# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Izzet Phoenix is an Explorer-legal 60-card main deck with a 15-card sideboard, validated under the supplied active format contract. The registered main deck contains 60 cards, the sideboard contains 15 cards, and the validation result is recorded as passing for Explorer; Veles should therefore treat the exact registered names as legal deck-construction inputs unless the runtime validator later reports a contrary engine result.

- Identity: Izzet Phoenix is a blue-red tempo, midrange, graveyard, and spells deck built around cheap cantrips, efficient red interaction, graveyard fueling, and recurring Arclight Phoenix through multi-spell turns.
- Stock status: Treat this as a stock-archetype Izzet Phoenix shell with hybrid tuning rather than a rogue deck; Arclight Phoenix, Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Lightning Axe, Fiery Impulse, Picklock Prankster, and Treasure Cruise indicate a familiar Phoenix core, while Artist's Talent, Flashback, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, and the exact bounce package define the registered build's deck-specific texture.
- Format status: Active format is Explorer, and no Commander-only assumptions, off-format staples, or external card packages should be imported into decisions unless the rules engine exposes them from the registered deck or opponent public zones.
- Mechanic tags: Normalize the supplied duplicate tags to tempo, midrange, graveyard, and spells for indexing; use tempo when racing and protecting a Phoenix clock, midrange when resources and removal exchanges matter, graveyard when planning Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise, and spells when sequencing cantrips and interaction across one turn.
- Registered main plan: The deck should be piloted as an interactive spell-density deck whose default pressure comes from Arclight Phoenix recursion and whose card-flow engine comes from Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, and Treasure Cruise.
- Registered secondary plan: Artist's Talent and Proft's Eidetic Memory give the build permanent-based scaling, but Veles must not assume exact card text beyond visible legal actions; Card text check required for tactical claims about Flashback, Artist's Talent, and Proft's Eidetic Memory until engine-visible text or verified rules output is available.
- Registered interaction suite: Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Otawara, Soaring City, and sideboard cards such as Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Mystical Dispute, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Brazen Borrower, and the extra Into the Flood Maw define the available answer space.
- Mana identity: The deck is blue-red with Island, Steam Vents, Spirebluff Canal, Riverglide Pathway, Stormcarved Coast, and Otawara, Soaring City; early blue mana is essential for cantrips and selection, while red mana is essential for Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, and sideboard removal.
- Legality concern: Veles should follow the supplied validation pass, but all runtime actions must still be chosen only from legal engine actions, especially for Adventure-style or alternate-zone permissions tied to Picklock Prankster, Brazen Borrower, and any card whose exact mode text is engine-dependent.
- Mana concern: One-land hands need exceptional justification because the deck has many cheap spells but also needs enough mana to cast multiple spells in one turn and eventually cast Treasure Cruise; two-land hands with blue access and selection are normally the baseline.
- Role concern: The pilot should not lock into pure aggression or pure control before seeing matchup speed, opposing threats, graveyard pressure, and available interaction; the same hand can be tempo, removal-control, or Phoenix-combo depending on visible board state.
- Opponent info status: No specific opposing decklist, sideboard, public metagame target, or matchup label is supplied for this batch, so all opponent references must remain archetype-level until Veles receives public information from a match, a registered opponent guide, or visible game objects.
- Hidden-information rule: Do not infer the opponent has a particular removal spell, counterspell, graveyard hate card, or sweeper unless it is revealed, logged, cast, searched for publicly, or encoded in matchup context supplied to the decision request.
- Runtime authority: Legal actions, visible board state, public zones, revealed information, stack objects, and rules-engine prompts override all strategic preferences in this guide; the guide ranks choices only after legality and visibility have already constrained the decision.

## Thesis
Izzet Phoenix assembles cheap blue selection, red interaction, graveyard volume, and multi-spell turns to recur Arclight Phoenix while staying alive long enough for Treasure Cruise and permanent engines to bury the opponent. Prioritize hands and lines that produce early blue mana, see many cards, stock the graveyard without wasting key resources, and preserve the option to cast three spells in one turn when Arclight Phoenix is already in the graveyard or can be put there safely.

The deck wins by converting low-cost spells into tempo and repeated damage, not by hoarding every cantrip for perfect value. Arclight Phoenix is the primary clock, Treasure Cruise is the refill that lets the deck keep trading, and Lightning Axe plus Fiery Impulse let the pilot recover tempo against creatures while also enabling graveyard setup when discard is part of a legal cost or visible action.

The deck is not trying to be a hard control deck, a pure burn deck, or a deterministic combo deck. Do not pass repeatedly waiting for a perfect turn if the opponent is developing a board, do not spend removal on low-impact creatures when a short clock is visible elsewhere, and do not fire off every cantrip before deciding whether the turn needs removal, a Phoenix setup, a land drop, or a Treasure Cruise plan.

The highest priorities are: keep functional mana, preserve cheap spell density, answer creatures that change the race, put Arclight Phoenix into the graveyard only through legal and tactically justified actions, and avoid exposing Artist's Talent or Proft's Eidetic Memory assumptions beyond engine-visible text. Card text check required for Artist's Talent, Flashback, and Proft's Eidetic Memory; use their legal actions conditionally rather than inventing exact effects.

## Role Package
- Threats: Arclight Phoenix is the defining threat because it can return from the graveyard after the deck casts enough spells in a turn; treat visible Phoenix recursion as a major commitment point, especially when deciding whether to spend Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, Flashback, Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, or Treasure Cruise before combat. Ledger Shredder is the sideboard creature plan when the matchup rewards a non-graveyard or resilient threat; Brazen Borrower is a sideboard tempo threat when its legal modes support pressure or a bounce line.

- Payoffs: Treasure Cruise is the main resource payoff, so sequence graveyard-fueling spells with an eye toward casting it without exiling resources needed for visible Arclight Phoenix plans. Proft's Eidetic Memory is a singleton scaling payoff, but Card text check required; choose its legal actions only when the rules engine presents a clear use and the board state supports spending mana on a permanent rather than immediate interaction.

- Engines: Artist's Talent is a four-copy permanent engine, but Card text check required before making exact mode, level, or triggered-ability claims. Treat it as a possible long-game or spell-synergy engine when legal actions appear, while still asking whether the current turn instead demands removal, Phoenix recursion, land development, or Treasure Cruise.

- Velocity: Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, and Flashback are the deck's card-flow and graveyard-shaping package. Use them to find land drops, cheap spells, Arclight Phoenix, removal, or Treasure Cruise, but avoid spending the last cheap spell before confirming whether the turn has a realistic Phoenix return, interaction requirement, or mana constraint.

- Interaction: Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, and Otawara, Soaring City form the main-deck answer suite. Spend red removal on threats that affect the clock or block Phoenix profitably, use bounce when tempo is worth more than permanent removal or when a resolved permanent must be reset, and keep singleton flexible spells for board states where their visible legal modes matter.

- Protection: This list has no dedicated protection spell in the main deck, so protect wins through timing, resource pressure, and not overcommitting into visible answers. Mystical Dispute, Rending Volley, Redcap Melee, Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Brazen Borrower, and the extra Into the Flood Maw are sideboard interaction tools rather than blanket protection; choose them by matchup role and visible threat profile.

- Recursion: Arclight Phoenix recursion is the central graveyard payoff, and Treasure Cruise converts stocked graveyards into cards. Do not assume graveyard access is safe when opponent graveyard hate is visible, revealed, or represented by public permanents; shift toward Ledger Shredder, Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, and normal spell-tempo play when the graveyard is pressured.

- Mana: Island, Steam Vents, Spirebluff Canal, Riverglide Pathway, Stormcarved Coast, and Otawara, Soaring City must support early blue cantrips and timely red removal. Prefer lines that keep blue available for selection and red available for Fiery Impulse or Lightning Axe when the opponent can develop creatures; avoid land choices that strand multiple same-color spells unless the visible hand and legal actions force it.

- Sideboard modules: Abrade answers artifacts or creatures when legal text supports that role; Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, and Rending Volley are targeted red-side interaction by matchup; Mystical Dispute supports blue stack fights; Ledger Shredder provides a creature-plan pivot; Brazen Borrower and the extra Into the Flood Maw strengthen tempo-bounce plans. Use exact sideboard plans only from Sideboard Map; outside those plans, treat these as role modules selected by opponent speed, color, permanent types, and graveyard pressure.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Arclight Phoenix recursion is the main win path because repeated hasty attackers turn cheap spells into damage while the deck keeps mana open for tempo. Set up by using Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, Flashback, and discard costs from Lightning Axe only when legal and strategically justified to put Arclight Phoenix into the graveyard or find one already there. Execute by planning a three-spell turn before combat when the rules engine shows legal spells and enough mana; prioritize this line when at parity, ahead on cards, or needing a fast clock against slower decks. Disruption to respect includes visible graveyard hate, exile effects, sweepers, blockers that trade profitably with Phoenix, and open mana that may answer the third spell or the returned creatures.

- Treasure Cruise into Phoenix pressure is the deck's strongest sustained plan when both players are trading resources. Set up by filling the graveyard through normal selection and removal, then cast Treasure Cruise when it refills the hand without exiling all resources needed for a current Arclight Phoenix turn. Execute by using the extra cards to chain cheap spells, find Lightning Axe or Fiery Impulse for blockers, and rebuild after the first wave is answered. Prioritize this path when the opponent has slowed the battlefield, when the hand is low on spell count, or when a Phoenix turn needs more cheap actions than are currently visible.

- Artist's Talent plus spell velocity is a main-deck engine plan, but Card text check required before assuming exact effects, levels, triggers, or discounts. Set up by casting Artist's Talent when the current turn does not require immediate removal or a high-value Phoenix recursion turn. Execute only through legal engine actions shown by Forge, using the permanent to amplify future cantrip and interaction turns rather than spending all cheap spells into no pressure. Prioritize it in slower games, against removal-heavy opponents, or when Arclight Phoenix is unavailable and the game needs a durable source of advantage.

- Proft's Eidetic Memory is a singleton scaling payoff, but Card text check required before assuming exact combat or draw-based text. Set up by protecting enough life and cards to make a non-immediate permanent matter. Execute when legal actions show it contributes to pressure or resource conversion and the opponent is not presenting a must-answer board. Prioritize it when graveyard recursion is contested, when Ledger Shredder is not available post-board, or when normal Phoenix pressure is too exposed.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Normal creature combat wins games when Arclight Phoenix stays on the battlefield after recursion or is hard-cast through fair mana. Use removal and bounce to clear blockers, especially with Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, and Otawara, Soaring City. Prioritize attacks that shorten the clock without throwing away the only pressure source unless the trade preserves life against a faster board.

- Picklock Prankster can contribute fallback pressure when legal creature actions are available and the deck needs a body more than another setup spell. Use it to chip in, block small attackers, or support multi-spell turns when its adventure or spell side is visible as legal. Do not sacrifice the main Phoenix plan just to add minor damage if the same mana must answer a lethal or near-lethal threat.

- Burn and tempo closing lines matter when the opponent is low enough that combat plus red interaction can finish the game. Use Fiery Impulse and Lightning Axe primarily as creature interaction, but reassess any legal player-targeting or flexible mode from Prismari Charm or Prismari Command when the opponent's life total is within visible reach. Do not invent face damage if the rules engine does not present it.

- Sideboard creature pivots become important when opponents pressure the graveyard or overload on Phoenix answers. Ledger Shredder is the main post-board alternate threat, while Brazen Borrower can become a tempo threat when legal actions support its bounce or creature role. Prioritize these lines when public information shows graveyard hate, repeated exile removal, or a matchup where holding up Mystical Dispute while applying pressure is better than forcing Phoenix recursion.

## Emergency Lines
- When behind on life, stabilize before sculpting a perfect Phoenix turn. Spend Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Otawara, Soaring City, or sideboard removal on visible attackers that define the clock, then rebuild with Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, Flashback, and Treasure Cruise. A delayed Phoenix turn is acceptable if using the current spells prevents lethal or preserves enough life to race next turn.

- When behind on board, trade tempo for time and avoid low-impact cantrips that leave the same lethal battlefield intact. Prioritize legal removal, bounce, and blocks before card selection unless selection is needed to find the only answer this turn. If multiple answers are legal, preserve Lightning Axe for larger creatures and use Fiery Impulse on smaller threats when that matches visible damage and spell mastery information from the engine.

- When behind on cards, treat Treasure Cruise as the recovery engine and stop exiling graveyard resources casually. Use selection to hit land drops and cheap interaction, then cast Treasure Cruise when it produces enough new spells to contest the board. If Treasure Cruise is unavailable, lean on Artist's Talent or Proft's Eidetic Memory only when their legal actions are visible and the battlefield is not demanding immediate answers.

- When mana is constrained, choose lines that keep early blue and red functions alive. Blue finds the next land and spell chain; red prevents creature snowballs. Avoid starting a three-spell Phoenix turn if the visible mana cannot complete it before combat or if doing so taps out of the only legal answer to a lethal threat.

- When graveyard recursion is disrupted, shift from forcing Arclight Phoenix to fair tempo and alternate threats. Hard-cast Arclight Phoenix when legal and reasonable, use Ledger Shredder after sideboarding, and win through repeated small attacks backed by interaction. Do not put more Arclight Phoenix copies into an exposed graveyard if public permanents or revealed effects indicate they will be exiled before returning.

- When win conditions are removed, conserve every remaining threat and make each spell trade for time, cards, or damage. Use Treasure Cruise to locate replacement pressure, use bounce to force the opponent to spend mana again, and attack only when the exchange advances the clock or preserves survival.

## Resource Model
- Life: Treat life total as the buffer that buys time for Arclight Phoenix turns and Treasure Cruise recovery. Pay life for Steam Vents only when the untapped mana enables an immediate Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, or a same-turn three-spell line; against visible pressure, prefer tapped Steam Vents or Riverglide Pathway timing when the hand can still function.

- Hand: Convert hand size into velocity, not raw holding. Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, and Flashback are the main tools for finding lands, stocking the graveyard, and assembling three cheap spells; Card text check required for Flashback before assuming exact selection or graveyard behavior. Keep enough cards to feed Lightning Axe only when discarding Arclight Phoenix, excess lands, redundant Artist's Talent, or a low-impact spell is better than letting the opposing threat remain.

- Mana: Spend mana to preserve both colors before chasing maximum spell count. Blue mana keeps selection and Treasure Cruise lines alive; red mana answers creatures and enables Lightning Axe, Fiery Impulse, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Artist's Talent, Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, and Rending Volley. Avoid tapping the only red source for a nonurgent action when a visible creature can punish the delay.

- Board: Board presence is mostly pressure plus time. Arclight Phoenix is the primary recursive attacker, Picklock Prankster is fallback pressure or defense, and post-board Ledger Shredder changes the resource model by letting the deck win without relying entirely on graveyard recursion. Use removal and bounce to keep attacks clean rather than spending every spell purely to dig.

- Graveyard: Treat the graveyard as both fuel and threat inventory. Fill it naturally with cheap spells, Lightning Axe discard, selection, and trades, then decide whether current graveyard resources are worth exiling to Treasure Cruise. Do not exile Arclight Phoenix if a legal recursion turn is available or likely this turn unless survival or a decisive reload matters more.

- Exile: Track exiled cards as spent resources when Treasure Cruise or opposing effects remove graveyard density. Once key threats or cheap spells are exiled, shift toward hard-cast Arclight Phoenix, Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Ledger Shredder, or fair tempo rather than assuming another graveyard wave will appear.

- Lands: Lands are spell-chain infrastructure, not dead draws until the deck has enough colored sources to cast multiple spells in one turn. Extra lands can become Lightning Axe discard or Treasure Cruise resilience, but early land drops are more valuable than sculpting a perfect hand.

- Sacrifice fodder: This list has no normal sacrifice plan. Do not value creatures or permanents as sacrifice material unless Forge presents a legal action from an exact card or opponent effect.

- Tempo and information: Bounce, cheap removal, and cantrips convert small mana advantages into attack steps and safer Phoenix turns. Use public information from revealed cards, known hand contents, graveyards, exile, stack, and legal actions before assuming the opponent has interaction.

- Sideboard bullets: Sideboard cards convert narrow matchups into efficient exchanges. Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Mystical Dispute, Into the Flood Maw, Brazen Borrower, and Ledger Shredder should change resource priorities only when their legal targets, matchup role, or graveyard-pressure context is visible.

## Mana Guide
- Keep rule: Keep hands with functional early blue, functional early red, and at least two lands more often than speculative one-color hands. A hand with Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, or Picklock Prankster needs blue early; a hand relying on Fiery Impulse or Lightning Axe needs red early; a hand with only one land usually needs multiple cheap blue looks and a clear payoff before it is acceptable.

- Color rule: Prioritize blue on turn one when the hand needs to find lands or assemble spells, and prioritize red when the opponent has already shown fast creature pressure or the hand contains Fiery Impulse plus no other stabilizer. Riverglide Pathway should choose the missing color for the next two turns, not the color that only improves the current spell.

- Shockland rule: Play Steam Vents untapped only when the life payment changes the current turn. Untapped Steam Vents is correct for turn-one selection, immediate removal, or enabling a three-spell Arclight Phoenix turn; tapped Steam Vents is better when no one-mana play is needed and the life total is part of the race.

- Fastland/checkland rule: Sequence Spirebluff Canal early when possible because it is strongest in the first turns. Stormcarved Coast is better once lands are already established; do not let a future untapped land concern override an immediate need to cast Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Fiery Impulse, or Lightning Axe.

- Utility land rule: Treat Otawara, Soaring City as both land and interaction. Play it as a land when colored development is otherwise failing, but preserve it when the mana base is stable and a future bounce line can answer a large blocker, hate permanent, or tempo-critical threat through a legal channel ability.

- Three-spell rule: Before starting an Arclight Phoenix recursion turn, count visible mana, spell costs, color requirements, and whether a spell must target something. Do not spend the first spell if the remaining legal actions cannot reach three spells before combat or before the relevant trigger window.

- Treasure Cruise rule: Plan mana for Treasure Cruise after deciding how much graveyard can be exiled. A cheap Treasure Cruise that leaves mana for Consider, Opt, Fiery Impulse, or Lightning Axe can create a same-turn swing; a full-mana Treasure Cruise is acceptable only when the game is slow or the hand is empty enough that passing with new cards is still safe.

- Play-land timing: Play a land before draw or selection when the current turn needs guaranteed mana for removal, Treasure Cruise, or a three-spell sequence. Delay the land when casting Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, or Flashback could reveal whether Riverglide Pathway should be blue or red, whether Steam Vents must enter untapped, or whether Otawara, Soaring City should be held as interaction.

- Post-board mana: Respect sideboard color pressure after boarding. Mystical Dispute and Brazen Borrower increase blue timing demands, while Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, and Rending Volley increase red urgency; Ledger Shredder rewards stable blue access while still needing enough red to protect the board.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: Keep two lands with both colors, one or two cheap selection spells, and either Arclight Phoenix, Artist's Talent, Lightning Axe, Picklock Prankster, or Treasure Cruise. Example: Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Consider, Sleight of Hand, Lightning Axe, Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise has mana, discard value, graveyard velocity, and a reload.

- Medium keep: Keep two-land hands that are missing one color only when Consider, Opt, or Sleight of Hand can immediately find the missing source and the hand still functions if it misses once. Example: Island, Otawara, Soaring City, Consider, Opt, Picklock Prankster, Treasure Cruise, Arclight Phoenix is acceptable on the draw but slower on the play against pressure.

- Risky keep: Keep one-land hands only with an untapped blue source, at least two one-mana selection spells, and no immediate need for red removal. A one-land Spirebluff Canal hand with Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Arclight Phoenix, Lightning Axe, Treasure Cruise can be defensible on the draw; a one-land Steam Vents hand with only one cantrip is a ship.

- Automatic ship: Ship hands with no land, one land without cheap blue selection, all lands and no selection/threat, or hands that cannot cast any spell before turn three. Ship hands relying on hard-casting Arclight Phoenix as the first meaningful play unless the matchup is known to be extremely slow and the rest of the hand contains interaction.

- Matchup-dependent keep: Keep Fiery Impulse or Lightning Axe heavier hands against visible creature decks, but downgrade them against control or combo when they lack selection or pressure. Keep Treasure Cruise plus multiple cheap spells against attrition, but avoid hands where Treasure Cruise is the only payoff and the graveyard cannot fill quickly.

- Play/draw adjustment: On the play, favor hands that deploy Artist's Talent or Picklock Prankster before the opponent stabilizes. On the draw, accept slower hands with extra selection and Treasure Cruise more often, but require earlier Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, or Prismari Charm against fast starts.

- Trap hand: Do not keep Arclight Phoenix-heavy hands with no discard outlet, no third-spell path, and no Treasure Cruise support. Do not keep Artist's Talent plus mostly lands if the hand cannot trigger it repeatedly. Treat Proft's Eidetic Memory and Flashback as conditional engines; Card text check required before keeping a hand that depends on either card as the only payoff.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1: Lead with untapped blue for Consider, Opt, or Sleight of Hand when the hand needs lands, Arclight Phoenix setup, or spell density. Lead with untapped red for Fiery Impulse only when a visible creature must be answered immediately. Use Steam Vents untapped only when the spell changes this turn; otherwise protect life and use Spirebluff Canal or tapped Steam Vents when possible.

- Turn 2: Prefer Artist's Talent when the opponent is not forcing immediate removal and the hand contains enough cheap spells to use it. Prefer Picklock Prankster when you need a body, graveyard setup, or a spell-like setup action. Hold up Into the Flood Maw, Fiery Impulse, or Lightning Axe when the opponent's visible board threatens more damage than the engine gains back.

- Turn 3: Attempt an Arclight Phoenix turn only after counting three legal spell casts, mana colors, required targets, and whether Lightning Axe has an acceptable discard. If the three-spell line is incomplete, use the turn to cast Artist's Talent, selection, removal, or Treasure Cruise setup rather than spending cantrips into a failed recursion window.

- Turns 4-5: Convert graveyard and hand velocity into pressure. Treasure Cruise is strongest when it leaves enough mana to cast another cheap spell or interact after drawing; avoid exiling Arclight Phoenix when recursion is available or likely this turn. Use Prismari Command, Prismari Charm, Into the Flood Maw, Otawara, Soaring City, Fiery Impulse, and Lightning Axe to clear blockers or protect life while Arclight Phoenix attacks.

- Late game: Shift from burst recursion to resource loops when the opponent survives the first Phoenix wave. Hard-cast Arclight Phoenix when mana is abundant, lean on Treasure Cruise to rebuild, and preserve Otawara, Soaring City for a high-impact permanent or blocker. Proft's Eidetic Memory and Flashback require card text checks before making engine-dependent assumptions.

- Deviation rule: Spend a turn answering the board instead of sculpting when visible damage threatens to outpace future Arclight Phoenix attacks. Spend a turn sculpting instead of firing removal when the opponent has no urgent threat and the hand needs a third spell, a discard outlet, or enough graveyard for Treasure Cruise.

## Card Roles
- Arclight Phoenix: Treat Arclight Phoenix as the primary pressure card and the main reason to count spells carefully every turn. Discard it to Lightning Axe, Prismari Command, or other legal discard lines when the hand can realistically cast three spells in the same turn or when Treasure Cruise can later convert the graveyard into a reload. Do not discard every copy into visible graveyard hate or exile pressure unless the current turn is forcing a race. Hard-cast Arclight Phoenix in slower games when mana is abundant, especially after the opponent has spent removal on Picklock Prankster or Ledger Shredder-style post-board threats.

- Artist's Talent: Use Artist's Talent as the main noncreature engine when the board is stable enough to spend mana on setup. Card text check required for exact level, trigger, and ability details; use it conditionally as a spells-matter permanent that rewards chaining Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Fiery Impulse, Into the Flood Maw, Lightning Axe, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, and Treasure Cruise. Cast it early against midrange or control when repeated spell value matters. Delay it against fast creature starts when Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, or Into the Flood Maw is needed to preserve life.

- Consider: Cast Consider early when the hand needs lands, spell density, graveyard fuel, or Arclight Phoenix setup. Put Arclight Phoenix into the graveyard when a recursion line is plausible soon or when Lightning Axe/Prismari Command discard is unavailable. Keep cards on top only when they solve a concrete visible need: land, cheap spell three, removal, Treasure Cruise, or a threat. Avoid spending Consider before deciding land orientation when Riverglide Pathway color choice is still unclear and no immediate spell must be cast.

- Opt: Use Opt as the cleanest instant-speed spell for sculpting, holding priority, and completing a three-spell turn without committing mana early. Keep it up when the opponent may present a target for Fiery Impulse, Into the Flood Maw, Lightning Axe, Prismari Charm, or Prismari Command and you need flexibility. Fire it main phase when it is required to reach three spells for Arclight Phoenix, trigger Artist's Talent, or turn Treasure Cruise into a same-turn play.

- Sleight of Hand: Use Sleight of Hand as proactive selection when the hand needs a specific category and instant speed is not important. Cast it before land drop when looking for a missing color or a second land, but after land drop when the turn requires guaranteed mana for removal or Treasure Cruise. Pick cheap spells over expensive payoff when Arclight Phoenix recursion is one spell short; pick Treasure Cruise or Artist's Talent when the graveyard and board already support a longer game.

- Picklock Prankster: Use Picklock Prankster as both board presence and graveyard/selection support, depending on which legal half or mode the rules engine offers. Card text check required for exact adventure and creature text; assume tactical use must be driven by the visible action label. Favor the spell-like setup mode when Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise, or Artist's Talent needs fuel. Favor the creature body when blocking, pressuring planeswalkers, or diversifying threats against graveyard hate matters.

- Treasure Cruise: Treat Treasure Cruise as the deck's largest resource conversion spell, not just a cheap draw spell. Cast it when it leaves enough mana to use at least one drawn cheap spell if the game is contested, or when the hand is empty and passing with new cards is acceptable. Exile redundant cantrips, spent removal, and lands first. Preserve Arclight Phoenix when recursion is legal or likely, and preserve enough graveyard for future Treasure Cruise only when the current hand already functions.

- Fiery Impulse: Use Fiery Impulse as efficient creature control that protects life total and clears blockers for Arclight Phoenix. Card text check required for exact damage and spell mastery threshold; choose targets using visible toughness, damage marked, and whether the graveyard already enables the larger mode. Do not spend Fiery Impulse on low-impact creatures when Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, or Prismari Command is needed for a larger threat and the life total can absorb one attack.

- Lightning Axe: Use Lightning Axe as the premium answer to large creatures and the cleanest main-deck discard outlet for Arclight Phoenix. Prefer discarding Arclight Phoenix when a three-spell turn is realistic, Treasure Cruise is close, or the opponent's threat must die immediately. Discard excess lands or redundant engines when Phoenix recursion is not available. Avoid casting Lightning Axe only to stock the graveyard if there is no legal target or the discard would strand the hand without payoff.

- Into the Flood Maw: Use Into the Flood Maw as tempo interaction for threats that are too large to kill, blockers that stop an Arclight Phoenix attack, or permanents whose immediate impact must be delayed. Card text check required for exact target restrictions and any gift/additional mode text. Prefer it when bouncing buys a lethal or near-lethal attack, resets a costly permanent, or protects your life total while keeping mana for a three-spell turn. Avoid using it as low-impact end-step action if Treasure Cruise or selection can build a stronger next turn.

- Flashback: Treat Flashback as a conditional engine or spell-density tool until card text is verified. Card text check required. Keep it only when the legal action text clearly advances a visible plan such as filling the graveyard, recasting value, or enabling multiple spells in a turn. Do not make mulligan, graveyard-exile, or sequencing decisions that depend on unverified Flashback text as the only payoff.

- Prismari Command: Use Prismari Command as flexible midgame glue: interaction, discard outlet, resource smoothing, and artifact pressure when the legal modes support those roles. Card text check required for exact mode list in this environment. Prioritize modes that kill a visible creature, discard Arclight Phoenix with a reload, answer a dangerous artifact, or create mana for a same-turn Treasure Cruise or follow-up spell. Avoid selecting low-impact value modes while under lethal pressure.

- Prismari Charm: Use Prismari Charm as a flexible single-copy tactical card, with mode selection driven by visible legal text. Card text check required for exact modes. Treat it as interaction first when the opponent has a must-answer threat, as selection when digging for Arclight Phoenix/Treasure Cruise/land is urgent, and as tempo or reach only when the action label and board state prove that line matters this turn.

- Proft's Eidetic Memory: Use Proft's Eidetic Memory as a slow-game payoff only after verifying its exact text. Card text check required. Deploy it when the opponent is not forcing immediate removal and the hand can continue drawing or selecting cards. Do not keep a weak opener solely because it contains Proft's Eidetic Memory, and do not tap out for it when a visible attack or stack threat demands Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, or Prismari Command.

- Otawara, Soaring City: Treat Otawara, Soaring City as a land first when mana development is short and as interaction when mana is already stable. Preserve it against large permanents, protected threats, or blockers that normal damage cannot answer. Play it as a land when missing the next land drop would delay Treasure Cruise, hard-cast Arclight Phoenix, or multiple-spell turns.

- Spirebluff Canal, Steam Vents, Riverglide Pathway, Stormcarved Coast, and Island: Sequence lands to maximize early blue for Consider, Opt, and Sleight of Hand while keeping red available for Fiery Impulse and Lightning Axe. Choose Riverglide Pathway color from the current hand's bottleneck, not from abstract balance. Shock Steam Vents only when the life payment enables a meaningful spell this turn or preserves an important interaction window.

## Interaction Priorities

- Removal: Spend Fiery Impulse on early creatures that convert directly into damage, mana, or snowballing combat before they force Lightning Axe on a medium target. Use visible toughness, damage marked, and graveyard size to decide whether Fiery Impulse is enough; do not assume upgraded damage unless the rules engine exposes it.

- Large-threat answer: Reserve Lightning Axe for creatures that Fiery Impulse cannot kill, creatures that threaten lethal within one attack cycle, or blockers that stop an Arclight Phoenix clock. Prefer discarding Arclight Phoenix when a three-spell turn is visible or likely; discard excess land when the hand already has action; avoid discarding Treasure Cruise unless the graveyard is thin and the hand cannot afford a delayed draw-three.

- Bounce priority: Use Into the Flood Maw and Otawara, Soaring City on permanents that are too large, protected, temporary, or mana-expensive enough that losing a turn matters. Bounce blockers when it creates a meaningful Arclight Phoenix attack, and bounce attackers when it prevents a lethal or near-lethal combat step. Do not bounce low-impact permanents just to spend mana if Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, or Treasure Cruise builds a stronger next turn.

- Flexible interaction: Use Prismari Command and Prismari Charm as interaction first when the board is dangerous, and as selection or discard support only when life total and combat are stable. Card text check required for exact Prismari Charm and Prismari Command modes, so select modes only from visible legal text. Favor modes that kill a creature, discard Arclight Phoenix while replacing cards, answer an artifact, or create mana for a same-turn follow-up.

- Counter priority: After sideboard, use Mystical Dispute for blue spells that stop Arclight Phoenix recursion, resolve a game-ending threat, win a stack fight over Treasure Cruise, or protect a critical interaction turn. Do not counter a minor cantrip or setup spell when the opponent is likely to present a stronger blue spell and your hand can answer the board.

- Sideboard removal priority: Use Redcap Melee and Rending Volley against red or blue creature threats when their restrictions match visible legal targets. Use Abrade when an artifact matters or when its creature mode is the cleanest answer. Use Flowstone Infusion when the visible target and combat math make the exchange decisive. Card text check required for exact restrictions and damage.

- Graveyard resource priority: Exile redundant Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, spent Fiery Impulse, spent Into the Flood Maw, and excess lands to Treasure Cruise before exiling Arclight Phoenix. Preserve Arclight Phoenix in graveyard when three spells this turn are plausible, and preserve enough cheap spells only if a second Treasure Cruise is already visible.

- Bait: Lead with Sleight of Hand, Consider, Opt, Picklock Prankster, or Artist's Talent when the goal is to draw interaction before resolving Treasure Cruise or Proft's Eidetic Memory. Against open mana, force the opponent to react to low-cost card flow before committing the spell that actually wins the resource exchange.

- Ignore: Ignore creatures that do not change the clock, cannot block Arclight Phoenix profitably, and do not enable an opponent engine. Ignore graveyard hate for a turn only when a non-graveyard plan with Artist's Talent, Picklock Prankster, Ledger Shredder, or hard-cast Arclight Phoenix is already enough to progress.

- Archetype shift: Against aggro, trade interaction for life total early and treat Treasure Cruise as recovery. Against control, conserve threats and fight over engines instead of every answer. Against midrange, turn removal into tempo, then pull ahead with Treasure Cruise. Against graveyard pressure, diversify with Artist's Talent, Picklock Prankster, Ledger Shredder, Brazen Borrower, and Proft's Eidetic Memory rather than overcommitting to Arclight Phoenix.

## Combat And Trading Rules

- Attack discipline: Attack with Arclight Phoenix when it pressures life total, planeswalkers, or a race without exposing a needed blocker. Recurred Arclight Phoenix should attack by default unless the visible crack-back is lethal or the opponent has a blocker that makes damage irrelevant.

- Block discipline: Preserve Arclight Phoenix over low-value trades because repeated recursion is the deck's best pressure loop. Block with Arclight Phoenix when the life total is under immediate threat, when another Arclight Phoenix can be recurred, or when trading removes a creature that otherwise invalidates your race.

- Picklock Prankster role: Use Picklock Prankster as a blocker when life total is the bottleneck or when buying one turn unlocks Treasure Cruise. Attack with Picklock Prankster only when the opponent cannot profitably race or when extra damage changes the turn count.

- Ledger Shredder role: After sideboard, preserve Ledger Shredder when it is filtering cards, growing, or forcing awkward opponent sequencing. Trade it only when the exchange protects life total, removes a critical attacker, or clears the way for Arclight Phoenix to finish the game.

- Brazen Borrower role: After sideboard, use Brazen Borrower as an evasive pressure card when the opponent is light on removal or when bounce has already created a tempo gap. Do not trade it into small creatures unless the life total requires it.

- Life thresholds: Above roughly 12 life, prioritize tempo, spell count, and graveyard setup unless the opponent has a fast visible board. Between 7 and 11 life, remove attackers before spending mana on slow engines. At 6 or less, treat every attack step as lethal-risk analysis and hold interaction through combat when possible.

- Trading rule: Trade small creatures for time when Treasure Cruise, Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, or Arclight Phoenix recursion will win the longer game. Decline trades when your creature is the only pressure and the opponent is the deck trying to stabilize.

- Protection rule: Protect engines with sequencing rather than dedicated protection spells. Cast cheap spells before combat when needed to recur Arclight Phoenix, but hold Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, or Otawara, Soaring City when the opponent's combat step is the decisive point.

- Archetype combat shift: Against aggro, block early and turn Arclight Phoenix into both pressure and life-buffer. Against control, attack patiently and avoid overextending creatures into sweepers unless Treasure Cruise or graveyard recursion rebuilds. Against midrange, force awkward blocks with flying pressure and save bounce for the blocker that matters most. Against combo or engine decks, shorten the clock and use removal only on creatures that affect the combo or the race.

## Selection And Tutor Rules

- Pseudo-selection rule: Treat this deck as having no true tutors, so every Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, Prismari Command, Prismari Charm, and Treasure Cruise decision should convert visible information into either spell count, graveyard fuel, land stability, or a specific missing role. Do not assume a named card is available unless the rules engine exposes it in hand, graveyard, library selection, or legal action text.

- Early land rule: Use Sleight of Hand and Opt before optional graveyard-filling lines when the hand needs a second land, a red source for Fiery Impulse or Lightning Axe, or a blue source chain for multiple cheap spells. Keep hands functional before chasing Arclight Phoenix recursion, because three-spell turns fail when mana is short.

- Graveyard setup rule: Use Consider and Picklock Prankster to stock the graveyard when Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise, or Lightning Axe needs material. Put Arclight Phoenix into the graveyard when the current or next turn can plausibly cast three spells; keep it in hand only when hard-casting is realistic or discard access is absent.

- Bottoming rule: Bottom excess lands after the third land unless Treasure Cruise, Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, or sideboard interaction asks for a specific mana count. Keep the fourth land when Otawara, Soaring City activation, hard-cast Arclight Phoenix, double-spell plus interaction, or post-sideboard Mystical Dispute sequencing is visible.

- Cantrip ordering rule: Cast Sleight of Hand first when choosing between two unknown cards matters more than graveyard size. Cast Consider first when graveyard count, Arclight Phoenix setup, or Treasure Cruise discount matters. Cast Opt at instant speed when holding interaction is valuable, and cast it main phase only when it is needed as the third spell for Arclight Phoenix.

- Treasure Cruise rule: Cast Treasure Cruise when it refills a low hand, wins a resource exchange, or finds the last spell for an Arclight Phoenix turn. Exile redundant cantrips, spent removal, and extra lands before exiling Arclight Phoenix; preserve Arclight Phoenix if recursion is a realistic combat trigger.

- Discard-selection rule: Use Lightning Axe discard and Prismari Command or Prismari Charm filtering to discard Arclight Phoenix when the tempo exchange also matters. Do not discard the only needed interaction, land, or third spell merely to improve graveyard texture.

- Engine-selection rule: Take Artist's Talent or Proft's Eidetic Memory when the game is slowing down and the board is not forcing immediate removal. Card text check required for exact Artist's Talent level text and exact Prismari Charm or Prismari Command modes, so choose only among modes the engine exposes as legal.

## Priority And Stack Rules

- Main-phase commitment rule: Main-phase cantrips are correct when they create the third spell for Arclight Phoenix, find a required land before land drop, or enable Treasure Cruise. Otherwise, prefer passing with Opt, Consider, Fiery Impulse, Into the Flood Maw, Lightning Axe, Prismari Command, Prismari Charm, Otawara, Soaring City, or post-sideboard Mystical Dispute available when opponent action is the real decision point.

- Arclight Phoenix timing rule: Count spells before moving to combat, because Arclight Phoenix returns at the beginning of combat only if the required spell count is already satisfied. If two spells are cast and a legal third cheap spell is available, cast it before combat unless holding it prevents lethal damage or protects against a more important stack exchange.

- Interaction window rule: Respond to creatures or combat tricks with Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Command, Prismari Charm, Otawara, Soaring City, Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, or Brazen Borrower only when the visible target matters to the race, engine, or survival. Let low-impact spells resolve when preserving mana enables Treasure Cruise, Arclight Phoenix recursion, or a stronger answer.

- Counter window rule: Use Mystical Dispute after sideboard on blue spells that stop your engine, resolve a decisive threat, or win a fight over Treasure Cruise or Proft's Eidetic Memory. Do not spend Mystical Dispute on a minor cantrip when the opponent still has mana and a more important blue spell is likely from visible context.

- Optional payment rule: Decline optional costs or modes that consume mana needed for a visible interaction spell, Treasure Cruise, or the third spell for Arclight Phoenix. Accept optional payments only when the engine output is exposed by legal action text and the remaining mana still covers the turn's defensive requirement.

- Combat priority rule: Hold removal or bounce through declare attackers or declare blockers when combat math is the deciding issue. Cast precombat interaction only when clearing a blocker guarantees meaningful Arclight Phoenix damage or when waiting risks losing the target to a visible sacrifice, bounce, or protection line.

- Graveyard timing rule: Protect graveyard resources until the payoff is locked in. If graveyard hate is on the stack or a graveyard action is threatened by visible text, use available Arclight Phoenix recursion, Treasure Cruise, or filtering first only when legal and tactically worth the mana.

- Stack patience rule: Let opponent removal resolve against a redundant Picklock Prankster, Ledger Shredder, or hard-cast Arclight Phoenix when fighting would cost the spell chain that wins the next turn. Fight over the permanent or spell that carries the current plan: Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Treasure Cruise, a lethal Arclight Phoenix attack, or the only answer to lethal pressure.

## Sideboard Map

- Sideboarding rule: Keep the deck's spell density high enough for Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise, so every plan should preserve cheap blue selection, enough red interaction, and a realistic three-spell turn. Do not over-board into a pile of reactive cards unless the matchup is decided by a specific opposing threat class.

- Abrade role: Add Abrade against artifact-centric decks, artifact creatures, and creature decks where a flexible instant-speed answer is better than another narrow burn spell. Abrade is weak when the opponent presents few artifacts and creatures are too large or too recursive for damage-based removal to matter. Its role changes from removal to utility when the opponent has artifact hate, artifact engines, or artifact blockers that delay Arclight Phoenix attacks.

- Brazen Borrower role: Add Brazen Borrower against large permanents, temporary locks, planeswalkers, tokens, graveyard hate permanents, or midrange boards where bounce plus a flying threat can buy the decisive attack step. Brazen Borrower is weak against very cheap go-wide pressure when spending two mana to bounce one object does not stabilize. Its role changes from tempo spell to secondary threat when the opponent reduces spot removal or relies on sorcery-speed answers.

- Flowstone Infusion role: Add Flowstone Infusion against small-creature decks where one-mana interaction lets the deck double-spell while developing Artist's Talent, Ledger Shredder, or Treasure Cruise. Flowstone Infusion is weak against large creatures, noncreature combo, and matchups where reducing toughness does not answer the relevant permanent. Its role changes from removal to combat trick only when the rules engine exposes a legal combat action that wins a visible exchange.

- Extra Into the Flood Maw role: Add Into the Flood Maw against large creatures, token bursts, temporary permission shields, graveyard hate creatures, or creature-combo boards where bounce creates a critical turn. Into the Flood Maw is weak against low-curve decks with many interchangeable threats and against control decks with few board targets. Its role changes from defensive tempo to attack enabler when bouncing the only relevant blocker opens Arclight Phoenix damage.

- Ledger Shredder role: Add Ledger Shredder when games slow down, graveyard hate pressures Arclight Phoenix recursion, or the opponent is likely to reduce creature removal after seeing a spell-heavy deck. Ledger Shredder is weak when the opponent keeps abundant cheap removal and the matchup is decided before a two-mana creature can generate selection. Its role changes from alternate threat to filtering engine when both players are casting multiple spells per turn.

- Mystical Dispute role: Add Mystical Dispute against blue decks, spell-combo decks using blue stack interaction, and matchups where protecting Treasure Cruise, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Arclight Phoenix recursion turns, or Ledger Shredder matters. Mystical Dispute is weak against nonblue creature decks unless a specific blue payoff is visible from public information. Its role changes from protection to permission when the opponent is trying to resolve one decisive blue spell.

- Redcap Melee role: Add Redcap Melee against red creature decks, red midrange threats, and red removal mirrors where a one-mana answer preserves tempo while enabling multi-spell turns. Redcap Melee is weak against nonred creature bases unless the legal target text and visible board make the cost acceptable. Its role changes from early survival tool to stack-protection support when killing a red threat lets Arclight Phoenix race safely.

- Rending Volley role: Add Rending Volley against blue or white creature decks where uncounterable cheap removal matters, especially flyers, tempo creatures, and creatures that protect a stack plan. Rending Volley is weak when the opponent's threats are not blue or white creatures, or when the relevant permanents are noncreature engines. Its role changes from removal to permission-breaker when the opponent's blue creature is the obstacle to resolving a decisive turn.

- Broad aggro rule: Add role cards: Flowstone Infusion; Redcap Melee; Abrade; Into the Flood Maw when the opponent's visible plan is cheap creatures and combat pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Proft's Eidetic Memory, slower Artist's Talent copies, and expensive or clunky reactive pieces when survival is more important than long-game card snowballing.

- Broad blue tempo/control rule: Add role cards: Mystical Dispute; Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Rending Volley when blue spells, flyers, or stack fights are central. Reduce main-deck emphasis: excess Fiery Impulse, some Lightning Axe when discard cost is punishing, and narrow creature-only interaction if the opponent presents few legal targets.

- Broad artifact rule: Add role cards: Abrade; Brazen Borrower; Into the Flood Maw when artifacts, artifact creatures, or artifact hate permanents are visible or expected from archetype context. Reduce main-deck emphasis: removal that misses the important artifact permanent and slower engines when the opponent can snowball before Treasure Cruise stabilizes.

- Broad graveyard-hate rule: Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Abrade when the opponent is likely to attack the graveyard. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the most graveyard-dependent flex cards only when alternate threats are entering, but keep enough Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise pressure to punish opponents who spend mana on hate instead of board development.

Aggro red creatures
Side in: 3 Redcap Melee; 1 Flowstone Infusion; 1 Abrade
Cut: 1 Proft's Eidetic Memory; 1 Prismari Command; 1 Prismari Charm; 1 Treasure Cruise; 1 Artist's Talent

- Plan note: Prioritize one-mana answers, protect life total, and use Arclight Phoenix as a stabilizing blocker only when racing is impossible. Keep enough cantrips to enable Fiery Impulse, Treasure Cruise, and Arclight Phoenix, but do not spend early turns on engines while visible attackers threaten a short clock.

Blue control or blue spell mirror
Side in: 3 Mystical Dispute; 4 Ledger Shredder; 1 Brazen Borrower
Cut: 4 Fiery Impulse; 2 Into the Flood Maw; 1 Lightning Axe; 1 Prismari Command

- Plan note: Shift toward resilient threats and stack leverage. Ledger Shredder and Mystical Dispute make long exchanges better, while Arclight Phoenix still punishes shields-down turns. Avoid firing Mystical Dispute at minor blue selection when the important fight is Treasure Cruise, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Artist's Talent, Ledger Shredder, or a spell that answers multiple Phoenixes.

Artifact-centric creature deck
Side in: 1 Abrade; 1 Brazen Borrower; 1 Into the Flood Maw; 4 Ledger Shredder
Cut: 1 Proft's Eidetic Memory; 1 Prismari Charm; 1 Prismari Command; 2 Artist's Talent; 2 Opt

- Plan note: Use Abrade for the artifact permanent that changes combat or resource flow, not the first legal artifact target by default. Ledger Shredder gives a non-graveyard threat when artifact decks bring graveyard pressure or force removal-heavy games. Bounce should buy the turn that converts Phoenix damage or Treasure Cruise into control of the game.

Creature combo or large-creature tempo
Side in: 1 Into the Flood Maw; 1 Brazen Borrower; 1 Flowstone Infusion; 1 Abrade
Cut: 1 Proft's Eidetic Memory; 1 Prismari Command; 1 Artist's Talent; 1 Treasure Cruise

- Plan note: Preserve cheap interaction and do not tap low for value if the opponent can win or create an overwhelming board from one creature. Into the Flood Maw and Brazen Borrower are strongest when they interrupt the decisive turn or clear the blocker for lethal pressure; they are weaker when used as generic delay against replaceable creatures.

White or blue creature tempo
Side in: 1 Rending Volley; 3 Mystical Dispute; 1 Brazen Borrower; 1 Into the Flood Maw
Cut: 2 Fiery Impulse; 1 Prismari Command; 1 Prismari Charm; 1 Artist's Talent; 1 Treasure Cruise

- Plan note: Rending Volley should answer the creature that carries evasion, protection, or tempo advantage. Mystical Dispute should protect your high-impact spell or stop the opponent's blue pivot, while bounce covers threats that removal cannot cleanly answer. Keep Arclight Phoenix pressure central because tempo mirrors punish slow purely defensive turns.

Nonblue midrange with removal
Side in: 4 Ledger Shredder; 1 Brazen Borrower
Cut: 2 Fiery Impulse; 1 Prismari Command; 1 Into the Flood Maw; 1 Lightning Axe

- Plan note: Add durable card flow and threat diversity while keeping enough removal for creatures that actually change the race. Ledger Shredder is best when both players trade resources and Treasure Cruise becomes the reload. Brazen Borrower gives a tempo answer to large blockers, hate permanents, or planeswalker pressure when legal action text exposes the target.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro guidance: Prioritize survival through turns one to four, then pivot to Arclight Phoenix pressure once the opponent's visible attack power is contained. Fiery Impulse and Lightning Axe should answer creatures that create the shortest clock, not merely the first legal target. Consider, Opt, and Sleight of Hand are still important because they turn on spell mastery, fuel Treasure Cruise, and enable three-spell Phoenix turns, but do not spend mana on slow filtering when a legal removal action prevents major damage this turn. Add role cards: Redcap Melee; Flowstone Infusion; Abrade; Into the Flood Maw. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Proft's Eidetic Memory, Prismari Command, Prismari Charm, and the slowest Artist's Talent copies when the visible board demands immediate tempo.

- Burn guidance: Treat life total as a hard resource gate and avoid shock-heavy Steam Vents sequencing unless colored mana is required for a same-turn legal action. Use Fiery Impulse and Redcap Melee to reduce repeatable combat damage, but do not overvalue creature removal if the opponent is mostly pointing spells at life total. Arclight Phoenix races well after the first stabilized turn because haste damage compresses the burn opponent's clock. Treasure Cruise is excellent after early exchanges, but taking a turn off to set it up is risky when the opponent has untapped mana and visible lethal pressure. Add role cards: Redcap Melee; Flowstone Infusion; Abrade when artifacts or red creatures are visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Proft's Eidetic Memory and clunky three-mana effects.

- Go-wide guidance: Preserve sweep-adjacent and high-tempo lines by using cheap removal before attackers if it changes total incoming damage, and use Into the Flood Maw or Brazen Borrower only when bouncing one permanent materially changes combat or buys the Phoenix turn. Lightning Axe should answer the creature that pumps, enables, or carries the largest damage swing, because spending a card to kill a small replaceable body can leave the deck short on resources. Artist's Talent is safer after the first wave is contained, especially when multiple cheap spells are available. Add role cards: Flowstone Infusion; Abrade; Redcap Melee when red threats are present; Brazen Borrower. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow engines and narrow bounce when the board contains many equivalent small creatures.

- Single-threat guidance: Delay or remove the one decisive permanent while building a graveyard and hand that can deliver Arclight Phoenix plus Treasure Cruise pressure. Lightning Axe is the cleanest main-deck answer to large creatures when the discard cost is acceptable; Fiery Impulse is best when spell mastery is active or the threat is small enough. Into the Flood Maw, Otawara, Soaring City, and Brazen Borrower are tempo tools, not permanent answers, so plan the follow-up before choosing the bounce action. Add role cards: Brazen Borrower; Into the Flood Maw; Rending Volley for blue or white creatures; Redcap Melee for red creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: removal that cannot legally target or cannot kill the visible threat.

- Tempo guidance: Fight for mana efficiency and avoid spending an entire turn on a spell that trades down into open interaction. Arclight Phoenix is strong because it dodges normal one-for-one exchanges when recurred, but the three-spell turn should wait until the legal action list and visible mana make the line plausible. Mystical Dispute should protect Treasure Cruise, Ledger Shredder, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Artist's Talent, or a critical interaction spell rather than contesting low-impact selection. Add role cards: Mystical Dispute; Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Rending Volley against blue or white creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: excess creature-only removal when the opponent presents few legal targets.

- Control guidance: Shift from pure graveyard recursion into diversified must-answer threats and efficient stack fights. Ledger Shredder pressures planes of play that graveyard hate does not cover, while Arclight Phoenix punishes tap-low turns and Treasure Cruise wins long resource exchanges. Do not fire all cantrips into a graveyard-hate or sweeper posture without a payoff; sequence Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, and Picklock Prankster to keep action flowing while avoiding overcommitment. Mystical Dispute is for decisive blue spells, counter wars, or protecting your high-impact spell. Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Mystical Dispute; Brazen Borrower. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fiery Impulse, Into the Flood Maw, and Lightning Axe when visible targets are scarce.

- Removal-heavy midrange guidance: Make every threat require a different answer and avoid all-in Phoenix turns when the opponent can exile or sweep the graveyard from public information. Ledger Shredder and Artist's Talent are stronger in games that revolve around repeated exchanges, while Treasure Cruise refills after early discard and removal. Proft's Eidetic Memory can snowball if the opponent lacks immediate pressure, but it is poor when spending mana without affecting the board risks falling behind. Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Mystical Dispute if blue interaction is visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow removal and excessive bounce when the opponent's battlefield is light.

- Big mana guidance: Become the aggressor before the opponent's larger spells dominate the board. Arclight Phoenix recursion, Picklock Prankster pressure, and Treasure Cruise reloads matter more than trading one-for-one with minor setup permanents. Use Prismari Command only when its visible modes create a real tempo or resource swing, such as killing a relevant artifact creature while drawing toward pressure. Bounce effects should clear a blocker or interrupt the turn where the big spell matters; generic delay is not enough. Add role cards: Mystical Dispute against blue big-mana spells; Brazen Borrower; Abrade when artifacts matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fiery Impulse and Flowstone Infusion-style effects unless they hit relevant creatures.

- Combo guidance: Identify the first visible permanent, stack spell, or graveyard condition that makes the opponent's kill turn possible, then hold interaction for that point instead of spending it on minor setup. Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Brazen Borrower, Mystical Dispute, and Abrade each answer different combo axes, so choose based on legal target text and public information. Arclight Phoenix pressure is part of disruption because it shortens the time the combo deck has to rebuild. Add role cards: Mystical Dispute for blue combo, Abrade for artifact combo pieces, Brazen Borrower and Into the Flood Maw for permanent-based combo. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fiery Impulse when no creature bottleneck is visible.

- Graveyard guidance: Expect opponents to pressure Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise, so diversify threats without abandoning the graveyard plan. Ledger Shredder is the cleanest alternate engine, while Artist's Talent and Proft's Eidetic Memory can win resource games if protected by tempo. If a graveyard hate permanent is visible, use Abrade, Brazen Borrower, Into the Flood Maw, or Otawara, Soaring City only when the action unlocks a meaningful turn or prevents immediate loss; bouncing hate with no follow-up may waste the window. Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Abrade; Brazen Borrower; Into the Flood Maw. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the most graveyard-dependent flex cards only when enough alternate threats enter.

- Artifact and enchantment guidance: Answer the artifact or enchantment that changes combat math, mana, card flow, or graveyard access, not the first legal permanent by default. Abrade is the main clean artifact answer, while Brazen Borrower, Into the Flood Maw, and Otawara, Soaring City create temporary windows against artifacts or enchantments that must be exploited immediately. Prismari Command can matter against artifacts when its other mode is also useful, but do not spend three mana if a cheaper legal answer preserves a multi-spell turn. Add role cards: Abrade; Brazen Borrower; Into the Flood Maw; Ledger Shredder when games slow down. Reduce main-deck emphasis: removal that misses the relevant permanent type.

- Blue mirrors guidance: Prioritize cheap spell density, graveyard management, and threat timing over raw volume. Ledger Shredder rewards both players' spell chains, so cast it when you can protect it or immediately gain value. Mystical Dispute should contest Treasure Cruise, Ledger Shredder, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Artist's Talent, or a decisive answer to Arclight Phoenix. Rending Volley is premium only when legal blue or white creature targets matter. Add role cards: Mystical Dispute; Ledger Shredder; Rending Volley; Brazen Borrower. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fiery Impulse and Lightning Axe copies when they trade poorly into visible threats.

- Midrange creature guidance: Use removal to preserve tempo until Treasure Cruise or recurring Arclight Phoenix overwhelms one-for-one trades. Fiery Impulse handles early creatures, Lightning Axe handles larger bodies, and Into the Flood Maw buys time against threats that removal cannot cleanly answer. Do not let Artist's Talent or Proft's Eidetic Memory delay necessary board control unless the opponent's visible clock is slow. Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Abrade when artifacts appear; Redcap Melee for red threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the narrowest interaction once the opponent's threat colors and permanent types are known.

## Specific Matchup Notes

These notes are general/archetype-only because exact opponents are absent; revealed cards, legal action text, and public zones override every assumption. Treat sideboarding guidance here as role guidance only, not executable plans.

- Aggro and go-wide creatures: Preserve life total first, then turn the corner with Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise. Priority targets are early creatures that increase the visible clock, creatures that punish blocking, and permanents that make Fiery Impulse or Lightning Axe worse if delayed. Add role cards: Redcap Melee against red threats; Flowstone Infusion against small creatures; Into the Flood Maw for tempo; Ledger Shredder when games become exchange-heavy. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow non-board-impact setup when the opponent already presents lethal pressure.

- Midrange creatures: Trade resources until Treasure Cruise or repeated Arclight Phoenix creates a two-spell swing. Priority targets are creatures that outsize Phoenix, engines that snowball through removal, and blockers that stop a lethal or near-lethal attack. Keep Artist's Talent when the game is about repeated spell velocity, but do not let it replace required removal. Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Redcap Melee for red creatures; Abrade if artifacts appear. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow bounce when removal cleanly answers the visible board.

- Control and blue mirrors: Diversify threats and avoid spending all cantrips into a single graveyard-dependent turn. Priority targets are counter wars over Treasure Cruise, Ledger Shredder, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Artist's Talent, and decisive answers to Arclight Phoenix. Mystical Dispute should protect a high-impact spell or stop the opponent's high-impact blue spell, not fight low-impact selection by default. Add role cards: Mystical Dispute; Ledger Shredder; Brazen Borrower; Rending Volley when blue or white creature targets are visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fiery Impulse and Lightning Axe when legal targets are scarce.

- Combo and big mana: Become the clock while saving interaction for the first visible bottleneck that enables the opponent's decisive turn. Priority targets are stack spells, permanents, artifacts, or graveyard conditions that materially change the next turn cycle. Arclight Phoenix recursion is disruption when it shortens the opponent's setup window. Add role cards: Mystical Dispute for blue stack fights; Abrade for artifact bottlenecks; Brazen Borrower and Into the Flood Maw for permanent-based windows. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature removal when no creature bottleneck is visible.

- Graveyard pressure: Expect opponents to attack Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise, then win through mixed threat axes instead of abandoning the graveyard completely. Priority targets are graveyard hate permanents only when answering them unlocks a meaningful Phoenix or Treasure Cruise turn, protects a current plan, or prevents immediate loss. Add role cards: Ledger Shredder; Abrade; Brazen Borrower; Into the Flood Maw. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the most graveyard-dependent flex choices only after alternate threats enter.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: The deck needs blue early for Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, Treasure Cruise, and sideboard Mystical Dispute while also needing red for Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Redcap Melee, Flowstone Infusion, Abrade, and Rending Volley. Sequence Riverglide Pathway, Steam Vents, Spirebluff Canal, Stormcarved Coast, Island, and Otawara, Soaring City from visible legal needs, not from color preference alone.

- Matchup risk: The wrong role loses games quickly. Against fast boards, spending mana on Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, or extra selection before stabilizing can concede tempo; against control, firing removal at low-value targets can leave no way to force threats through.

- Draw risk: Hands with many cantrips but no payoff can look functional while failing to pressure. Keep lines that connect selection to Arclight Phoenix, Ledger Shredder, Treasure Cruise, removal, or a clear land-development need.

- Over-sideboarding risk: Bringing in every attractive answer can reduce spell density and weaken Arclight Phoenix recursion. Keep enough cheap spells for three-spell turns and enough graveyard fuel for Treasure Cruise unless public information proves the graveyard plan is unreliable.

- Graveyard risk: Arclight Phoenix and Treasure Cruise compete for graveyard resources. Do not exile essential Phoenix fuel to Treasure Cruise unless the cards drawn matter more than near-term recursion, and do not chase Phoenix recursion when visible hate or pressure makes the line low impact.

- Sweeper and removal risk: Multiple Arclight Phoenix copies can punish removal-light decks, but overcommitting into visible sweepers or exile effects can collapse the threat base. Ledger Shredder, Artist's Talent, and Proft's Eidetic Memory help diversify, but only when the board state allows setup time.

- Closer risk: The deck can stabilize without closing if Arclight Phoenix stays answered and Treasure Cruise finds only selection. Prioritize converting spell chains into damage, Ledger Shredder pressure, or a protected Memory-style advantage engine when the opponent is no longer forcing defense.

- Interaction risk: Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Otawara, Soaring City, Mystical Dispute, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, Abrade, Brazen Borrower, and Flowstone Infusion answer different objects. Choose by legal target text and visible consequence, not by mana efficiency alone.

- Sequencing risk: Three-spell Phoenix turns fail when the first two spells consume the mana or card needed for the third. Count mana, legal spell count, graveyard size, and target requirements before committing, and use Flashback only after Card text check required confirms the visible legal action advances the selected line.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: Identify whether the game was decided by early tempo, graveyard access, removal efficiency, threat density, mana, or a protected engine. Record whether Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise, Ledger Shredder, Artist's Talent, Proft's Eidetic Memory, or plain combat damage actually carried the game.

- Mulligans: Check whether opening hands had a functional blue source, a cheap selection spell, and a path to either pressure or interaction. Flag keeps that had Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, or Picklock Prankster but no payoff, no removal against visible aggression, or no realistic second color from Riverglide Pathway, Steam Vents, Spirebluff Canal, Stormcarved Coast, Island, or Otawara, Soaring City.

- Mana: Record every game where color sequencing prevented a legal spell from being cast on curve. Note whether red was missing for Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, or Rending Volley, and whether blue was missing for Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, Picklock Prankster, Into the Flood Maw, Treasure Cruise, Mystical Dispute, Ledger Shredder, Brazen Borrower, Artist's Talent, or Proft's Eidetic Memory.

- Velocity: Check whether cantrips converted into meaningful actions rather than cycling in place. Count games where Consider, Opt, Sleight of Hand, and Picklock Prankster found Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise, removal, lands, or sideboard interaction, and mark failures where selection spent mana without changing the board, graveyard, or clock.

- Engine timing: Record whether Artist's Talent or Proft's Eidetic Memory was cast while the board was safe enough to exploit it. Flag games where engine setup delayed Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, or a Phoenix recursion turn against lethal or near-lethal pressure.

- Removal quality: Track which threats Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Into the Flood Maw, Otawara, Soaring City, Abrade, Flowstone Infusion, Redcap Melee, Rending Volley, and Brazen Borrower answered. Mark removal as poor only when legal targets existed and the selected answer failed the visible race, engine, or survival problem.

- Graveyard use: Review whether Treasure Cruise and Arclight Phoenix competed for the same graveyard at the wrong time. Flag choices where delving reduced near-term Phoenix recursion, and flag Phoenix-chase turns that ignored a stronger Treasure Cruise or interaction line.

- Sideboard impact: Record whether each sideboard card drawn changed a decision or outcome. Evaluate Abrade, Brazen Borrower, Flowstone Infusion, Into the Flood Maw, Ledger Shredder, Mystical Dispute, Redcap Melee, and Rending Volley by visible legal targets, matchup role, and whether bringing them changed spell density or threat balance.

- Closing: Check whether stabilized games became wins quickly enough. Mark games where Arclight Phoenix attacked too late, Ledger Shredder stayed defensive too long, Treasure Cruise refilled without pressure, or removal was held after the opponent had already lost the race.

- Role and mistakes: Ask whether the pilot correctly became control against aggression, tempo against combo or big mana, and diversified threats against graveyard hate or removal. Log missed three-spell Phoenix turns, premature Treasure Cruise, unnecessary shock damage from Steam Vents, and passes with relevant interaction available.

- Stranded and standout cards: List every card stranded in hand and why it stayed unusable. Separately list overperformers and underperformers among Arclight Phoenix, Artist's Talent, Consider, Fiery Impulse, Flashback, Into the Flood Maw, Lightning Axe, Picklock Prankster, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Treasure Cruise, Opt, and Sleight of Hand.

## First Tuning Questions

- Card quantity: Does the deck need all 4 Artist's Talent if early board pressure repeatedly punishes setup turns, or is the engine strong enough that losses come from pilot timing rather than quantity? Compare games where Artist's Talent was cast early, cast late, or stranded.

- Phoenix density: Is 4 Arclight Phoenix still correct when opponents present graveyard hate, exile removal, or faster clocks? If Phoenix recursion is often low impact, test whether the issue is graveyard access, spell count, or threat diversification through Ledger Shredder and Proft's Eidetic Memory.

- Treasure Cruise tension: Does 4 Treasure Cruise overload the graveyard when Arclight Phoenix also needs fuel, or does the deck lose more often when it cannot reload? Track whether Treasure Cruise drew action, arrived too late, or exiled resources that mattered.

- Removal mix: Are 4 Fiery Impulse, 3 Lightning Axe, 2 Into the Flood Maw, 1 Prismari Command, and 1 Prismari Charm aligned with the threats being faced? If large creatures dominate, ask whether Lightning Axe or bounce effects are the pressure point; if small red creatures dominate, ask whether Redcap Melee and Flowstone Infusion are enough.

- Mana base: Are 4 Island, 4 Spirebluff Canal, 4 Riverglide Pathway, 4 Steam Vents, 1 Stormcarved Coast, and 1 Otawara, Soaring City producing too many one-color hands or painful starts? Track whether Steam Vents life loss changes races and whether Riverglide Pathway choices strand red or blue spells.

- Aggro plan: Does the post-board configuration preserve enough cheap answers without weakening Arclight Phoenix recursion? If losses involve dying before Treasure Cruise matters, prioritize testing the exact roles of Redcap Melee, Flowstone Infusion, Into the Flood Maw, Abrade, and Brazen Borrower.

- Control plan: Does the deck have enough resilient pressure after adding Ledger Shredder and Mystical Dispute? If control losses involve flooded removal, evaluate the main-deck balance of Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Prismari Charm, and Prismari Command.

- Closer package: Are games being stabilized but not closed because Arclight Phoenix is answered and Ledger Shredder is absent or late? If yes, test whether Proft's Eidetic Memory, Artist's Talent, or sideboard Ledger Shredder should carry more closing responsibility.

- Sideboard slots: Are singletons Abrade, Brazen Borrower, Flowstone Infusion, Into the Flood Maw, and Rending Volley appearing in the matchups where their legal targets matter? If not, identify which narrow answer is least useful and which failure pattern needs an additional slot.

- Role conflict: Does the deck lose when it tries to be both engine deck and reactive deck in the same turn cycle? Review whether Flashback, Prismari Charm, Prismari Command, Artist's Talent, and Treasure Cruise ask for too much mana at the same time; Card text check required for Flashback before assigning it a permanent tuning conclusion.

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Opening Hand Role Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan
Cards: Arclight Phoenix; Artist's Talent; Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand; Picklock Prankster; Treasure Cruise; Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe
Phase windows: pregame mulligan decisions
Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
Use when: A starting hand must be kept or shipped before any hidden-card assumptions are available.
Avoid when: The rules engine is asking for London mulligan bottom choices after a keep.
Instructions: Keep hands with two functional lands, blue access, at least one cheap selection spell, and either Arclight Phoenix pressure, Artist's Talent engine, removal against visible aggro context, or Treasure Cruise fuel potential. Mulligan one-land hands without multiple one-mana selection spells and red-light removal hands against aggressive pairings. Do not keep a hand that cannot cast any early spell by turn two unless the matchup guide marks it as an exception.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: London Mulligan Bottom Execution
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mulligan, selection
Cards: Arclight Phoenix; Treasure Cruise; Artist's Talent; Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe; Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand
Phase windows: pregame bottom-card prompt
Runtime cues: action:bottom
Use when: The engine lists exact hand cards to put on the bottom after a mulligan.
Avoid when: The prompt is still a keep-or-mulligan decision.
Instructions: Bottom excess lands above the hand's early curve, duplicate slow engines, or matchup-dead removal before cutting blue cantrips. Preserve blue access, one-mana selection, and enough spells to enable Arclight Phoenix or Treasure Cruise. Bottom Arclight Phoenix only when hand function collapses without doing so or when graveyard recursion is not realistically supported.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Blue Source And Pathway Naming
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: Island; Riverglide Pathway; Spirebluff Canal; Steam Vents; Stormcarved Coast; Otawara, Soaring City; Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand
Phase windows: turns one through three land play and mana choice prompts
Runtime cues: action:play land; action:choose color; action:Riverglide Pathway
Use when: A land or color choice determines whether one-mana blue selection is castable this turn.
Avoid when: The only legal land line already produces both required colors for all visible spells.
Instructions: Prioritize untapped blue on turn one for Consider, Opt, or Sleight of Hand. Choose Riverglide Pathway's blue side when the hand lacks blue and already has red through another land; choose red only when red removal is needed immediately and blue is already covered. Avoid unnecessary Steam Vents life loss when no same-turn spell requires it.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Red Removal Mana Preservation
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana, interaction
Cards: Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe; Prismari Charm; Prismari Command; Steam Vents; Spirebluff Canal; Riverglide Pathway
Phase windows: opponent combat, end step, main phase priority, payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:pay; action:add mana; action:cast Fiery Impulse; action:cast Lightning Axe
Use when: Red interaction is legal or likely needed before the next untap.
Avoid when: The opponent has no visible pressure and blue selection or Treasure Cruise is the stronger current use of mana.
Instructions: Keep red available when Fiery Impulse or Lightning Axe can answer a visible attacker, combo creature, or planeswalker-pressure creature. Spend blue cantrips before red mana only when the resulting action cannot strand required removal. Do not tap the only red source for Artist's Talent or Treasure Cruise if a known lethal or near-lethal attacker remains.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Early Engine Commitment
Priority: High
Decision families: priority, mana
Cards: Artist's Talent; Proft's Eidetic Memory; Ledger Shredder; Arclight Phoenix
Phase windows: own main phase with engine permanent legal
Runtime cues: action:cast Artist's Talent; action:cast Proft's Eidetic Memory; action:cast Ledger Shredder
Use when: A fragile or tempo-negative engine can be committed instead of holding interaction or advancing Phoenix recursion.
Avoid when: The legal action is a mandatory cost or a deterministic post-commitment prompt.
Instructions: Cast Artist's Talent or Proft's Eidetic Memory when the visible board is not forcing immediate removal and the hand can exploit future spell velocity. Prefer Ledger Shredder post-board when the opponent attacks graveyards or removal makes Arclight Phoenix unreliable. Delay engines when the opponent's next combat threatens survival or when holding Fiery Impulse, Lightning Axe, Into the Flood Maw, Mystical Dispute, Redcap Melee, or Rending Volley changes that combat.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Three-Spell Phoenix Commitment
Priority: High
Decision families: priority, mana, selection
Cards: Arclight Phoenix; Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand; Picklock Prankster; Treasure Cruise; Lightning Axe; Fiery Impulse
Phase windows: own main phase before combat or second main phase when spell count matters
Runtime cues: action:cast; action:Arclight Phoenix
Use when: Arclight Phoenix is in the graveyard and legal spells can reach the recursion threshold this turn.
Avoid when: The engine has not confirmed Arclight Phoenix is in the graveyard or spell count is insufficient.
Instructions: Start the Phoenix turn when the spell sequence also improves board state, digs for interaction, or creates immediate attacking pressure. Count legal spells, mana, and graveyard resources before delving Treasure Cruise. Do not exile Phoenix-enabling graveyard cards or spend the last cheap spell on low-impact selection if removal or bounce is required first.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Cantrip Selection Discipline
Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection, priority
Cards: Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand; Picklock Prankster; Treasure Cruise; Arclight Phoenix
Phase windows: own main phase, opponent end step, Phoenix setup turns
Runtime cues: action:cast Consider; action:cast Opt; action:cast Sleight of Hand; action:cast Picklock Prankster; action:select
Use when: A selection spell or adventure selection choice is legal.
Avoid when: A lethal/survival interaction decision is pending on the stack or in combat.
Instructions: Use selection to find missing land, cheap spells, Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise, or the exact interaction demanded by visible threats. Prefer instant-speed Consider or Opt on opponent end step when holding interaction matters. Put cards into the graveyard only when that supports Arclight Phoenix, Treasure Cruise, or current hand quality; do not assume unknown top cards.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Treasure Cruise Delve Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority, selection, mana
Cards: Treasure Cruise; Arclight Phoenix; Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand; Picklock Prankster
Phase windows: own main phase or priority window with Treasure Cruise legal
Runtime cues: action:cast Treasure Cruise; action:delve; action:exile from graveyard
Use when: Treasure Cruise can be cast and graveyard contents are visible.
Avoid when: The graveyard view is incomplete or the engine has not exposed delve candidates.
Instructions: Cast Treasure Cruise when refilling is more important than preserving every graveyard card for Arclight Phoenix. Preserve Arclight Phoenix itself and near-term three-spell recursion resources when immediate Phoenix pressure matters. Delve spent lands and redundant cantrips first; do not exile all cheap-spell density if the same turn needs Phoenix recursion.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Removal And Bounce Target Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction, priority
Cards: Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe; Into the Flood Maw; Prismari Charm; Prismari Command; Otawara, Soaring City; Abrade; Flowstone Infusion; Redcap Melee; Rending Volley; Brazen Borrower
Phase windows: opponent combat, end step, stack interaction, own main phase before attack
Runtime cues: action:target; action:cast Fiery Impulse; action:cast Lightning Axe; action:cast Into the Flood Maw; action:channel Otawara, Soaring City
Use when: The engine lists visible legal targets for damage, bounce, channel, or sideboard removal.
Avoid when: There is exactly one legal target and the current line was already selected by a higher-priority survival policy.
Instructions: Kill or bounce creatures that decide the next combat, stop Phoenix attacks, enable combo, or invalidate the current race. Use Lightning Axe for large targets when discard cost advances graveyard plans or the target cannot be answered cheaply. Save narrow sideboard removal for its matching visible targets; Card text check required for Flashback before any policy treats it as interaction.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Single Target After Selected Interaction
Priority: Low
Decision families: interaction
Cards: Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe; Into the Flood Maw; Abrade; Flowstone Infusion; Redcap Melee; Rending Volley
Phase windows: target prompt immediately after casting an interaction spell
Runtime cues: action:target
Use when: The legal action list contains exactly one target action for the spell currently being resolved and that target is visible.
Avoid when: Two or more target actions are legal or any target has hidden/ambiguous identity.
Instructions: Choose the single visible target action exactly as printed by the engine. Do not reinterpret target legality, damage math, protection, ward, or replacement effects outside the rules-engine prompt.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Discard Cost For Lightning Axe
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction, selection
Cards: Lightning Axe; Arclight Phoenix; Treasure Cruise; Consider; Opt; Sleight of Hand; Artist's Talent
Phase windows: additional-cost prompt for Lightning Axe
Runtime cues: action:discard; action:Lightning Axe
Use when: Lightning Axe requires choosing a discard card from visible hand.
Avoid when: The engine offers an alternate legal payment that changes target survival math and needs broader reasoning.
Instructions: Discard Arclight Phoenix when recursion is plausible, excess lands when mana is sufficient, or redundant slow engines when survival matters. Do not discard the only blue cantrip needed for a three-spell turn unless the removal prevents immediate loss. Preserve Treasure Cruise when the hand is emptying and graveyard fuel remains available.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Permission Commitment
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction, priority
Cards: Mystical Dispute; Prismari Charm; Prismari Command
Phase windows: opponent spell on stack, stack response windows
Runtime cues: action:cast Mystical Dispute; action:cast Prismari Charm; action:cast Prismari Command; stack
Use when: A counter, tax, or stack-interaction mode is legal against a visible spell or ability.
Avoid when: The stack item is not visible in the player-facing state.
Instructions: Spend Mystical Dispute on spells that beat the current pressure plan, protect a closing Arclight Phoenix or Ledger Shredder turn, or stop the opponent's engine from resolving. Use Prismari Charm or Prismari Command stack modes only if the exact mode is legal and materially changes the turn. Do not counter low-impact bait when visible board pressure already demands removal mana.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Attack Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat
Cards: Arclight Phoenix; Picklock Prankster; Ledger Shredder
Phase windows: declare attackers and post-recursion combat
Runtime cues: action:attack; combat attackers
Use when: One or more creatures can attack and blockers, life totals, and race context are visible.
Avoid when: The engine lists exactly one mandatory attack action or no combat choice exists.
Instructions: Attack with Arclight Phoenix when damage advances the clock and the visible crackback is survivable. Hold Ledger Shredder or Picklock Prankster back when blocking is required to survive or protect planeswalker-like pressure; attack when interaction has cleared blockers or racing is necessary. Do not trade a scarce threat into an irrelevant blocker unless removal or recursion makes the exchange favorable from visible state.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Block And Survival Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: combat, interaction
Cards: Arclight Phoenix; Picklock Prankster; Ledger Shredder; Into the Flood Maw; Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe
Phase windows: declare blockers, before damage, combat trick windows
Runtime cues: action:block; action:cast Fiery Impulse; action:cast Into the Flood Maw; action:cast Lightning Axe
Use when: Opponent attacks and blocks or instant-speed interaction are legal.
Avoid when: Combat has no visible attackers or no legal block/interaction action.
Instructions: Preserve life total when the visible attack threatens lethal or a short clock. Prefer interaction over blocks when it saves a threat and answers the attacker cleanly. Block with Arclight Phoenix more readily when recursion is realistic; avoid sacrificing Ledger Shredder or Picklock Prankster if they are the only path to stabilize or close.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Role Selection
Priority: High
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Abrade; Brazen Borrower; Flowstone Infusion; Into the Flood Maw; Ledger Shredder; Mystical Dispute; Redcap Melee; Rending Volley; Fiery Impulse; Lightning Axe; Artist's Talent; Treasure Cruise; Arclight Phoenix
Phase windows: sideboarding after game one or game two
Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
Use when: A legal sideboard plan or generated swap request must be chosen.
Avoid when: The engine is already inside a game action prompt.
Instructions: Add Ledger Shredder and Mystical Dispute against blue interaction, graveyard pressure, or slow decks where diversified threats and stack fights matter. Add Redcap Melee, Flowstone Infusion, Abrade, Rending Volley, Brazen Borrower, and the extra Into the Flood Maw only when their visible matchup role has targets or tempo purpose. Reduce main-deck emphasis on slow engines, excess card draw, or mismatched removal without breaking spell density for Arclight Phoenix.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Submitted Sideboard Plan
Priority: Low
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Abrade; Brazen Borrower; Flowstone Infusion; Into the Flood Maw; Ledger Shredder; Mystical Dispute; Redcap Melee; Rending Volley
Phase windows: sideboard submission confirmation
Runtime cues: action:submit sideboard
Use when: The legal action list contains exactly one `submit sideboard` action and the plan has already passed deck-registration validation.
Avoid when: Multiple sideboard plans are offered or validation has not confirmed registered 75 preservation.
Instructions: Submit the single validated sideboard action exactly as exposed. Do not add, remove, or rename cards outside the registered decklist.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes
