# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype

Jewel Shops is a Vintage artifact combo-prison deck registered as 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards under the active validation contract. The submitted list passes the supplied Vintage deck-count and main/sideboard validation, with a main deck built around 4 Coveted Jewel, 4 The One Ring, 4 Transmute Artifact, 4 Phyrexian Metamorph, 3 Relic of Sauron, 3 Grim Monolith, 4 Mishra's Workshop, 4 Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, and restricted fast mana including Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, and Mox Emerald.

Jewel Shops should be classified as a hybrid Shops-derived artifact engine deck rather than a pure stock prison list. The deck can open like a Workshop prison deck, but its core identity is converting artifact mana into draw engines, artifact copying, and tutor chains using Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, and Karn, the Great Creator.

The current archetype and mechanic tags are combo, prison, and artifact, with combo-prison-artifact repeated in the source metadata. Runtime routing should treat the deck as an engine-combo strategy with prison overlays, because its strongest turns often depend on committing mana rocks and artifact permanents before deciding whether to draw, tutor, copy, bounce, attack, or lock the opponent.

The deck is not a deterministic goldfish combo deck from the opening hand alone. Veles should require legal-action and visible-state confirmation before assuming a Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Paradoxical Outcome, Paradox Engine, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, or Karn, the Great Creator line is available, because mana restrictions, artifacts available to sacrifice, stack pressure, opposing permanents, and the current priority window determine whether a line is legal or strategically correct.

The main legality and mana concern is that several explosive lands and artifacts do different jobs. Mishra's Workshop is central for artifact spells but cannot be treated as generic unrestricted mana for nonartifact spells; Ancient Tomb accelerates with life cost pressure; Tolarian Academy scales with visible artifacts; Island and Oboro, Palace in the Clouds support blue spells; Urza's Saga is both a land and a longer-game artifact threat engine if the rules engine exposes those actions.

The main role concern is that the deck may need to switch seats between proactive engine, protective combo, and prison-control. Force of Will, Sink into Stupor, Vexing Bauble, Defense Grid, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Hullbreacher, Talon Gates of Madara, Argentum Masticore, and Wurmcoil Engine all point to different tactical roles, so a pilot should avoid defaulting to one universal plan without matching visible opponent pressure and available legal actions.

Opponent information is currently unspecified beyond the active format being Vintage. Matchup guidance must therefore reason from revealed cards, public permanents, known archetype signals, and logged opponent actions at runtime; it must not assume hidden counterspells, removal, graveyard plans, or artifact hate unless those cards are public, revealed, or provided by matchup metadata.

## Thesis

Jewel Shops assembles explosive artifact mana into a draw-and-copy engine that can snowball through Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Phyrexian Metamorph, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, and Karn, the Great Creator. Prioritize hands and lines that produce fast artifact mana, a durable draw engine, or a tutor path into one before the opponent can convert their first interaction window into a stable game.

The deck wins by turning temporary mana bursts into repeated card and mana advantage, then ending the game through overwhelming artifact permanents, copied payoffs, Karn, the Great Creator pressure, Chaos Defiler, sideboard threats, or opponent lockouts. Coveted Jewel and The One Ring are not just value cards; they are the deck's main conversion pieces, so Veles should treat legal actions that deploy, copy, tutor, protect, or chain them as strategically central.

The deck is not trying to play fair long-game draw-go Magic. Force of Will and Sink into Stupor protect or interrupt decisive turns, but the deck should not spend early turns trading resources unless visible danger, a lethal clock, a must-answer permanent, or a protected opposing combo line makes interaction higher value than engine development.

The deck is not a pure prison deck despite Mishra's Workshop and sideboard lock pieces. Vexing Bauble, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Defense Grid, and Hullbreacher can constrain opponents, but the main deck should prioritize engine access unless the visible matchup or hand texture makes a lock piece the clearest route to buying turns.

The primary pilot priority is to identify whether the current hand is a fast-engine hand, a protected-engine hand, a prison-transition hand, or a recovery hand. Fast-engine hands commit mana and a draw engine quickly; protected-engine hands sequence Force of Will or Defense Grid-style cover around a key spell; prison-transition hands use restrictive permanents to make the next engine turn safe; recovery hands lean on The One Ring, Stock Up, Ancestral Recall, Paradoxical Outcome, or Karn, the Great Creator to rebuild.

## Role Package

- Threats: Karn, the Great Creator, Chaos Defiler, Urza's Saga, Phyrexian Metamorph, and sideboard Wurmcoil Engine, Lodestone Golem, Argentum Masticore, and Hullbreacher are the main ways to convert engine advantage into pressure. Use creature combat as a closing tool, not as the default plan, unless the board shows a safe clock or the opponent is locked under mana and spell constraints.

- Payoffs: Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, and Karn, the Great Creator are the decisive payoff cluster. Treat a legal tutor or artifact-sacrifice line as a commitment gate because the correct target depends on visible mana, artifact count, available protection, opponent pressure, and whether waiting gives the opponent a better interaction window.

- Engines: Coveted Jewel plus artifact mana is the most direct engine, The One Ring is the safest repeatable card-flow engine, Paradox Engine is the highest-ceiling untap engine, and Phyrexian Metamorph acts as a flexible engine multiplier by copying visible artifact payoffs or threats when legal. Relic of Sauron is included as a repeated engine or mana object only conditionally: Card text check required before relying on its exact activation, color production, or card-flow mode.

- Velocity: Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Paradoxical Outcome, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, and The One Ring help find the next engine piece or turn a partial start into a decisive turn. Stock Up requires a card text check before assigning exact selection rules, so use it conditionally as blue velocity only when the rules engine exposes the legal action and resulting choices.

- Interaction: Force of Will is the principal stack-defense card, Sink into Stupor is flexible interaction with card text check required for exact mode and timing, Vexing Bauble constrains zero-mana or alternate-cost interaction when legal, and Chaos Defiler can remove or pressure depending on visible board state and rules-engine prompts. Do not fire interaction just because it is legal; spend it on visible threats to the engine turn, lethal pressure, or opposing effects that would invalidate the current commitment.

- Protection: Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, Defense Grid, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, and sometimes Hullbreacher are protection or disruption modules. Prefer proactive protection before committing Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Coveted Jewel, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, or Karn, the Great Creator when the opponent has open mana, known interaction, or a revealed hand that can break the line.

- Recursion: The registered list has no clear dedicated graveyard recursion module. Do not invent a recursion plan; if the rules engine offers graveyard-cast, return, or replay actions from a public effect, evaluate them from visible text and current legal actions only.

- Mana: Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, the five Moxen, Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, and Urza's Saga form the acceleration shell. Prioritize mana sequencing that preserves blue access for Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Force of Will, Paradoxical Outcome, Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, and Transmute Artifact while respecting that Mishra's Workshop has artifact-spell restrictions.

- Sideboard modules: Defense Grid fights stack interaction, Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem support prison turns, Void Mirror attacks specific mana or casting patterns, Wurmcoil Engine stabilizes combat and life totals, Hullbreacher punishes opposing draw or supports disruptive flash play if legal, Argentum Masticore supplies conditional removal or threat coverage with card text check required, and Talon Gates of Madara needs card text check before any exact tactical role is assumed.

## Primary Win Conditions

- Coveted Jewel engine is the primary conversion path when the hand can make six mana quickly or tutor an artifact with Tinker or Transmute Artifact. Set up with Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, or Tolarian Academy, then use Coveted Jewel to refill, generate more mana, and chain into The One Ring, Phyrexian Metamorph, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Karn, the Great Creator, or another tutor. Prioritize this path when the opponent has low visible creature pressure, when Force of Will or Vexing Bauble can cover the commitment, or when waiting risks losing the mana burst. Respect the Coveted Jewel combat liability: if opposing attackers can plausibly connect, favor The One Ring, Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard, or a lock/protection line before exposing Jewel.

- The One Ring snowball is the safest main-deck win path when life total is stable enough to spend turns converting cards into inevitability. Deploy The One Ring early off artifact mana, copy it with Phyrexian Metamorph when legal and useful, and use the extra cards to assemble Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Karn, the Great Creator, Paradoxical Outcome, Paradox Engine, or more mana. Prioritize this line against visible stack interaction, creature-light boards, or hands that need a turn cycle to become explosive. The main disruption risks are artifact removal, pressure that makes burden counters matter, and opposing lock pieces that can strand the cards drawn, so convert the draw advantage into board or protection quickly.

- Tutor-to-payoff lines with Tinker and Transmute Artifact are decisive commitment gates, not routine selection actions. Use artifact mana, expendable Moxen, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, Vexing Bauble, Relic of Sauron, or redundant artifacts as fuel only when the resulting permanent changes the game immediately. Choose Coveted Jewel when mana and follow-up velocity are needed, The One Ring when protection and sustained cards matter, Paradox Engine when the board already has enough nonland mana to keep casting spells, and Chaos Defiler or sideboard artifacts only when the visible board demands pressure or removal. Protect these lines with Force of Will when the opponent can stop the payoff, because losing both tutor and sacrificed artifact is one of the deck's highest-cost failures.

- Paradox Engine plus artifact mana is the highest-ceiling combo finish when the battlefield already contains multiple mana artifacts and enough spells or draw to continue. Execute by resolving Paradox Engine, casting artifacts or blue card-flow spells, untapping mana artifacts, and chaining into Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradoxical Outcome, Transmute Artifact, or Karn, the Great Creator. Prioritize this path when the engine turn can continue immediately after resolution; avoid tapping out for Paradox Engine onto an empty hand or low-mana board unless doing nothing is worse. Disruption includes counterspells, artifact removal on key mana, and fizzles from insufficient follow-up spells.

## Secondary Win Conditions

- Karn, the Great Creator wins by converting mana advantage into a threat, lock, or sideboard artifact plan. Prioritize Karn when the board is stable, when the opponent depends on artifacts, or when a sideboard card such as Trinisphere, Defense Grid, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Hullbreacher, or Talon Gates of Madara is the cleanest visible answer. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Argentum Masticore before relying on exact modes. Protect Karn from combat by sequencing The One Ring, Wurmcoil Engine, Chaos Defiler, or removal-like effects first when attackers can immediately remove it.

- Phyrexian Metamorph is a flexible secondary win condition when it copies the best visible artifact or creature permanent. Copy Coveted Jewel to reload and increase mana, copy The One Ring to compound card flow, copy Wurmcoil Engine to stabilize after sideboard, copy Lodestone Golem for pressure, or copy an opposing threat only when the rules engine confirms legality and the copied object improves the immediate race. Do not spend Phyrexian Metamorph as a generic body if it can instead become the next engine object.

- Chaos Defiler is the main-deck fallback threat when the game needs a battlefield swing rather than another draw engine. Use it to pressure planeswalkers, force blocks, or answer visible permanents only according to rules-engine prompts; do not assume exact removal outcomes beyond what Forge exposes. Prioritize Chaos Defiler when the opponent has already answered the first engine, when life totals make The One Ring risky, or when Karn needs protection from attackers.

- Urza's Saga provides fallback pressure and artifact utility when explosive lines are disrupted or the hand is mana-heavy. Use construct tokens to pressure life totals, block for Karn, or punish opponents who overfocus on stack interaction, then search only for a legal registered target exposed by the rules engine such as Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Mox Sapphire, Mox Ruby, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, Mana Vault, or Vexing Bauble if legal. Prioritize this line when the opponent is light on board control and the deck needs pressure without committing a tutor.

## Emergency Lines

- When behind on life, stop treating The One Ring and Ancient Tomb as free resources and prioritize stabilizers. Seek Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard, Chaos Defiler, Phyrexian Metamorph copying a stabilizing creature or artifact, Karn, the Great Creator for a defensive artifact, or a fast Coveted Jewel chain only if it produces immediate protection or lethal pressure. Avoid giving the opponent a clean Coveted Jewel theft line when unblocked attackers are visible.

- When behind on board, convert mana into battlefield impact before pure card volume. Karn, the Great Creator, Chaos Defiler, Phyrexian Metamorph, Urza's Saga constructs, and sideboard Wurmcoil Engine or Argentum Masticore are the preferred stabilizing tools; Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, Paradoxical Outcome, and The One Ring are correct only when they find or enable a stabilizer before the next attack. Stock Up requires card text check before exact selection priorities.

- When behind on cards, prioritize durable draw over fragile one-shot velocity. The One Ring is the best rebuild engine, Coveted Jewel is strongest when combat theft is controlled, Ancestral Recall is the cleanest burst, Paradoxical Outcome rebuilds after committing cheap artifacts, and Relic of Sauron needs card text check before assigning exact recovery use. Preserve Force of Will for the spell that would stop the recovery engine rather than for minor pressure.

- When behind on mana, use Transmute Artifact, Tinker, and Paradox Engine only if the current artifact count and available mana make the line legal and productive. Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Moxen, Black Lotus, Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, and Urza's Saga are the recovery base; avoid sacrificing the only working mana source unless the payoff immediately replaces or exceeds it.

- When key win conditions are removed, pivot by role instead of chasing the lost card. If Coveted Jewel is gone, lean on The One Ring, Karn, the Great Creator, Paradoxical Outcome, and Phyrexian Metamorph copying remaining payoffs. If The One Ring is gone, prioritize Coveted Jewel chains, Karn, Urza's Saga pressure, or sideboard threats. If tutors are exhausted, use raw mana plus visible draw engines to assemble pressure, and do not invent graveyard recursion unless the rules engine presents a legal action.

## Resource Model

- Life is a spendable accelerant until combat pressure or The One Ring burden makes it a liability. Spend Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, and Phyrexian Metamorph life aggressively to resolve Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Karn, the Great Creator, or Paradox Engine ahead of schedule; stop paying optional life when visible attackers, poison-free damage clocks, or accumulated The One Ring counters make the next turn cycle unsafe.

- Hand size is fuel, protection, and engine continuity rather than a resource to conserve. Keep Force of Will plus a blue card when it protects a payoff or stops a decisive opposing play, but convert extra artifacts into battlefield mana before Paradoxical Outcome, Coveted Jewel, or Paradox Engine lines when doing so increases legal follow-up actions. Do not spend Force of Will on low-impact spells if the hand cannot beat interaction on the first engine permanent.

- Mana is the deck's primary material advantage, so prioritize hands and lines that turn artifacts into immediate payoffs. Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Mox Sapphire, Mox Ruby, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, and Relic of Sauron all matter because they compress turns; Card text check required for exact Relic of Sauron modes before treating it as more than mana or conditional card flow.

- Board presence is mainly engine permanents plus selective bodies. Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Moxen, and Relic of Sauron build the combo board; Phyrexian Metamorph, Chaos Defiler, Urza's Saga constructs, Karn, the Great Creator, and sideboard Wurmcoil Engine or Lodestone Golem convert that board into pressure or defense.

- Graveyard cards are mostly spent resources, not a planned recursion zone. Track Force of Will exile costs, sacrificed artifacts from Transmute Artifact or Tinker, destroyed engine pieces, and used restricted spells to decide whether the remaining deck can still produce a combo turn; do not assume graveyard access unless the rules engine exposes a legal action.

- Exile matters for Force of Will, The One Ring protection timing, Karn, the Great Creator access patterns, and opponent effects. Preserve enough blue cards for Force of Will when stack protection is essential, and treat exiled restricted cards as permanently unavailable unless the engine explicitly says otherwise.

- Lands are action enablers, not just mana sources. Mishra's Workshop powers artifact commitments, Ancient Tomb accelerates at a life cost, Tolarian Academy scales with artifact count, Urza's Saga supplies pressure and a small artifact search, Island gives stable blue, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds supports blue and may have utility only if the engine exposes it, and Sink into Stupor can be a spell or land only according to visible legal actions.

- Sacrifice fodder should be chosen by replacement value. Prefer sacrificing expendable Moxen, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, Vexing Bauble, Relic of Sauron, or redundant artifacts to Transmute Artifact or Tinker only when the searched artifact immediately compensates for the lost mana or material.

- Tempo is gained by making the opponent answer the wrong axis. Defense Grid, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Hullbreacher, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, and Talon Gates of Madara are sideboard bullets through Karn or post-board plans; Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Argentum Masticore exact tactical modes.

## Mana Guide

- Keep hands that produce a decisive artifact payoff or protected setup within the first two turns. Strong mana keeps usually contain Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb plus at least one artifact accelerant and a payoff such as Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Karn, the Great Creator, Paradox Engine, or a blue draw spell with Force of Will support.

- Mulligan hands that have expensive artifacts without a path to cast them. A hand of Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, or Chaos Defiler without Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Moxen, or enough blue lands is too slow unless the rules-engine context shows the opponent is also slow.

- Blue mana is scarce and should be budgeted before committing artifacts. Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, Mox Sapphire, Black Lotus, and sometimes Tolarian Academy support Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Paradoxical Outcome, Sink into Stupor, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Force of Will backup costs when relevant, and hard-cast Force of Will; do not spend the only blue source on a low-impact spell if Transmute Artifact or interaction is the current plan.

- Mishra's Workshop mana should be spent on artifacts before nonartifact blue lines. Use it to deploy Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Phyrexian Metamorph, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Relic of Sauron, Vexing Bauble, Paradox Engine, and sideboard artifact threats or locks; remember it cannot pay for Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Paradoxical Outcome, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, or Force of Will unless the engine exposes a legal payment path.

- Ancient Tomb should pay for speed when the payoff changes the next turn. Use it for Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Phyrexian Metamorph, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Karn, the Great Creator, or sideboard artifacts, but switch to safer sources when life total, Mana Crypt triggers, or visible attackers make two damage strategically expensive.

- Tolarian Academy is strongest after cheap artifacts are deployed. When the hand contains Moxen, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Vexing Bauble, or Relic of Sauron, deploy artifacts before tapping Tolarian Academy if doing so increases available blue mana and does not expose a key resource to a visible penalty.

- Play lands before draw when the current turn needs mana certainty. Play Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, Urza's Saga, or Sink into Stupor as a land before Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, or Paradoxical Outcome if the extra mana unlocks immediate legal actions.

- Delay land plays before draw when the land choice depends on new information. Hold the land until after Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, or Paradoxical Outcome if current mana already casts the draw spell and the decision between Mishra's Workshop, Island, Ancient Tomb, Urza's Saga, Tolarian Academy, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, or Sink into Stupor as land changes based on drawn cards.

- Sequence untap-limited artifacts with the full turn in mind. Mana Vault and Grim Monolith create large bursts but can strand mana later, so tap them for a payoff, tutor, or Paradox Engine turn rather than for a speculative spell that leaves no follow-up. Sol Ring, Moxen, Black Lotus, and Mana Crypt are the preferred early sources when the same line remains legal.

- Preserve exact colors for interaction and tutors. Do not convert Black Lotus or Mox Sapphire into generic artifact development if the visible hand requires blue for Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Paradoxical Outcome, Sink into Stupor, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, or hard-cast Force of Will this turn.

## Mulligan Guide

- Strong keep: keep hands that make a turn-one or turn-two payoff while still presenting follow-up mana. Examples include Mishra's Workshop plus Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, or Moxen with Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Phyrexian Metamorph, Karn, the Great Creator, Transmute Artifact, or Tinker.

- Strong keep: keep Black Lotus hands that convert immediately into Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, or protected Ancestral Recall. Prefer these hands when Force of Will plus a blue card is also present, because the deck wins by forcing through one overloaded artifact turn.

- Medium keep: keep Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, or Mox Sapphire hands with Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, Force of Will, and at least one fast artifact source only when they can find or cast a payoff by turn two. These hands are slower but acceptable when they interact, draw, and avoid being stranded under their own artifact-only mana.

- Risky keep: keep Ancient Tomb plus The One Ring or Coveted Jewel without Force of Will only when the hand has another high-impact follow-up such as Phyrexian Metamorph, Transmute Artifact, Karn, the Great Creator, or Paradoxical Outcome. Ship if the hand spends life for one threat and then runs out of mana or cards.

- Automatic ship: ship hands with no land, no Moxen, no Black Lotus, no Mana Crypt, no Mana Vault, no Sol Ring, and no Grim Monolith. Also ship hands full of Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, Chaos Defiler, Force of Will, and blue spells when no visible mana path casts the first relevant spell.

- Automatic ship: ship hands where Mishra's Workshop is the only mana and the hand is mostly Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Paradoxical Outcome, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, and Force of Will. Mishra's Workshop is excellent only when the hand contains artifacts to deploy.

- Matchup-dependent keep: keep Vexing Bauble, Force of Will, or fast Karn, the Great Creator hands more often when the opponent is likely faster or stack-heavy, but do not keep a hand that only disrupts and never casts a payoff. Against creature pressure, value The One Ring, Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard, and fast board presence more than speculative draw.

- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, accept explosive hands with Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, or Black Lotus that commit a lock, engine, or draw artifact before the opponent develops. On the draw, require Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, Defense Grid after sideboard, or a faster payoff because the opponent gets the first chance to use mana and stack interaction.

- Trap hand: do not keep multiple expensive artifacts plus Tolarian Academy as the only mana source unless cheap artifacts are already present. Tolarian Academy becomes powerful after artifacts enter play; it is not a functional opener by itself.

## Turn Arc

- Turn 1 priority: deploy the strongest legal mana-to-payoff line. Preferred starts are Mishra's Workshop into Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Grim Monolith plus follow-up artifact, or Phyrexian Metamorph when it copies a high-impact visible artifact; Ancient Tomb into Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, The One Ring, or Karn, the Great Creator is the next tier.

- Turn 1 deviation: cast Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, or Transmute Artifact before committing a medium artifact only when blue mana is available and the hand needs selection to identify the correct payoff. Hold Force of Will support when the current line depends on resolving Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradox Engine, Coveted Jewel, or The One Ring.

- Turn 2 priority: convert early mana into a decisive engine or snowball. Use Transmute Artifact or Tinker for the highest-impact legal artifact, chain The One Ring or Coveted Jewel into more cards, copy the best artifact with Phyrexian Metamorph, or use Time Walk when it gives an extra untap, extra draw, or a protected second main-turn push.

- Turn 2 deviation: play Vexing Bauble, Karn, the Great Creator, or sideboard prison artifacts before a draw engine when visible opponent pressure or stack interaction makes an unprotected combo turn fragile. Do not spend the only blue mana on low-impact selection if Force of Will, Transmute Artifact, or Tinker is the actual turn plan.

- Turn 3 priority: assemble the engine turn if Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Tolarian Academy, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, and Moxen create repeated mana and cards. Use Phyrexian Metamorph to multiply Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, or a decisive artifact body when copying is legal and materially improves the board.

- Turn 3 deviation: stabilize before continuing the engine if life is under pressure from Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, or attackers. Karn, the Great Creator, Chaos Defiler, Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard, and The One Ring lines can be correct when they buy a turn or remove a visible problem.

- Turns 4-5 priority: turn resource advantage into inevitability. Keep drawing with The One Ring and Coveted Jewel, protect key turns with Force of Will, use Karn, the Great Creator to access the sideboard when legal, and convert excess artifacts into pressure through Phyrexian Metamorph, Chaos Defiler, Urza's Saga constructs, or sideboard threats.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: stop tapping Ancient Tomb or risking Mana Crypt damage when the board is already winning and life is the main way to lose. Choose lower-output mana sources if they still cast the legal spell sequence.

- Late game priority: count remaining payoffs and avoid empty engine gestures. If Paradoxical Outcome, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, or Karn, the Great Creator remain available, play toward the highest-card line; if they are exhausted, protect artifact threats, Urza's Saga pressure, and any resolved lock piece.

- Late game deviation: treat every Force of Will pitch, Transmute Artifact sacrifice, Tinker sacrifice, and Karn, the Great Creator wish as a commitment. Spend them only when the visible board, legal actions, and known public information show that waiting is worse than acting now.

## Card Roles

- Force of Will: protect the turn that matters, not every attractive spell. Pitch it for opposing actions that stop Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, or Karn, the Great Creator from resolving, or for opposing combo attempts that win before this deck untaps; avoid spending it on medium pressure when The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, or Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard can stabilize. Preserve a blue card when a hand is otherwise explosive, because Force of Will plus a fast artifact engine is the deck's cleanest way to beat faster Vintage starts.

- Coveted Jewel: treat Coveted Jewel as both draw engine and mana burst, but never ignore the attack clause. Cast it early from Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, Black Lotus, or Moxen when it draws into more action or turns Phyrexian Metamorph into a second draw-three artifact. Hold or delay it when the opponent already has unblocked attackers that can immediately take it, unless the cards and mana this turn are expected to win, lock, or stabilize before combat matters.

- The One Ring: use The One Ring as the safest stabilizing draw engine when life, combat, or stack pressure makes Coveted Jewel risky. Casting it is especially valuable before a turn where protection buys a full setup window, but repeated activations must be weighed against burden-counter life loss, Mana Crypt triggers, Ancient Tomb damage, and the opponent's clock. Phyrexian Metamorph copying The One Ring can reset the legend decision into more protection or cards only when the legal action and board state support that line.

- Phyrexian Metamorph: copy the highest-impact visible artifact or creature, with Coveted Jewel and The One Ring as premium main-deck copies. Copy Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, or a Mox only when the mana increase creates a specific legal follow-up; copy Chaos Defiler, Wurmcoil Engine after sideboard, Lodestone Golem after sideboard, or an opposing artifact/creature when pressure, removal, or prison value beats another draw engine. Do not copy a weak mana rock just because it is legal if a draw artifact, lock artifact, or threat is available.

- Transmute Artifact: convert expendable artifacts into the exact engine piece the turn requires. Use it aggressively when sacrificing a Mox, spent Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Vexing Bauble, or extra artifact turns into Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, Mana Crypt, or a stabilizer; use it carefully when the sacrificed artifact is the only source enabling Force of Will support or follow-up mana. Card text check required for exact payment handling at runtime, so obey the rules-engine prompt and choose the legal artifact and payment line shown.

- Grim Monolith: use Grim Monolith as a bridge from fast mana into six-mana artifacts and as fuel for Paradox Engine turns. It is strongest when it casts Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Karn, the Great Creator, Paradox Engine, Phyrexian Metamorph, or Transmute Artifact in the same or next turn. Do not spend early turns untapping Grim Monolith unless no higher-impact legal spell is available or Paradox Engine is not part of the current plan.

- Relic of Sauron: use Relic of Sauron as midgame colored mana and card flow when Workshop-heavy mana cannot cast blue spells cleanly. It helps cast Force of Will alternatives, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Paradoxical Outcome, Tinker, and Transmute Artifact after the artifact base is established. Card text check required for exact activated ability details; choose its draw or mana mode only when the rules engine shows a legal activation that advances the current turn.

- Stock Up: cast Stock Up when the hand needs a payoff, blue card, or missing mana piece rather than when artifact mana already produces a decisive line. It is a setup spell, not the main plan, so avoid spending scarce blue mana on Stock Up if Force of Will protection, Ancestral Recall, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Sink into Stupor, or Paradoxical Outcome is more urgent. In slower games, use it to find The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Karn, the Great Creator, or interaction.

- Sink into Stupor: treat Sink into Stupor as flexible blue interaction or mana smoothing, depending on the legal mode shown. Use it to answer a visible permanent or stack problem when that buys the engine turn, and use it as a land only when the hand otherwise cannot deploy blue spells or keep Force of Will active. Card text check required for exact modal timing and target legality; never assume it answers a permanent type unless Forge offers the target.

- Tinker: use Tinker as a high-commitment shortcut to the best artifact for the board. Primary targets are usually Coveted Jewel for cards and mana, The One Ring for protection and draw, Paradox Engine for chain turns, or a stabilizing artifact when under pressure. Sacrifice the lowest-future-value artifact, not the artifact needed for current mana, Force of Will pitch support, or Paradoxical Outcome count. Do not fire Tinker into obvious open disruption without Force of Will or a reason waiting is worse.

- Paradox Engine: commit Paradox Engine when the battlefield already contains enough nonland mana artifacts and follow-up spells to convert untaps into a winning resource turn. It is poor as an isolated five-mana artifact and excellent with Moxen, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, Relic of Sauron, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, and cheap blue spells. Count legal follow-ups before choosing this line.

- Paradoxical Outcome: use Paradoxical Outcome as a reload and storm-like reset for Moxen, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, and Phyrexian Metamorph. Prefer it when bouncing artifacts produces more mana or fresh enters-the-battlefield value after replaying them; avoid it when returning the board exposes you to losing tempo or removes the only protection against attackers.

- Karn, the Great Creator: use Karn, the Great Creator as a prison pivot, sideboard access point, and artifact-control threat. In Game 1 it can shut off opposing artifacts and find a registered sideboard artifact when the rules engine exposes legal choices; after sideboard, it can locate Trinisphere, Defense Grid, Void Mirror, Lodestone Golem, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Hullbreacher, or Talon Gates of Madara if legal. Protect Karn when its static ability or next activation matters more than drawing cards.

- Vexing Bauble: deploy Vexing Bauble when free spells, stack fights, or opposing zero-mana tempo are more dangerous than spending one mana on development. It can conflict with this deck's own Force of Will, Moxen, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, and other zero-cost actions depending on timing, so play it after necessary zero-mana setup when possible. Card text check required for exact restriction and sacrifice ability; follow visible legal prompts.

- Ancestral Recall: cast Ancestral Recall early when blue mana is available and the hand needs velocity, but hold it if Force of Will requires the blue card more than three cards right now. Target self unless the rules engine and visible board present a deck-out or opponent-target exception.

- Time Walk: cast Time Walk when the extra turn gives another untap with artifact mana, another The One Ring or Coveted Jewel activation, a Karn activation, an Urza's Saga chapter, or a protected combo push. Do not spend it as a low-impact cantrip substitute when the current board cannot use the extra turn.

- Chaos Defiler: use Chaos Defiler as a stabilizer and disruptive body when the game has moved beyond pure engine setup. Card text check required for exact target or random-selection behavior; choose legal lines that remove visible pressure, break a lock, or create a lethal clock without sacrificing the core artifact engine.

- Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Black Lotus, and Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire: treat zero- and one-mana artifacts as acceleration first and artifact count second. Spend them to cast a payoff before the opponent interacts, but preserve enough artifacts for Tolarian Academy, Paradoxical Outcome, Transmute Artifact, Paradox Engine, and Urza's Saga when the immediate spell is not decisive.

- Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Urza's Saga, Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds: choose lands by what they cast this turn and what they enable next turn. Mishra's Workshop is premium for artifact payoffs but cannot cast blue spells; Ancient Tomb accelerates at a life cost; Tolarian Academy scales after artifacts; Urza's Saga provides artifact pressure and a search line if allowed; Island and Oboro, Palace in the Clouds preserve blue spell access. Do not let artifact-only mana strand Force of Will support, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradoxical Outcome, or Sink into Stupor.

## Interaction Priorities

- Counter the action that stops the engine turn before countering the action that only slows it. Force of Will should answer a visible lethal combo step, a prison effect that shuts off artifact mana or casting, a stack answer to Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradoxical Outcome, Paradox Engine, The One Ring, or Coveted Jewel, or a threat that will immediately steal Coveted Jewel through combat.

- Protect the first decisive payoff more than the first convenient spell. Bait with Stock Up, a redundant Phyrexian Metamorph, Vexing Bauble after zero-mana setup, or a nonessential The One Ring when a stronger line follows; do not bait with Black Lotus, Tolarian Academy mana, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradox Engine, or the only Coveted Jewel unless waiting is worse.

- Remove or bounce the permanent that prevents mana or action access first. When Sink into Stupor offers a legal interaction mode, prioritize visible artifact-hate, lock pieces, battlefield pressure threatening Coveted Jewel control, or a permanent stopping Karn, the Great Creator from stabilizing; Card text check required for exact target and timing.

- Ignore low-pressure creatures when an engine turn is available. Life total matters because Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, The One Ring, and combat damage compress time, but a creature that does not threaten lethal, Karn, the Great Creator, or Coveted Jewel ownership is usually less important than resolving Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Tinker, or Transmute Artifact.

- Treat discard and exile choices as rare, engine-provided decisions rather than baseline tools. If Chaos Defiler, Karn, the Great Creator, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara, or another legal prompt exposes removal, exile, discard, or target selection, choose the visible card that most directly blocks mana, stops the current combo path, removes a lethal clock, or breaks a prison lock; Card text check required for exact behavior of any uncertain prompt.

- Change priorities by archetype. Against fast combo, Force of Will and Vexing Bauble should trade for the first decisive stack or free-spell window, and engine setup can be slower if it keeps interaction active. Against prison or artifact mirrors, Karn, the Great Creator, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, and sideboard artifacts matter more than raw draw. Against blue control, sequence bait before the commitment spell and favor Defense Grid after sideboard. Against creature decks, protect The One Ring and Coveted Jewel while making blockers, not just drawing cards.

## Combat And Trading Rules

- Preserve Coveted Jewel ownership as a combat priority. If the opponent can attack the player controlling Coveted Jewel with an unblocked creature, block or remove the attacker when legal unless the current turn wins or the Jewel is no longer strategically relevant. Do not let a small creature connect for free when it transfers the card and mana engine.

- Protect Karn, the Great Creator when the static ability or next activation is the lock. Use Phyrexian Metamorph copies, Urza's Saga Construct tokens, Wurmcoil Engine, Lodestone Golem, Chaos Defiler, Argentum Masticore, or animated artifacts only as the rules engine legally presents them, and prefer blocks that keep Karn alive over minor life preservation when Karn is suppressing opposing artifacts.

- Trade creatures to buy an engine turn, not to satisfy normal midrange instincts. A Phyrexian Metamorph copying a creature, Wurmcoil Engine, Chaos Defiler, Lodestone Golem, Hullbreacher, Argentum Masticore, or Urza's Saga Construct should trade when it prevents lethal, protects Coveted Jewel, protects Karn, the Great Creator, or preserves enough life to survive Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and The One Ring costs.

- Attack only when the clock is real or planeswalker pressure matters. This deck wins mainly through artifact mana, draw, prison, and combo turns, so avoid sending a needed blocker if the attack exposes Coveted Jewel, Karn, the Great Creator, or a short-clock life total. Attack opposing planeswalkers when their next activation disrupts the engine more than the lost blocker matters.

- Use life-total thresholds aggressively but not carelessly. Above roughly 12 life, Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt pressure is acceptable for a decisive payoff; below roughly 8 life, every attack, Tomb activation, Mana Crypt trigger, and The One Ring burden must be weighed against immediate survival. At 4 or less, blocking and life-gain bodies like Wurmcoil Engine can outrank extra cards unless the spell wins now.

- Preserve engine artifacts over bodies when the body is replaceable. Do not sacrifice or expose the only mana artifact needed for Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Tolarian Academy, or a follow-up payoff merely to improve combat, unless the visible attack is lethal or would take Coveted Jewel.

- Adjust combat by opponent role. Against creature decks, make conservative blocks and stabilize behind The One Ring, Wurmcoil Engine, Constructs, or copied blockers. Against combo and control, pressure life totals and planeswalkers only when it does not dilute mana or protection. Against prison mirrors, combat is often secondary to Karn, the Great Creator and artifact lock positioning, but a protected Construct clock can close before the opponent rebuilds.

## Selection And Tutor Rules

- Tutor for the artifact that converts current mana into a decisive board, not the artifact that is strongest in isolation. Tinker and Transmute Artifact should usually find Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, or a lock/stabilizer through Karn, the Great Creator only after checking visible mana, stack risk, life pressure, and whether the sacrificed artifact is replaceable.

- Use Tinker as a commitment spell. Sacrifice the least important artifact that still leaves follow-up mana or protection intact, and prefer Coveted Jewel when the hand needs cards, The One Ring when survival and protection matter, Paradox Engine when enough nonland mana and castable spells are already visible, or Chaos Defiler when a battlefield answer is required; Card text check required for exact Chaos Defiler behavior.

- Use Transmute Artifact as both tutor and conversion, not as automatic value. Count the artifact being sacrificed, the mana required by the found artifact, and the post-resolution mana before choosing a target. Do not turn Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Black Lotus, Mox Ruby, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, or Mox Emerald into a payoff if that leaves the payoff stranded without actions.

- Sequence draw before locked-in tutors when the mana window allows. Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, and Paradoxical Outcome can reveal Force of Will support, Black Lotus, Tolarian Academy scaling, or a cleaner Tinker or Transmute Artifact target; tutor first only when mana will disappear, the opponent is threatening a lock, or the current legal line already wins or stabilizes.

- Treat Paradoxical Outcome as selection plus mana reset only when the returned artifacts can be recast. Return zero-mana artifacts and tapped Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, or Mana Crypt when legal and beneficial, but avoid bouncing the only artifacts that make Tolarian Academy, Karn, the Great Creator, Paradox Engine, or a post-draw spell functional.

- Let Urza's Saga search only after planning the next turn's mana. If the chapter ability is legal, prioritize Black Lotus, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mox Sapphire, Mox Ruby, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, or Vexing Bauble according to immediate color, storm-like recast needs, protection needs, and whether artifact count matters for Tolarian Academy or Construct pressure.

- Use Karn, the Great Creator selection as a matchup and board-state tutor. Choose Trinisphere, Defense Grid, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Hullbreacher, or Talon Gates of Madara only when the visible state calls for that role; Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and any uncertain sideboard-card interaction.

- Delay the land drop when blue selection may change it. Before playing Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, Tolarian Academy, Urza's Saga, Ancient Tomb, or Mishra's Workshop, check whether Ancestral Recall, Stock Up, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, or Paradoxical Outcome can reveal a hand that needs blue mana, artifact-only mana, Saga development, or Academy scaling.

- Bottom or discard redundant setup before protected payoffs when a rules prompt asks for card movement. Keep Force of Will plus a blue card against interaction, keep at least one major payoff, keep enough artifact mana for the next legal line, and reduce extra legendary or redundant high-cost artifacts only when the current hand still has a functional engine path.

## Priority And Stack Rules

- Spend Force of Will on the stack action that changes whether the engine can function. Counter visible interaction aimed at Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradoxical Outcome, Paradox Engine, The One Ring, or Coveted Jewel; counter a lethal combo step; or counter a prison piece that shuts off artifact mana or spellcasting before answering low-pressure value spells.

- Hold priority discipline after resolving mana artifacts. When Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, Black Lotus, Mox Sapphire, Mox Ruby, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, or Tolarian Academy creates a short mana window, use it for the planned payoff before passing unless Force of Will protection or a visible response window matters more.

- Let harmless spells resolve when the next action is decisive. If the opponent's stack action does not stop mana, remove a payoff, steal Coveted Jewel, threaten immediate lethal, or invalidate a Karn, the Great Creator lock, preserve Force of Will and continue toward the engine turn.

- Cast Vexing Bauble at the point where it constrains the opponent more than it constrains this hand. If the hand relies on Black Lotus, Moxen, Force of Will, or other zero-mana sequencing, deploy those pieces first when legal; if the opponent's visible plan depends on free interaction or free combo steps, Bauble can become a protection spell.

- Activate or use The One Ring and Coveted Jewel before passing only when the extra cards can matter now or survival allows the burden. Do not draw into an avoidable death from life loss, combat, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, or Ancient Tomb pressure; do draw when finding Force of Will, mana, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Sink into Stupor, or a stabilizer changes the turn.

- Use Sink into Stupor at instant speed for the permanent or spell that breaks the current turn. Prioritize a visible lock piece, lethal attacker, Coveted Jewel thief, hate permanent, or stack object that stops the chosen payoff; Card text check required for exact legal target classes and modal behavior.

- Treat Paradox Engine turns as priority-sensitive commitments. Once Paradox Engine is legal and protected enough, chain artifact mana and castable spells without passing through unnecessary windows; if the opponent has open interaction and the hand has no protection, wait only when another draw or bait spell can improve the commitment.

- Respect optional payments and triggers as resource decisions. Pay or accept optional effects such as The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Paradox Engine, or sideboard-card prompts only when the visible mana, life total, and stack state support the current plan; Card text check required for any uncertain optional trigger.

- Use combat priority windows to protect ownership and survival, not to show activity. After attackers, after blockers, and before damage, act with Sink into Stupor, Force of Will, Karn, the Great Creator lines, or legal artifact abilities only when they prevent lethal, preserve Karn, the Great Creator, stop Coveted Jewel from changing controller, or convert a protected engine line into a win.

## Sideboard Map

- Treat sideboarding as role selection, not as a generic power upgrade. Jewel Shops wins by converting Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Black Lotus, Moxen, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, and Paradox Engine into a protected engine turn; sideboard cards should either defend that turn, slow the opponent enough to reach it, or provide a Karn, the Great Creator target for the visible board.

- Preserve the main engine unless the matchup specifically punishes it. Keep the density of artifact mana, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Phyrexian Metamorph, Transmute Artifact, and Tinker high against fair decks and blue decks; reduce main-deck emphasis on slower or narrower cards only when sideboard lock pieces or threats answer a matchup's primary axis.

- Use Defense Grid against blue permission, instant-speed combo interaction, and stack-heavy control. Defense Grid is strongest when the opponent can stop Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradoxical Outcome, Paradox Engine, Coveted Jewel, or The One Ring during this turn cycle. Defense Grid is poor when the opponent mostly uses battlefield permanents, creature combat, graveyard engines, or sorcery-speed hate, and it can interfere with Force of Will lines by making the game about proactive commitment rather than reactive protection.

- Use Trinisphere when the opponent depends on cheap spell chains or free interaction. Trinisphere is a prison piece for fast combo, cantrip-heavy blue decks, and low-land artifact-light shells. Trinisphere is poor when this hand needs to cast multiple nonartifact blue spells, pay for Force of Will alternatives, or chain Paradoxical Outcome and low-cost artifacts in the same turn; deploy it when Mishra's Workshop or Ancient Tomb lets the deck function under the tax better than the opponent.

- Use Lodestone Golem as pressure plus spell tax against spell-dense decks. Lodestone Golem is best when a visible clock matters and the opponent's mana is constrained. It is poor when the opponent can ignore combat, remove creatures efficiently, or when the deck needs a noncreature artifact payoff such as Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Paradox Engine, or Wurmcoil Engine to stabilize instead.

- Use Void Mirror against decks relying on colorless casting, free spells, or unusual mana patterns only when the visible legal game suggests it constrains them more than this deck. Void Mirror can punish opponent mana that does not spend colored mana on spells, but Jewel Shops also casts many artifacts using Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, and Moxen; choose it only when the lock is asymmetric enough or when Karn, the Great Creator can fetch it for an immediate problem. Card text check required for exact interaction with colored mana payments and zero-mana spells.

- Use Wurmcoil Engine against creature pressure, damage races, and removal-light fair decks. Wurmcoil Engine changes the role from pure combo-prison to stabilizing artifact midrange, especially when Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, or The One Ring life pressure matters. Wurmcoil Engine is poor against exile, bounce-heavy tempo, fast noncombat combo, or boards where a prison piece wins more quickly than a six-mana creature.

- Use Argentum Masticore when repeatable artifact threat or removal is needed and the hand can pay its costs. Argentum Masticore should answer creature-heavy boards or permanents that must be managed through combat turns; Card text check required for exact cost, trigger, and target behavior. It is poor when the hand is low on spare cards, when the engine needs every card for Force of Will or Paradoxical Outcome sequencing, or when the opponent's plan ignores creatures and permanents.

- Use Hullbreacher against draw-heavy blue decks, wheels, Ancestral Recall mirrors, and opponents trying to refuel at instant speed. Hullbreacher changes the role from prison artifact combo to flash-pressure disruption if legal timing and mana support it. Hullbreacher is poor when blue mana is unreliable, when Mishra's Workshop-heavy hands cannot cast it, or when the opponent is attacking with creatures instead of drawing extra cards. Card text check required for current legality and exact replacement behavior.

- Use Talon Gates of Madara as a specialized tactical answer only when its legal text is known or Forge exposes the exact action. Card text check required. If it functions as protection, phasing, removal mitigation, or combat disruption, it is best against creature combat, single huge threats, and lines where preserving Karn, the Great Creator, Wurmcoil Engine, Chaos Defiler, or a critical artifact creature matters. It is poor when tapped-land tempo or colorless mana loss prevents an engine turn.

Blue permission / control
Side in: 4 Defense Grid; 1 Trinisphere; 1 Lodestone Golem
Cut: 1 Chaos Defiler; 1 Vexing Bauble; 2 Sink into Stupor; 2 Stock Up

- Add role cards: Defense Grid, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Hullbreacher. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow interaction and expensive board-control pieces when the visible opponent is mostly stack interaction. Keep Force of Will because protecting the first decisive artifact engine is still more important than maximizing artifact count.

Fast spell combo
Side in: 1 Trinisphere; 1 Lodestone Golem; 1 Void Mirror; 4 Defense Grid
Cut: 1 Chaos Defiler; 2 Sink into Stupor; 2 Stock Up; 1 Paradoxical Outcome; 1 Phyrexian Metamorph

- Add role cards: Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Defense Grid. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower draw smoothing and duplicated copy effects when they do not stop the opponent's first decisive turn. Keep Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, and fast mana because a prison start without a clock can still give combo too much time.

Creature pressure / fair combat
Side in: 2 Wurmcoil Engine; 2 Argentum Masticore; 2 Talon Gates of Madara
Cut: 1 Paradoxical Outcome; 1 Vexing Bauble; 2 Stock Up; 1 Force of Will; 1 Phyrexian Metamorph

- Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara. Reduce main-deck emphasis: stack-only defense and slower selection when the opponent's public plan is damage on board. Keep The One Ring and Coveted Jewel if life total and combat math allow the card burst to find stabilizers.

Artifact mirror / Workshop prison
Side in: 2 Wurmcoil Engine; 2 Argentum Masticore; 1 Lodestone Golem; 1 Trinisphere
Cut: 4 Force of Will; 1 Paradoxical Outcome; 1 Stock Up

- Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Lodestone Golem, Trinisphere. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Force of Will when the opponent presents mostly permanents and mana denial rather than stack actions. Keep Karn, the Great Creator and Transmute Artifact highly valued because sideboard targets and artifact conversion decide many stalled mirrors.

Draw-engine mirror / blue artifact combo
Side in: 4 Defense Grid; 2 Hullbreacher; 1 Trinisphere
Cut: 1 Chaos Defiler; 1 Vexing Bauble; 2 Sink into Stupor; 2 Stock Up; 1 Phyrexian Metamorph

- Add role cards: Defense Grid, Hullbreacher, Trinisphere. Reduce main-deck emphasis: board-only answers when the opponent is fighting over Ancestral Recall, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Paradoxical Outcome, or Tinker. Hullbreacher needs reliable blue mana, so do not prioritize it over castable Defense Grid when the opening hand is Mishra's Workshop-heavy.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: prioritize survival through the first visible combat clock before maximizing card draw. Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and The One Ring can deal or imply enough damage that a fast opener becomes a liability unless it produces Coveted Jewel, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, or a decisive Karn, the Great Creator line quickly. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Paradoxical Outcome, Stock Up, Vexing Bauble, and some Force of Will when the opponent is presenting creatures rather than stack-based wins. Keep Phyrexian Metamorph high when it can copy Wurmcoil Engine, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, or the opponent's best visible artifact creature, but do not copy a creature merely to trade if a draw engine or stabilizer is legal.

- Control: force the opponent to answer a compact sequence of must-counter artifacts rather than spreading resources across low-impact setup. Defense Grid is the cleanest role card because it converts many stack fights into tap-out windows; Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem matter when the opponent is light on artifact mana or visibly constrained. Add role cards: Defense Grid, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Hullbreacher. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Chaos Defiler, Sink into Stupor, and Stock Up when the game is about resolving Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Tinker, Karn, the Great Creator, or Paradox Engine. Use Force of Will to defend the first decisive engine or stop the opponent's draw burst, not to fight every cantrip-like action. Treat Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, and Paradoxical Outcome as high-value bait or payoff depending on whether the hand already has a castable engine.

- Combo: win the first meaningful turn cycle either by locking them, racing them, or using Force of Will on the single visible action that matters. Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Vexing Bauble, and Defense Grid have different targets, so use runtime information rather than assuming every prison card is equivalent. Add role cards: Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Defense Grid, Hullbreacher. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow board control, Stock Up, and redundant Phyrexian Metamorph when no engine target is already present. Keep hands with Black Lotus, Mishra's Workshop, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Transmute Artifact, Tinker, or Karn, the Great Creator only when they either produce a fast lock or a fast deterministic engine; a hand that makes mana but no pressure can lose to combo before extra cards matter.

- Tempo: respect open mana, bounce, and cheap threats by choosing engines that immediately replace themselves or leave a blocker-equivalent behind. The One Ring is strong if protection and cards bridge to the next turn, but its burden matters if the opponent already has a visible short clock. Coveted Jewel can be dangerous if the opponent can attack and steal it, so check visible attackers, blockers, and life total before choosing it over The One Ring or Wurmcoil Engine. Add role cards: Defense Grid, Wurmcoil Engine, Talon Gates of Madara, Hullbreacher. Reduce main-deck emphasis: expensive non-stabilizing engines and slow selection when the opponent is combining pressure with stack interaction. Use Sink into Stupor as a tempo reset only when the legal target clearly buys a turn or clears the way for a protected engine.

- Midrange: overload permanent interaction with artifacts that demand different answers. The preferred line is usually fast mana into The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Karn, the Great Creator, or Wurmcoil Engine, then use Transmute Artifact and Phyrexian Metamorph to turn excess mana artifacts into the best visible threat. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Vexing Bauble and some stack-only defense when the opponent's plan is removal plus creatures. Chaos Defiler is valuable when its legal action can remove or pressure multiple resources; Card text check required for exact trigger and targeting behavior. Do not overcommit all artifact mana into a single battlefield if the opponent has shown broad permanent removal or a public sweeper-like effect.

- Big mana: pressure the opponent before their larger spell turn while using prison pieces to make their mana awkward. Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem are strongest when they turn a large-mana hand into only one spell per turn; Void Mirror is conditional and should be used only when visible mana patterns suggest it constrains the opponent more than Jewel Shops. Add role cards: Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Wurmcoil Engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow smoothing that does not create a clock or lock. Karn, the Great Creator should usually search for a role card that changes the current axis, not a generic threat, unless the board already shows that a single Wurmcoil Engine or Argentum Masticore stabilizes.

- Graveyard: avoid spending premium resources on graveyard hate unless the opponent's public graveyard, revealed cards, or archetype context makes it relevant. This registered deck has no dedicated graveyard sideboard card, so the plan is to race with Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradox Engine, and fast mana while using Force of Will, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, or Vexing Bauble against the action that converts the graveyard into a win. Add role cards: Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Defense Grid when the graveyard deck is spell-combo shaped. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-combat stabilizers when the opponent is not attacking. Do not assume hidden graveyard payoffs; use public graveyard contents and legal stack actions.

- Artifact/enchantment: fight opposing permanents through Karn, the Great Creator, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, copied artifacts, and sideboard threats rather than assuming normal removal exists. Against artifact mirrors, Force of Will can be weak if the opponent is mostly permanent mana and creatures, but it remains important against Tinker, Ancestral Recall, Paradoxical Outcome, or a decisive planeswalker. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Lodestone Golem, Trinisphere, Void Mirror. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Force of Will when visible games revolve around resolved artifacts rather than spells on stack. Against enchantment-heavy decks, Card text check required for exact registered answers; if no legal answer is visible, race or lock instead of inventing removal.

- Go-wide: stabilize with lifelink-sized bodies, repeatable removal if confirmed, and draw engines that find more blockers before life total collapses. Wurmcoil Engine is the cleanest role card; Argentum Masticore may matter if Forge exposes legal removal or combat actions; Talon Gates of Madara is conditional and requires card text or legal action confirmation. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Defense Grid, Vexing Bauble, and slow blue selection when the battlefield, not the stack, is deciding the game. Avoid giving away Coveted Jewel if the opponent has multiple attackers and this deck lacks enough blockers.

- Single-threat: answer, copy, race, or invalidate the one threat based on visible legality. Sink into Stupor is valuable when it can reset the threat or clear a planeswalker/creature path; Phyrexian Metamorph can copy the threat if the copy changes combat or engine math; Karn, the Great Creator can find Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, or a prison piece if the threat depends on casting follow-up spells. Add role cards: Talon Gates of Madara, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore. Reduce main-deck emphasis: broad prison cards when the opponent already resolved the only relevant threat. Do not use Force of Will on support spells if the visible threat is what kills the deck.

- Burn: treat life as the bottleneck and avoid unnecessary Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and The One Ring damage unless the action wins or stabilizes quickly. Wurmcoil Engine is the most important role card, while Defense Grid matters only when burn is primarily instant-speed stack interaction and the deck can still race. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Talon Gates of Madara, Defense Grid when instant-speed interaction dominates. Reduce main-deck emphasis: The One Ring loops that do not find lifegain or a win, Paradoxical Outcome without immediate payoff, and slow Stock Up lines. Force of Will costs a card and life only if alternate casting is used; choose it only when stopping the spell prevents more damage than the payment risks.

- Removal-heavy: diversify threats and prefer artifacts that already drew cards, generated protection, or left value before removal resolves. The One Ring and Coveted Jewel are strong if the opponent cannot profitably take the Jewel through combat; Wurmcoil Engine is strong against destroy-based removal but weaker against exile or bounce. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Defense Grid, Hullbreacher, Argentum Masticore. Reduce main-deck emphasis: single fragile creature plans and Phyrexian Metamorph copies that expose two cards to the same answer. Use Transmute Artifact carefully because sacrificing a working artifact into a counterspell or removal window can collapse mana; make the commitment only when the payoff is worth the public risk.

## Specific Matchup Notes
- General/archetype-only: exact opponents are absent, so revealed cards, public zones, current legal actions, and rules-engine prompts override every assumption below. Treat the first visible opposing card as stronger evidence than archetype labels, and revise priority targets once the opponent shows whether the game is about stack interaction, permanent pressure, graveyard conversion, or combat damage.

- Blue stack/combo: protect the first decisive engine instead of spending Force of Will on medium setup. Priority targets are opposing stack actions that stop Tinker, Transmute Artifact, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Ancestral Recall, or Time Walk from creating a winning turn. Add role cards: Defense Grid, Hullbreacher, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror when noncolored casting patterns are visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow creature-stabilizer plans and extra Phyrexian Metamorph copies when no good artifact target is visible.

- Artifact mirror or prison mirror: win by converting mana into asymmetric artifacts before both players are constrained. Priority targets are opposing Tinker, Karn, the Great Creator, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, and mana engines that let the opponent ignore Trinisphere or Lodestone Golem. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Lodestone Golem, Trinisphere, Void Mirror. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Force of Will only when the opponent is mostly resolved artifacts and creature pressure rather than stack-critical spells.

- Fast creature pressure: stabilize before drawing extra cards gives the opponent a clean Coveted Jewel attack. Priority targets are attackers that can take Coveted Jewel, threats that shorten the Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt clock, and combat steps where Wurmcoil Engine or Phyrexian Metamorph changes racing math. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Defense Grid, Vexing Bauble, and slow Stock Up lines unless they find immediate stabilization. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Argentum Masticore tactical use beyond visible legal actions.

- Graveyard or spell-conversion combo: race first, lock second, and interact only with the action that converts public resources into a win. Priority targets are the decisive spell on stack, not random graveyard setup, unless Veles shows that setup action is itself lethal or enabling. Add role cards: Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Defense Grid against interactive combo. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Wurmcoil Engine and combat-only cards when the opponent is not attacking.

- Burn or life-total pressure: treat Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Force of Will alternate cost, and repeated The One Ring activations as real costs. Priority targets are spells or attacks that push lethal before Wurmcoil Engine, The One Ring protection, or a combo finish arrives. Add role cards: Wurmcoil Engine, Talon Gates of Madara, Defense Grid only against instant-heavy interaction. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Paradoxical Outcome or Stock Up lines that spend a turn without stabilizing.

## Risk Summary
- Mana risk: Mishra's Workshop cannot pay for nonartifact spells, so hands with Force of Will, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, or Paradoxical Outcome need blue or flexible mana from Mox Sapphire, Black Lotus, Island, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, Tolarian Academy, or artifact mana before keeping speculative lines.

- Matchup risk: the deck can misassign roles because it has combo, prison, and big-artifact plans in the same 75. Use visible pressure to decide whether Karn, the Great Creator should lock, stabilize, or find a closer; do not default to the same artifact in every matchup.

- Draw risk: Coveted Jewel and The One Ring can bury the opponent, but Coveted Jewel can become a liability against multiple attackers and The One Ring can create a life-total deadline. Prefer draw engines when the next combat step is contained or the drawn cards can immediately create a lock, blocker, bounce line, or win.

- Over-sideboarding risk: adding too many Defense Grid, Hullbreacher, Wurmcoil Engine, Argentum Masticore, Talon Gates of Madara, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, and Void Mirror can dilute fast artifact-engine starts. Keep enough main-deck explosiveness from Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Transmute Artifact, Phyrexian Metamorph, Tinker, and mana artifacts to present a proactive clock.

- Graveyard risk: the registered sideboard has no dedicated graveyard hate, so graveyard matchups require racing, prison pressure, and precise Force of Will timing. Do not spend interaction on graveyard cards that are not currently converting into a legal payoff.

- Sweeper/removal risk: sacrificing an artifact to Transmute Artifact or tapping out for Tinker into open interaction can collapse mana and tempo. Commit when the payoff beats the visible answer window, or when waiting gives the opponent a better chance to attack Coveted Jewel or resolve a decisive spell.

- Closer risk: Paradox Engine, Paradoxical Outcome, Karn, the Great Creator, Chaos Defiler, Wurmcoil Engine, and repeated The One Ring turns are not interchangeable. Choose the closer that solves the visible bottleneck: mana, cards, combat, stack resistance, or permanent pressure.

- Interaction risk: Force of Will and Vexing Bauble are strongest against decisive stack actions and weakest against resolved-board games. Save them for spells that stop the engine, win the game, or break the lock unless the current life total or battlefield makes a smaller spell immediately lethal.

- Sequencing risk: play mana in the order that preserves blue sources, artifact count, and untapped mana for the next legal prompt. Avoid spending Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, or Sol Ring into a line that cannot pay follow-up costs exposed by Forge.

## Test Feedback Checklist
- Deciding factor: record whether the game was decided by fast artifact mana, a resolved draw engine, a prison effect, Force of Will timing, combat pressure against Coveted Jewel, or a failed commitment turn.
- Mulligans: note whether the opening hand had a castable plan, a blue source for Force of Will or Ancestral Recall, enough artifact mana for Mishra's Workshop lines, and a payoff such as The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, or Karn, the Great Creator.
- Mana: identify every game where Mishra's Workshop, Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Sol Ring, or Mox Sapphire created the bottleneck or unlocked the winning turn.
- Velocity: check whether Stock Up, Ancestral Recall, Paradoxical Outcome, The One Ring, and Coveted Jewel found action fast enough, or whether the deck spent a turn drawing while the opponent advanced lethal pressure.
- Engine execution: record whether Phyrexian Metamorph copied Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, a mana artifact, a lock piece, Wurmcoil Engine, or an opposing artifact, and whether that copy changed the game state meaningfully.
- Commitment quality: flag any Tinker, Transmute Artifact, Paradox Engine, Karn, the Great Creator, or Paradoxical Outcome turn that failed because the pilot ignored visible mana, open interaction, board pressure, or follow-up legal prompts.
- Interaction timing: review each Force of Will, Vexing Bauble, Sink into Stupor, and sideboard lock piece decision for whether it answered the decisive spell or merely delayed a noncritical action.
- Sideboard impact: record whether Defense Grid, Hullbreacher, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Wurmcoil Engine, Talon Gates of Madara, or Argentum Masticore solved the matchup problem it was chosen for. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Argentum Masticore beyond visible engine actions.
- Closing: ask whether the deck won through engine inevitability, Karn, the Great Creator pressure, Chaos Defiler, Wurmcoil Engine combat, repeated The One Ring turns, or a single explosive combo turn.
- Role accuracy: mark games where the pilot should have raced, locked, stabilized, or protected a draw engine, and compare that role against the actual sequence chosen.
- Mistakes: capture legal-action errors, premature passes, missed mana sequencing, poor artifact sacrifice choices, unnecessary Ancient Tomb damage, and Coveted Jewel exposure to attackers.
- Stranded cards: list cards stuck in hand because of color, Mishra's Workshop restrictions, missing artifact count, opponent lock pieces, or timing windows.
- Overperformers and underperformers: name the exact cards that repeatedly generated wins, sat unused, or created liabilities, especially The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Transmute Artifact, Phyrexian Metamorph, Relic of Sauron, Stock Up, and Sink into Stupor.

## First Tuning Questions
- Card quantity: should the deck keep all 4 Coveted Jewel if creature pressure or artifact theft patterns repeatedly punish the draw engine before it generates decisive mana or cards?
- Card quantity: should all 4 The One Ring remain if life-loss pressure from Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, and repeated activations causes losses before protection or combo turns close?
- Card quantity: should 4 Phyrexian Metamorph stay if common games lack valuable artifact targets, or is the fourth copy only justified by frequent Coveted Jewel, The One Ring, Wurmcoil Engine, and opposing artifact copies?
- Card quantity: should 3 Relic of Sauron stay if it fixes mana and cards under pressure, or does it lose too much tempo compared with Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, and Mox starts?
- Mana: does the current blue source mix support Force of Will, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, and Paradoxical Outcome often enough without leaning on one-shot Black Lotus or Mox Sapphire?
- Mana: are Ancient Tomb and Mana Crypt losses frequent enough that Wurmcoil Engine, Talon Gates of Madara, or more conservative The One Ring use needs higher priority in post-board games?
- Aggro plan: does the deck stabilize creature matchups through Wurmcoil Engine, Phyrexian Metamorph, Chaos Defiler, Sink into Stupor, and Karn, the Great Creator often enough, or does it need more sideboard space for combat survival?
- Control plan: do Defense Grid, Hullbreacher, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, Force of Will, and Vexing Bauble create enough stack protection, or are games still lost before a protected Tinker, Transmute Artifact, or Paradoxical Outcome resolves?
- Closers: does Karn, the Great Creator actually finish games, or does the deck need to prioritize Chaos Defiler, Wurmcoil Engine, Paradox Engine, or repeated The One Ring turns as the default closer?
- Sideboard slots: are Argentum Masticore and Talon Gates of Madara earning their slots in logged games, or do their roles need clearer matchup assignment after card text verification?
- Role conflict: are prison cards such as Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, Void Mirror, and Defense Grid interfering with Paradoxical Outcome, Stock Up, Force of Will, or fast artifact-engine turns often enough to require stricter matchup gates?
- Selection quality: are Tinker and Transmute Artifact finding the correct payoff for the visible board, or are losses caused by defaulting to a powerful artifact that fails to answer combat, stack pressure, or mana constraints?

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Opening Keep Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan
- Cards: Mishra's Workshop; Ancient Tomb; Tolarian Academy; Black Lotus; Mana Crypt; Mana Vault; Grim Monolith; Sol Ring; The One Ring; Coveted Jewel; Tinker; Transmute Artifact; Force of Will
- Phase windows: pregame mulligan decisions.
- Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
- Use when: opening hand decisions expose keep or mulligan actions.
- Avoid when: hidden library assumptions are required to justify a speculative keep.
- Instructions: Keep hands with legal mana plus a castable engine, tutor, or lock plan; value Force of Will only when the hand also has blue pitch material or a strong mana plan. Mulligan hands that only contain restricted power without a payoff, blue spells without blue mana, or Mishra's Workshop hands unable to cast their nonartifact plan.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Engine Setup
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Mishra's Workshop; Ancient Tomb; Mana Crypt; Mana Vault; Grim Monolith; Sol Ring; Mox Sapphire; Coveted Jewel; The One Ring; Relic of Sauron
- Phase windows: turns one through three, main phases, empty stack.
- Runtime cues: action:cast The One Ring; action:cast Coveted Jewel; action:cast Relic of Sauron
- Use when: the first durable draw or mana engine can be committed from visible legal actions.
- Avoid when: combat pressure can immediately take Coveted Jewel or life loss makes Ancient Tomb and The One Ring unsafe.
- Instructions: Lead with the engine that converts mana into cards without handing the opponent an attack trigger; prefer The One Ring under creature pressure and Coveted Jewel when blockers, tempo, or follow-up mana prevent theft. Relic of Sauron is a setup bridge when colored mana or card flow is the bottleneck.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Workshop Mana Commitment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Mishra's Workshop; Ancient Tomb; Tolarian Academy; Mana Crypt; Mana Vault; Grim Monolith; Sol Ring; Black Lotus; Mox Emerald; Mox Jet; Mox Pearl; Mox Ruby; Mox Sapphire
- Phase windows: main phases and payment prompts.
- Runtime cues: action:pay; action:activate mana ability
- Use when: Forge asks for mana choices or multiple artifact mana sources can pay the current spell.
- Avoid when: spending the only blue source would strand Force of Will, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Stock Up, Sink into Stupor, Tinker, Transmute Artifact, or Paradoxical Outcome.
- Instructions: Preserve flexible blue mana before spending colorless mana; spend temporary or restricted mana only into a legal follow-up line already visible. Prefer tapped, one-shot, or painful sources only when the current action meaningfully advances engine, prison, or survival.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combo Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority; selection; mana
- Cards: Tinker; Transmute Artifact; Paradox Engine; Paradoxical Outcome; Coveted Jewel; The One Ring; Phyrexian Metamorph
- Phase windows: own main phase, empty or favorable stack.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Tinker; action:cast Transmute Artifact; action:cast Paradoxical Outcome; action:cast Paradox Engine
- Use when: a tutor, bounce-draw spell, or engine artifact can start a decisive turn.
- Avoid when: visible opponent mana, known interaction, or current combat clock makes waiting or protecting the line clearly necessary.
- Instructions: Commit when the visible line produces cards, mana, lock pressure, or lethal inevitability this turn or next turn. Delay when the line sacrifices the only engine, taps out through known pressure, or cannot use the cards it draws.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Tinker Deterministic Search After Commitment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Tinker; The One Ring; Coveted Jewel; Paradox Engine; Chaos Defiler
- Phase windows: Tinker resolution search prompts.
- Runtime cues: action:select The One Ring; action:select Coveted Jewel; action:select Paradox Engine; action:select Chaos Defiler
- Use when: Tinker has resolved and the legal choices list contains the artifact named by the already selected plan.
- Avoid when: more than one payoff could answer different visible problems.
- Instructions: Choose the payoff that matches the committed line recorded in the immediate decision context; use light-model reasoning if survival, card draw, or combo engine goals conflict.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Transmute Artifact Sacrifice And Payoff
- Priority: High
- Decision families: selection; mana
- Cards: Transmute Artifact; Coveted Jewel; The One Ring; Grim Monolith; Mana Vault; Mana Crypt; Sol Ring; Phyrexian Metamorph; Paradox Engine
- Phase windows: main phase, Transmute Artifact costs and resolution.
- Runtime cues: action:sacrifice; action:select artifact; action:pay
- Use when: Forge exposes sacrifice, artifact selection, or payment prompts for Transmute Artifact.
- Avoid when: sacrificing the only active draw engine or mana bridge leaves no legal payoff line.
- Instructions: Sacrifice redundant mana artifacts before draw engines; find the artifact that solves the visible bottleneck, not the most expensive card by default. Treat extra mana payments as part of the commitment gate, because failing to pay may change the outcome.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Metamorph Copy Selection
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Phyrexian Metamorph; Coveted Jewel; The One Ring; Grim Monolith; Mana Vault; Wurmcoil Engine; Lodestone Golem; Trinisphere; Void Mirror
- Phase windows: Phyrexian Metamorph resolution.
- Runtime cues: action:copy; action:select Phyrexian Metamorph
- Use when: a copy choice is prompted and visible artifacts or creatures are listed.
- Avoid when: copying Coveted Jewel exposes theft before gaining enough advantage.
- Instructions: Copy The One Ring or Coveted Jewel for cards when safe, copy mana artifacts for immediate engine turns, copy Wurmcoil Engine or disruptive sideboard artifacts when board control matters. Use exact visible candidates only.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Force Of Will Permission Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; priority
- Cards: Force of Will; Mox Sapphire; Ancestral Recall; Time Walk; Stock Up; Sink into Stupor; Tinker; Transmute Artifact; Paradoxical Outcome
- Phase windows: opponent cast triggers, stack interaction windows, own protection windows.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Force of Will; action:target spell Force of Will
- Use when: a visible spell on stack threatens the engine, lock, survival, or opponent win.
- Avoid when: the spell is low impact and pitching the blue card breaks the next legal engine or recovery line.
- Instructions: Spend Force of Will on spells that stop Tinker, Transmute Artifact, The One Ring, Coveted Jewel, Paradoxical Outcome, or a sideboard lock from resolving, or on spells that immediately win or create lethal pressure. Protect a committed combo turn more aggressively than a routine setup turn.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Vexing Bauble And Prison Timing
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; interaction
- Cards: Vexing Bauble; Defense Grid; Trinisphere; Lodestone Golem; Void Mirror; Karn, the Great Creator
- Phase windows: early turns, main phases, stack-heavy matchups.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Vexing Bauble; action:cast Defense Grid; action:cast Trinisphere; action:cast Lodestone Golem; action:cast Void Mirror
- Use when: a lock or tax piece is legal and the matchup or visible stack pressure rewards slowing interaction.
- Avoid when: the prison card prevents this deck from executing the current Paradoxical Outcome, Force of Will, or blue-spell plan.
- Instructions: Deploy prison before a fragile engine when it protects the next decisive turn; skip it when the board demands immediate cards, mana, or stabilization. Karn, the Great Creator can support this plan but should not replace an urgent survival action.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: The One Ring Survival And Draw Use
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; selection
- Cards: The One Ring
- Phase windows: main phases, activation windows, low-life turns.
- Runtime cues: action:activate The One Ring; action:cast The One Ring
- Use when: The One Ring is legal to cast or activate and life total plus board pressure are visible.
- Avoid when: additional burden or life loss creates a visible lethal attack or damage line before the extra cards can matter.
- Instructions: Cast The One Ring to buy time against creature pressure or force through a protected card engine. Activate when the cards can produce mana, interaction, or a closing line before the next burden becomes dangerous.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sink Into Stupor Target Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction; selection
- Cards: Sink into Stupor
- Phase windows: stack interaction windows, combat-adjacent survival windows, main phases.
- Runtime cues: action:cast Sink into Stupor; action:target Sink into Stupor
- Use when: a visible nonland permanent or spell interaction prompt can be answered by Sink into Stupor.
- Avoid when: bouncing a minor permanent leaves a lethal board, or using the card as interaction strands required blue mana later.
- Instructions: Target the visible object that blocks the current engine, removes lethal pressure, frees a locked mana line, or stops Coveted Jewel theft. Card text check required for exact spell/permanent targeting from the engine prompt.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Jewel Defense
- Priority: High
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Coveted Jewel; Chaos Defiler; Phyrexian Metamorph; Wurmcoil Engine; Argentum Masticore; Talon Gates of Madara
- Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, before combat damage.
- Runtime cues: action:block; action:attack; action:cast Talon Gates of Madara
- Use when: Coveted Jewel is on the battlefield and visible attackers or blockers can affect control of it.
- Avoid when: an attack with Coveted Jewel exposed gives the opponent a clean trigger without immediate lethal or lock payoff.
- Instructions: Prioritize keeping creatures back to stop Coveted Jewel theft unless attacking wins, forces a decisive trade, or the Jewel has already drawn enough to accept the risk. Card text check required for Talon Gates of Madara and Argentum Masticore combat use beyond visible legal actions.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Karn Sideboard Selection
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Karn, the Great Creator; Trinisphere; Defense Grid; Lodestone Golem; Void Mirror; Wurmcoil Engine; Argentum Masticore; Talon Gates of Madara; Hullbreacher
- Phase windows: Karn loyalty ability resolution.
- Runtime cues: action:select Trinisphere; action:select Defense Grid; action:select Lodestone Golem; action:select Void Mirror; action:select Wurmcoil Engine
- Use when: Karn, the Great Creator asks for an artifact or sideboard selection and legal choices are visible.
- Avoid when: the game requires immediate board survival and the chosen card cannot be cast or matter before the opponent's next turn.
- Instructions: Select prison artifacts against stack or fast-mana opponents, Wurmcoil Engine for life and blockers, and specialized artifacts only when their visible role matches the problem. Card text check required before relying on Argentum Masticore or Talon Gates of Madara.
- Pilot skill floor: medium.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Paradoxical Outcome Deterministic Target Set
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection; priority
- Cards: Paradoxical Outcome; Mox Emerald; Mox Jet; Mox Pearl; Mox Ruby; Mox Sapphire; Mana Crypt; Sol Ring; Grim Monolith; Mana Vault; Coveted Jewel; The One Ring
- Phase windows: Paradoxical Outcome target selection and resolution.
- Runtime cues: action:target Paradoxical Outcome
- Use when: Paradoxical Outcome target choices are visible and the pilot has already committed to a bounce-draw turn.
- Avoid when: bouncing lock pieces, blockers, or protection permanents gives the opponent a decisive window.
- Instructions: Target expendable zero- and low-cost artifacts first, then draw engines only when replay mana is visible. Keep permanents that are currently preventing lethal attacks, stopping spells, or enabling required mana.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Plan Lock
- Priority: High
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Defense Grid; Hullbreacher; Trinisphere; Lodestone Golem; Void Mirror; Wurmcoil Engine; Talon Gates of Madara; Argentum Masticore; Force of Will; Vexing Bauble; Sink into Stupor; The One Ring; Coveted Jewel; Relic of Sauron; Stock Up
- Phase windows: between games.
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
- Use when: Veles asks for legal sideboard swaps after a completed game.
- Avoid when: the plan exceeds registered sideboard counts or cuts required mana and engine density.
- Instructions: Add Defense Grid and Hullbreacher for stack fights, Trinisphere, Lodestone Golem, and Void Mirror for fast spell or mana engines, Wurmcoil Engine and Talon Gates of Madara for pressure, and Argentum Masticore only after card text verification. Reduce slow draw, redundant engines, or narrow interaction according to visible matchup evidence.
- Pilot skill floor: high.
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
