, or are games lost because the first lock piece arrives too late?

- Null Rod tension: Do 3 main-deck Null Rod plus 1 sideboard Null Rod win more games than they cost by disabling Black Lotus, the five Moxen, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and Sol Ring after deployment?

- Crucible package: Are 3 Crucible of Worlds correct with 4 Wasteland, 1 Strip Mine, 2 Ghost Quarter, and 1 Urza's Saga, or are too many games lost with Crucible of Worlds but no time to exploit it?

- Smokestack quantity: Are 2 Smokestack closing locked games, or are they too slow against creature pressure and spell-chain combo compared with additional pressure or interaction?

- Threat balance: Are 4 Patchwork Automaton, 4 Scrawling Crawler, 2 Nettlecyst, 1 Lodestone Golem, 3 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, and 1 Karn, the Great Creator enough closers, or does the deck need more resilient finishers like Wurmcoil Engine in post-board plans?

- Mana base: Are 4 Ancient Tomb causing too much life loss with Mana Crypt and Dismember, or is the acceleration required to make the prison plan functional?

- Utility lands: Does Talon Gates of Madara produce enough relevant legal actions to justify its slot, and does Inventors' Fair matter often enough without weakening Wasteland and Mishra's Workshop starts?

- Aggro plan: Against creature decks, should the plan emphasize Dismember, Wurmcoil Engine, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, and larger Nettlecyst lines earlier, or does that reduce the core lock too much?

- Control plan: Against slower decks, are Disruptor Flute, Wurmcoil Engine, Crucible of Worlds, and repeated land destruction sufficient, or does the deck still need a faster protected clock?

- Combo plan: Are Mindbreak Trap, Leyline of the Void, Grafdigger's Cage, Vexing Bauble, Chalice of the Void, and tax permanents covering distinct combo axes, or are sideboard slots overlapping without improving bad matchups?

- Karn usage: Does Karn, the Great Creator have reliable legal action text in the engine for finding sideboard cards, and if not, should its role be evaluated only as a main-deck lock or threat card?

- Role conflict: Are post-board games lost because the deck becomes too reactive with Grafdigger's Cage, Leyline of the Void, Mindbreak Trap, Dismember, and Disruptor Flute while failing to present Patchwork Automaton, Scrawling Crawler, Nettlecyst, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, or Wurmcoil Engine quickly enough?

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Opening Keep Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan; pregame
Cards: Mishra's Workshop; Ancient Tomb; Black Lotus; Mana Crypt; Mana Vault; Sol Ring; Sphere of Resistance; Thorn of Amethyst; Trinisphere; Chalice of the Void; Null Rod; Patchwork Automaton; Scrawling Crawler
Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions
Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible:opening hand
Use when: deciding whether the hand can produce an early prison piece or pressure without relying on hidden draw steps.
Avoid when: the hand cannot cast a relevant spell, has only lands with no disruptive permanent, or is mostly disabled by its own Null Rod timing.
Instructions: Keep hands with mana plus an immediate tax, Null Rod, Chalice of the Void, or fast creature; ship hands that are slow mana plus redundant expensive cards.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Lock Permanent Setup
Priority: High
Decision families: mana; priority
Cards: Sphere of Resistance; Thorn of Amethyst; Trinisphere; Chalice of the Void; Null Rod; Vexing Bauble
Phase windows: turn one and turn two main phases
Runtime cues: action:cast Sphere of Resistance; action:cast Thorn of Amethyst; action:cast Trinisphere; action:cast Chalice of the Void; action:cast Null Rod; action:cast Vexing Bauble
Use when: multiple early lock actions are legal and the opponent has not yet established a board.
Avoid when: casting the lock piece prevents a needed mana deployment or shuts off unspent Black Lotus, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, or Sol Ring.
Instructions: Lead with the lock that restricts the opponent's visible plan most while preserving this turn's mana; deploy artifact mana before Null Rod when legal and relevant.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Mishra's Workshop Payment Discipline
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: Mishra's Workshop; Sphere of Resistance; Thorn of Amethyst; Trinisphere; Patchwork Automaton; Scrawling Crawler; Nettlecyst; Crucible of Worlds; Smokestack; Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
Phase windows: main phases, cost-payment prompts
Runtime cues: prompt:pay mana; source:Mishra's Workshop
Use when: choosing mana sources for artifact spells or artifact abilities.
Avoid when: the spell is Karn, the Great Creator or another nonartifact legal action that Mishra's Workshop cannot pay for.
Instructions: Spend Mishra's Workshop on artifact costs before flexible sources unless doing so blocks a second artifact spell in the same turn.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Null Rod Timing Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority; mana
Cards: Null Rod; Black Lotus; Mox Emerald; Mox Jet; Mox Pearl; Mox Ruby; Mox Sapphire; Mana Crypt; Mana Vault; Sol Ring
Phase windows: main phases, priority before artifact activation windows close
Runtime cues: action:cast Null Rod
Use when: deciding whether to commit Null Rod while artifact mana is visible on either side.
Avoid when: unspent own artifact mana is required for a same-turn lock, threat, Karn, the Great Creator, or sideboard card.
Instructions: Cast Null Rod after extracting needed mana from own artifacts; prioritize it early against visible artifact acceleration or engine permanents.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Land Destruction Commitment
Priority: High
Decision families: selection; mana; priority
Cards: Wasteland; Strip Mine; Ghost Quarter; Crucible of Worlds
Phase windows: main phases, land-activation prompts, opponent upkeep when legal
Runtime cues: action:activate Wasteland; action:activate Strip Mine; action:activate Ghost Quarter
Use when: a land-destruction action is legal and the opponent has visible constrained mana or a high-impact land.
Avoid when: sacrificing the land prevents casting the current turn's lock piece, pressure, or Crucible of Worlds line.
Instructions: Use Wasteland and Strip Mine to preserve prison tempo; use Ghost Quarter more carefully because it may replace the opponent's mana.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Crucible Engine Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; selection
Cards: Crucible of Worlds; Wasteland; Strip Mine; Ghost Quarter; Urza's Saga
Phase windows: main phases, land-play choices
Runtime cues: action:cast Crucible of Worlds; action:play Wasteland; action:play Strip Mine; action:play Ghost Quarter; action:play Urza's Saga
Use when: Crucible of Worlds is legal or active and graveyard lands are visible.
Avoid when: the opponent's board clock requires an immediate creature, Dismember, Wurmcoil Engine, or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale line.
Instructions: Commit Crucible of Worlds when it creates repeated land pressure or recovers Urza's Saga; do not treat it as pressure by itself.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Smokestack Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority; selection
Cards: Smokestack; Crucible of Worlds; Urza's Saga; Patchwork Automaton; Scrawling Crawler
Phase windows: main phases, upkeep trigger decisions
Runtime cues: action:cast Smokestack; prompt:Smokestack
Use when: the board has expendable permanents, recurring lands, tokens, or the opponent is already constrained.
Avoid when: the opponent has more expendable permanents or this deck must keep every permanent to survive combat.
Instructions: Start Smokestack only when sacrifice pressure favors this deck; add counters only when the visible permanent count supports the escalation.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Pressure Deployment
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; combat
Cards: Patchwork Automaton; Scrawling Crawler; Nettlecyst; Lodestone Golem; Golos, Tireless Pilgrim; Karn, the Great Creator; Wurmcoil Engine
Phase windows: main phases, post-lock turns
Runtime cues: action:cast Patchwork Automaton; action:cast Scrawling Crawler; action:cast Nettlecyst; action:cast Lodestone Golem; action:cast Golos, Tireless Pilgrim; action:cast Wurmcoil Engine
Use when: at least one lock piece is active or the opponent is spending turns under mana pressure.
Avoid when: a decisive prison or interaction action must happen before giving the opponent another turn.
Instructions: Convert restriction into a clock quickly; prefer resilient artifact threats that also grow Patchwork Automaton or carry Nettlecyst pressure.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Karn Commitment Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; selection; interaction
Cards: Karn, the Great Creator; Grafdigger's Cage; Leyline of the Void; Dismember; Wurmcoil Engine; Null Rod; Disruptor Flute; The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Phase windows: main phases, planeswalker activation prompts
Runtime cues: action:cast Karn, the Great Creator; action:activate Karn, the Great Creator
Use when: Karn, the Great Creator is legal and the sideboard or static effect materially changes visible board texture.
Avoid when: tapping out exposes lethal combat or delays a needed tax, land destruction, or graveyard hate action.
Instructions: Treat Karn, the Great Creator as a commitment; choose sideboard access from visible matchup needs, not generic card strength.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Dismember Target Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction; combat
Cards: Dismember
Phase windows: opponent combat, end step, own main phase when clearing blockers
Runtime cues: action:cast Dismember; action:target Dismember
Use when: a visible creature threatens lethal, breaks the prison clock, or blocks a decisive attack.
Avoid when: life payment plus Ancient Tomb or Mana Crypt damage creates a lower survival margin than waiting.
Instructions: Spend Dismember on creatures that change combat or engine access; account for visible life total before paying life.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Attack Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat
Cards: Patchwork Automaton; Scrawling Crawler; Nettlecyst; Lodestone Golem; Golos, Tireless Pilgrim; Wurmcoil Engine
Phase windows: declare attackers
Runtime cues: prompt:declare attackers; action:attack
Use when: attacking advances a visible clock without losing the prison board to blocks.
Avoid when: keeping blockers is required against a short opposing clock or Smokestack sacrifice math.
Instructions: Attack aggressively after lock pieces land; hold back when creature survival preserves Nettlecyst size, Karn, the Great Creator, or life total.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Forced Pass Execution
Priority: Low
Decision families: priority
Cards: none
Phase windows: any priority window
Runtime cues: action:pass priority
Use when: the legal action list contains exactly one action and that action text is pass priority, pass, or no action.
Avoid when: any legal non-pass action is present.
Instructions: Submit the single pass action without strategic reasoning.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Mindbreak Trap Commitment
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction; priority
Cards: Mindbreak Trap
Phase windows: opponent spell chain, stack interaction windows
Runtime cues: action:cast Mindbreak Trap
Use when: the stack or spell count shows a decisive opposing chain or protected payoff.
Avoid when: the visible spell is low impact and tax permanents already contain the turn.
Instructions: Save Mindbreak Trap for turns where exiling stack objects prevents a combo turn or major swing.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Graveyard Hate Selection
Priority: Medium
Decision families: sideboard; interaction; pregame
Cards: Grafdigger's Cage; Leyline of the Void
Phase windows: sideboarding, opening hand, early main phases
Runtime cues: action:begin with Leyline of the Void; action:cast Grafdigger's Cage
Use when: opponent public information shows graveyard, library-cast, or recursion dependence.
Avoid when: the opponent's visible plan is creature combat or artifact mana and hate dilutes pressure.
Instructions: Prefer Leyline of the Void before the game when legal; deploy Grafdigger's Cage early only if it blocks the revealed axis.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Chalice And Bauble Interaction
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction; priority
Cards: Chalice of the Void; Vexing Bauble
Phase windows: early main phases, stack response windows
Runtime cues: action:cast Chalice of the Void; action:cast Vexing Bauble; action:activate Vexing Bauble
Use when: visible legal text supports stopping cheap spells, alternate costs, or spell chains.
Avoid when: the chosen value or timing would block this deck's own immediate hand more than the opponent's visible plan.
Instructions: Use Chalice of the Void and Vexing Bauble as precision locks; reason from current hand, public stack, and likely next turn.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Balance Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Mindbreak Trap; Disruptor Flute; Dismember; Null Rod; The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale; Grafdigger's Cage; Wurmcoil Engine; Leyline of the Void
Phase windows: sideboarding after games
Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard
Use when: choosing a post-board plan from legal registered swaps.
Avoid when: adding reactive cards removes too much mana, tax density, or threat pressure.
Instructions: Add matchup-specific sideboard cards while preserving the core of fast mana, prison, land denial, and a credible clock.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Tabernacle Stabilization Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: sideboard; interaction; combat
Cards: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale; Wasteland; Strip Mine; Ghost Quarter; Crucible of Worlds
Phase windows: sideboarding, land-play choices, opponent upkeep context
Runtime cues: action:play The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Use when: opponent visible board contains multiple creatures and mana denial can make upkeep payments difficult.
Avoid when: this deck needs creature pressure more than taxation or cannot afford another non-Workshop land.
Instructions: Pair The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale with land destruction when possible; protect your own necessary attackers in the payment plan.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Utility Land And Tutor Selection
Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection; mana
Cards: Golos, Tireless Pilgrim; Inventors' Fair; Karakas; Talon Gates of Madara; Tolarian Academy; Urza's Saga
Phase windows: main phases, search prompts, land-play choices
Runtime cues: action:cast Golos, Tireless Pilgrim; prompt:search; action:play Inventors' Fair; action:play Karakas; action:play Talon Gates of Madara; action:play Tolarian Academy; action:play Urza's Saga
Use when: selecting a land or utility line from visible legal options.
Avoid when: the utility choice delays an immediate lock, removal, or lethal-pressure line.
Instructions: Route land search and utility land choices through board context; prioritize mana, lock reinforcement, or creature handling according to visible needs.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
