Add 0.5.21 edge-case evaluation strategies
This commit is contained in:
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224
manifest.json
224
manifest.json
@ -3688,6 +3688,230 @@
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"path": "strategies/vintage/vintage_sultai_midrange/1",
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"strategy_id": "vintage_sultai_midrange",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_alela_draw_go/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_alela_draw_go",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_kadena_face_down/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_kadena_face_down",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_yshtola_extra_end_step/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_yshtola_extra_end_step",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_magar_face_down_spells/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_magar_face_down_spells",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"path": "strategies/commander/edge_commander_brudiclad_token_layers/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_brudiclad_token_layers",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_draw_go_control",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_dredge",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_storm",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_death_and_taxes",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_hardened_scales",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"modern"
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],
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"path": "strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_lantern_control",
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"version_number": 1
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},
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{
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"legacy"
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],
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"path": "strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1",
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"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_reanimator",
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"version_number": 1
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}
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],
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"kind": "veles-content-bundle",
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117
strategies/commander/edge_commander_alela_draw_go/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
117
strategies/commander/edge_commander_alela_draw_go/1/decklist.txt
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@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
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# Strategy id: edge_commander_alela_draw_go
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# Format: commander
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# Commander: Alela, Cunning Conqueror
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# Colors: UB
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# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, draw-go, flash, faerie tokens, goad, end-step priority
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# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Commander legality and first-spell-on-opponent-turn token/goad replay visibility before import.
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Main (100)
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1 Alela, Cunning Conqueror
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1 Faerie Mastermind
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1 Spellstutter Sprite
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1 Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
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1 Talion, the Kindly Lord
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1 Rankle, Master of Pranks
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1 Vendilion Clique
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1 Brazen Borrower
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1 Quickling
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1 Mistbind Clique
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1 Scion of Oona
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1 Glen Elendra Archmage
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1 Sower of Temptation
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1 Nymris, Oona's Trickster
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1 Hullbreaker Horror
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1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
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1 Notion Thief
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1 Orcish Bowmasters
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1 Dauthi Voidwalker
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1 Opposition Agent
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1 Bitterblossom
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1 Reconnaissance Mission
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1 Bident of Thassa
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1 Coastal Piracy
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1 Kindred Discovery
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1 Mystic Remora
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1 Rhystic Study
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1 Court of Cunning
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1 Propaganda
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1 Opposition
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1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
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1 Swan Song
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1 Flusterstorm
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1 Fierce Guardianship
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1 Counterspell
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1 Arcane Denial
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1 Mana Drain
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1 Force of Will
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1 Force of Negation
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1 Spell Pierce
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1 Drown in the Loch
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1 Go for the Throat
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1 Snuff Out
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1 Deadly Rollick
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1 Reality Shift
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1 Pongify
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1 Cyclonic Rift
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1 Feed the Swarm
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1 Dress Down
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1 Brainstorm
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1 Ponder
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1 Preordain
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1 Fact or Fiction
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1 Dig Through Time
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1 Mystical Tutor
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1 Vampiric Tutor
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1 Demonic Tutor
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1 Sol Ring
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1 Arcane Signet
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1 Dimir Signet
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1 Talisman of Dominance
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1 Fellwar Stone
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1 Lightning Greaves
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1 Skullclamp
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1 The One Ring
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1 Command Tower
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1 Exotic Orchard
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1 Path of Ancestry
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1 Secluded Courtyard
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1 Cavern of Souls
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1 Morphic Pool
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1 Watery Grave
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1 Underground Sea
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1 Polluted Delta
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1 Flooded Strand
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1 Marsh Flats
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1 Misty Rainforest
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1 Scalding Tarn
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1 Prismatic Vista
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1 Drowned Catacomb
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1 Shipwreck Marsh
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1 Clearwater Pathway
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1 Sunken Hollow
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1 Underground River
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1 Sunken Ruins
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1 Choked Estuary
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1 Darkslick Shores
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1 Darkwater Catacombs
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1 River of Tears
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1 Tainted Isle
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1 Temple of Deceit
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1 Fetid Pools
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1 Otawara, Soaring City
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1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
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1 Bojuka Bog
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1 Reliquary Tower
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3 Island
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1 Swamp
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Sideboard (10)
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1 Leyline of the Void
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1 Grafdigger's Cage
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1 Pithing Needle
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1 Toxic Deluge
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1 Thoughtseize
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1 Duress
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1 Negate
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1 Blue Elemental Blast
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1 Feed the Swarm
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1 Sheoldred's Edict
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@ -0,0 +1 @@
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TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
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1913
strategies/commander/edge_commander_alela_draw_go/1/guide.md
Normal file
1913
strategies/commander/edge_commander_alela_draw_go/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
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{
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"archetype_tags": [],
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"colors": [
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"U",
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"B"
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],
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"concept_text": "",
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"created_at": 0,
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"files": {
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"decklist": "decklist.txt",
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"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
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"guide": "guide.md",
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"reflection": "reflection.md"
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},
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"formats": [
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"commander"
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],
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"mechanic_tags": [],
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"source_metadata": {
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"commander": "Alela, Cunning Conqueror",
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"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_alela_draw_go.txt",
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"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_alela_draw_go_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
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"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
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"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
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"source": "edge_case_eval",
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"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
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"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
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},
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"strategy_id": "edge_commander_alela_draw_go",
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"strategy_label": "Alela Draw Go",
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"tags": [],
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"validation_warnings": [],
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"version_id": "v1",
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"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
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"version_note": "",
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"version_number": 1
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}
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@ -0,0 +1 @@
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@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
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# Strategy id: edge_commander_brudiclad_token_layers
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# Format: commander
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# Commander: Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
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# Colors: UR
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# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, token layers, copy effects, beginning of combat, artifact tokens
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# Unresolved legality/support: validate Brudiclad mass token conversion, token source identity, and copy-layer replay output.
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Main (100)
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1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
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1 Sai, Master Thopterist
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1 Third Path Iconoclast
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1 Young Pyromancer
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1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
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1 Murmuring Mystic
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1 Storm-Kiln Artist
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1 Professional Face-Breaker
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1 Academy Manufactor
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1 Loyal Apprentice
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1 Myr Battlesphere
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1 Wurmcoil Engine
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1 Phyrexian Metamorph
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1 Clever Impersonator
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1 Spark Double
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1 Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
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1 Mirage Mirror
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1 Hellkite Tyrant
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1 Combustible Gearhulk
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1 Sharding Sphinx
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1 Panharmonicon
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1 Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
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1 Saheeli, the Gifted
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1 Tezzeret, Artifice Master
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1 Sol Ring
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1 Arcane Signet
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1 Izzet Signet
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1 Talisman of Creativity
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1 Fellwar Stone
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1 Lightning Greaves
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1 Swiftfoot Boots
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1 Skullclamp
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1 Idol of Oblivion
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1 Strionic Resonator
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1 Mechanized Production
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1 Efficient Construction
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1 Thopter Spy Network
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1 Curse of Opulence
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1 Brass's Bounty
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1 Saheeli's Artistry
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1 Stolen Identity
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1 Rite of Replication
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1 Supplant Form
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1 Quasiduplicate
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1 Cackling Counterpart
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1 Twinflame
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1 Heat Shimmer
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1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
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1 Reality Shift
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1 Pongify
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1 Rapid Hybridization
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1 Chaos Warp
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1 Blasphemous Act
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1 Vandalblast
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1 Counterspell
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1 Swan Song
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1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
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1 Fierce Guardianship
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1 Cyclonic Rift
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1 Brainstorm
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1 Ponder
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1 Preordain
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1 Rhystic Study
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1 Mystic Remora
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1 Command Tower
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1 Exotic Orchard
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1 Path of Ancestry
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1 Training Center
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1 Steam Vents
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1 Volcanic Island
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1 Spirebluff Canal
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1 Stormcarved Coast
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1 Sulfur Falls
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1 Shivan Reef
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1 Riverglide Pathway
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1 Cascade Bluffs
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1 Fiery Islet
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1 Frostboil Snarl
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1 Temple of Epiphany
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1 Izzet Boilerworks
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1 Seat of the Synod
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1 Great Furnace
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1 Darksteel Citadel
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1 Spire of Industry
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1 Inventors' Fair
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1 Academy Ruins
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1 Otawara, Soaring City
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1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
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1 Ancient Tomb
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1 Reliquary Tower
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1 Scalding Tarn
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1 Polluted Delta
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1 Bloodstained Mire
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1 Misty Rainforest
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1 Prismatic Vista
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1 Fabled Passage
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3 Island
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1 Mountain
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||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Abrade
|
||||
1 By Force
|
||||
1 Brotherhood's End
|
||||
1 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Pithing Needle
|
||||
1 Negate
|
||||
1 Red Elemental Blast
|
||||
1 Blue Elemental Blast
|
||||
1 Shattering Spree
|
||||
1 Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"R"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_brudiclad_token_layers.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_brudiclad_token_layers_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_brudiclad_token_layers",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Brudiclad Token Layers",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge
|
||||
# Format: commander
|
||||
# Commander: The Gitrog Monster
|
||||
# Colors: BG
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, cleanup step, dredge, discard loops, land recursion
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate Commander legality for Bazaar, Tabernacle, and Golgari Grave-Troll; prove cleanup-step prompts stay bounded.
|
||||
Main (100)
|
||||
1 The Gitrog Monster
|
||||
1 Ramunap Excavator
|
||||
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
|
||||
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
|
||||
1 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
|
||||
1 Lotus Cobra
|
||||
1 Tireless Provisioner
|
||||
1 Tireless Tracker
|
||||
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
|
||||
1 Springbloom Druid
|
||||
1 Elvish Reclaimer
|
||||
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
|
||||
1 Skirge Familiar
|
||||
1 Putrid Imp
|
||||
1 Noose Constrictor
|
||||
1 Wild Mongrel
|
||||
1 Lotleth Troll
|
||||
1 Oblivion Crown
|
||||
1 Tortured Existence
|
||||
1 Squandered Resources
|
||||
1 Exploration
|
||||
1 Burgeoning
|
||||
1 Manabond
|
||||
1 Life from the Loam
|
||||
1 Crop Rotation
|
||||
1 Entomb
|
||||
1 Vampiric Tutor
|
||||
1 Demonic Tutor
|
||||
1 Green Sun's Zenith
|
||||
1 Worldly Tutor
|
||||
1 Finale of Devastation
|
||||
1 Grisly Salvage
|
||||
1 Mulch
|
||||
1 Satyr Wayfinder
|
||||
1 Stitcher's Supplier
|
||||
1 Stinkweed Imp
|
||||
1 Golgari Thug
|
||||
1 Golgari Grave-Troll
|
||||
1 Darkblast
|
||||
1 Dread Return
|
||||
1 Reanimate
|
||||
1 Animate Dead
|
||||
1 Noxious Revival
|
||||
1 Veil of Summer
|
||||
1 Assassin's Trophy
|
||||
1 Abrupt Decay
|
||||
1 Force of Vigor
|
||||
1 Toxic Deluge
|
||||
1 Sylvan Library
|
||||
1 The One Ring
|
||||
1 Sol Ring
|
||||
1 Arcane Signet
|
||||
1 Golgari Signet
|
||||
1 Talisman of Resilience
|
||||
1 Crucible of Worlds
|
||||
1 Zuran Orb
|
||||
1 Expedition Map
|
||||
1 Conduit of Worlds
|
||||
1 Titania, Protector of Argoth
|
||||
1 Underrealm Lich
|
||||
1 Dakmor Salvage
|
||||
1 Bazaar of Baghdad
|
||||
1 Bojuka Bog
|
||||
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
|
||||
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
|
||||
1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
|
||||
1 Cabal Coffers
|
||||
1 Gaea's Cradle
|
||||
1 Command Tower
|
||||
1 Overgrown Tomb
|
||||
1 Bayou
|
||||
1 Llanowar Wastes
|
||||
1 Twilight Mire
|
||||
1 Nurturing Peatland
|
||||
1 Woodland Cemetery
|
||||
1 Deathcap Glade
|
||||
1 Blooming Marsh
|
||||
1 Darkbore Pathway
|
||||
1 Verdant Catacombs
|
||||
1 Windswept Heath
|
||||
1 Marsh Flats
|
||||
1 Misty Rainforest
|
||||
1 Polluted Delta
|
||||
1 Prismatic Vista
|
||||
1 Fabled Passage
|
||||
1 Field of the Dead
|
||||
1 Strip Mine
|
||||
1 Wasteland
|
||||
1 Ghost Quarter
|
||||
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
|
||||
1 Glacial Chasm
|
||||
1 Dryad Arbor
|
||||
1 Barren Moor
|
||||
1 Tranquil Thicket
|
||||
3 Forest
|
||||
2 Swamp
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Endurance
|
||||
1 Collector Ouphe
|
||||
1 Haywire Mite
|
||||
1 Scavenging Ooze
|
||||
1 Pithing Needle
|
||||
1 Pernicious Deed
|
||||
1 Force of Vigor
|
||||
1 Thoughtseize
|
||||
1 Necromentia
|
||||
1 Surgical Extraction
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
1888
strategies/commander/edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge/1/guide.md
Normal file
1888
strategies/commander/edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"G"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "The Gitrog Monster",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_gitrog_cleanup_dredge",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Gitrog Cleanup Dredge",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_commander_kadena_face_down
|
||||
# Format: commander
|
||||
# Commander: Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer
|
||||
# Colors: UBG
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, morph, manifest, face-down permanents, hidden identity
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: confirm face-down owner information, replay redaction, and support for The Cyber-Controller/Ugin's Mastery.
|
||||
Main (100)
|
||||
1 Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer
|
||||
1 Den Protector
|
||||
1 Stratus Dancer
|
||||
1 Willbender
|
||||
1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
|
||||
1 Brine Elemental
|
||||
1 Kheru Spellsnatcher
|
||||
1 Ainok Survivalist
|
||||
1 Nantuko Vigilante
|
||||
1 Sagu Mauler
|
||||
1 Icefeather Aven
|
||||
1 Hooded Hydra
|
||||
1 Thousand Winds
|
||||
1 Grim Haruspex
|
||||
1 Mischievous Quanar
|
||||
1 Silumgar Assassin
|
||||
1 Aphetto Exterminator
|
||||
1 Bane of the Living
|
||||
1 Deathmist Raptor
|
||||
1 Scroll of Fate
|
||||
1 Secret Plans
|
||||
1 Trail of Mystery
|
||||
1 Primordial Mist
|
||||
1 Ixidron
|
||||
1 The Cyber-Controller
|
||||
1 Yedora, Grave Gardener
|
||||
1 Ugin's Mastery
|
||||
1 Dream Chisel
|
||||
1 Obscuring Aether
|
||||
1 Ugin, the Ineffable
|
||||
1 Seedborn Muse
|
||||
1 Guardian Project
|
||||
1 Beast Whisperer
|
||||
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
|
||||
1 Elvish Mystic
|
||||
1 Birds of Paradise
|
||||
1 Bloom Tender
|
||||
1 Deathrite Shaman
|
||||
1 Sol Ring
|
||||
1 Arcane Signet
|
||||
1 Simic Signet
|
||||
1 Dimir Signet
|
||||
1 Golgari Signet
|
||||
1 Fellwar Stone
|
||||
1 Lightning Greaves
|
||||
1 Swiftfoot Boots
|
||||
1 Heroic Intervention
|
||||
1 Veil of Summer
|
||||
1 Counterspell
|
||||
1 Swan Song
|
||||
1 Cyclonic Rift
|
||||
1 Beast Within
|
||||
1 Assassin's Trophy
|
||||
1 Reality Shift
|
||||
1 Putrefy
|
||||
1 Toxic Deluge
|
||||
1 Demonic Tutor
|
||||
1 Vampiric Tutor
|
||||
1 Worldly Tutor
|
||||
1 Green Sun's Zenith
|
||||
1 Fact or Fiction
|
||||
1 Rhystic Study
|
||||
1 Mystic Remora
|
||||
1 Whisperwood Elemental
|
||||
1 Command Tower
|
||||
1 Exotic Orchard
|
||||
1 Path of Ancestry
|
||||
1 Zagoth Triome
|
||||
1 Rejuvenating Springs
|
||||
1 Morphic Pool
|
||||
1 Undergrowth Stadium
|
||||
1 Breeding Pool
|
||||
1 Watery Grave
|
||||
1 Overgrown Tomb
|
||||
1 Tropical Island
|
||||
1 Underground Sea
|
||||
1 Bayou
|
||||
1 Misty Rainforest
|
||||
1 Polluted Delta
|
||||
1 Verdant Catacombs
|
||||
1 Windswept Heath
|
||||
1 Marsh Flats
|
||||
1 Fabled Passage
|
||||
1 Prismatic Vista
|
||||
1 Hinterland Harbor
|
||||
1 Drowned Catacomb
|
||||
1 Woodland Cemetery
|
||||
1 Dreamroot Cascade
|
||||
1 Shipwreck Marsh
|
||||
1 Deathcap Glade
|
||||
1 Barkchannel Pathway
|
||||
1 Clearwater Pathway
|
||||
1 Darkbore Pathway
|
||||
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
1 Otawara, Soaring City
|
||||
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
|
||||
1 Zoetic Cavern
|
||||
1 Island
|
||||
1 Swamp
|
||||
1 Forest
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Veil of Summer
|
||||
1 Force of Vigor
|
||||
1 Collector Ouphe
|
||||
1 Endurance
|
||||
1 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Thoughtseize
|
||||
1 Negate
|
||||
1 Krosan Grip
|
||||
1 Heroic Intervention
|
||||
1 Opposition Agent
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
1948
strategies/commander/edge_commander_kadena_face_down/1/guide.md
Normal file
1948
strategies/commander/edge_commander_kadena_face_down/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"G"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_kadena_face_down.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_kadena_face_down_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_kadena_face_down",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Kadena Face Down",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_commander_magar_face_down_spells
|
||||
# Format: commander
|
||||
# Commander: Magar of the Magic Strings
|
||||
# Colors: BR
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, face-down spells, graveyard selection, combat damage copy casting
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: confirm Magar face-down noted creatures retain source identity in Forge logs and replay payloads.
|
||||
Main (100)
|
||||
1 Magar of the Magic Strings
|
||||
1 Blasphemous Act
|
||||
1 Jeska's Will
|
||||
1 Reanimate
|
||||
1 Animate Dead
|
||||
1 Victimize
|
||||
1 Living Death
|
||||
1 Rise of the Dark Realms
|
||||
1 Army of the Damned
|
||||
1 Torment of Hailfire
|
||||
1 Exsanguinate
|
||||
1 Crackle with Power
|
||||
1 Worst Fears
|
||||
1 Insurrection
|
||||
1 Mob Rule
|
||||
1 Brass's Bounty
|
||||
1 Big Score
|
||||
1 Unexpected Windfall
|
||||
1 Faithless Looting
|
||||
1 Thrill of Possibility
|
||||
1 Cathartic Reunion
|
||||
1 Seize the Spoils
|
||||
1 Entomb
|
||||
1 Buried Alive
|
||||
1 Gamble
|
||||
1 Demonic Tutor
|
||||
1 Vampiric Tutor
|
||||
1 Dark Ritual
|
||||
1 Cabal Ritual
|
||||
1 Seething Song
|
||||
1 Chaos Warp
|
||||
1 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
1 Terminate
|
||||
1 Bedevil
|
||||
1 Abrade
|
||||
1 Rakdos Charm
|
||||
1 Deflecting Swat
|
||||
1 Lightning Bolt
|
||||
1 Malakir Rebirth
|
||||
1 Anger
|
||||
1 Archon of Cruelty
|
||||
1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
|
||||
1 Storm-Kiln Artist
|
||||
1 Professional Face-Breaker
|
||||
1 Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
1 Opposition Agent
|
||||
1 Dualcaster Mage
|
||||
1 Harmonic Prodigy
|
||||
1 Blood Artist
|
||||
1 Mayhem Devil
|
||||
1 Sol Ring
|
||||
1 Arcane Signet
|
||||
1 Rakdos Signet
|
||||
1 Talisman of Indulgence
|
||||
1 Fellwar Stone
|
||||
1 Lightning Greaves
|
||||
1 Swiftfoot Boots
|
||||
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
|
||||
1 Strionic Resonator
|
||||
1 Illusionist's Bracers
|
||||
1 Conspiracy Theorist
|
||||
1 Chainer, Nightmare Adept
|
||||
1 Feldon of the Third Path
|
||||
1 The One Ring
|
||||
1 Command Tower
|
||||
1 Exotic Orchard
|
||||
1 Path of Ancestry
|
||||
1 Luxury Suite
|
||||
1 Blood Crypt
|
||||
1 Badlands
|
||||
1 Dragonskull Summit
|
||||
1 Haunted Ridge
|
||||
1 Sulfurous Springs
|
||||
1 Foreboding Ruins
|
||||
1 Blightstep Pathway
|
||||
1 Graven Cairns
|
||||
1 Smoldering Marsh
|
||||
1 Temple of Malice
|
||||
1 Tainted Peak
|
||||
1 Canyon Slough
|
||||
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
|
||||
1 Shadowblood Ridge
|
||||
1 Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
1 Polluted Delta
|
||||
1 Marsh Flats
|
||||
1 Verdant Catacombs
|
||||
1 Scalding Tarn
|
||||
1 Prismatic Vista
|
||||
1 Fabled Passage
|
||||
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
|
||||
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
|
||||
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
|
||||
1 Bojuka Bog
|
||||
1 Spinerock Knoll
|
||||
1 Ancient Tomb
|
||||
1 Reliquary Tower
|
||||
1 Phyrexian Tower
|
||||
2 Swamp
|
||||
1 Mountain
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Thoughtseize
|
||||
1 Duress
|
||||
1 Leyline of the Void
|
||||
1 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
1 Abrade
|
||||
1 Rakdos Charm
|
||||
1 Brotherhood's End
|
||||
1 Opposition Agent
|
||||
1 Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
1 Surgical Extraction
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"R"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "Magar of the Magic Strings",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_magar_face_down_spells.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_magar_face_down_spells_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_magar_face_down_spells",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Magar Face Down Spells",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn
|
||||
# Format: commander
|
||||
# Commander: Obeka, Brute Chronologist
|
||||
# Colors: UBR
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, end the turn, delayed triggers, extra turns, temporary control
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: prove end-the-turn choices, delayed trigger cleanup, and extra-turn loss triggers are surfaced as Veles decisions.
|
||||
Main (100)
|
||||
1 Obeka, Brute Chronologist
|
||||
1 Sundial of the Infinite
|
||||
1 Sneak Attack
|
||||
1 Ilharg, the Raze-Boar
|
||||
1 Feldon of the Third Path
|
||||
1 Mimic Vat
|
||||
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
|
||||
1 Splinter Twin
|
||||
1 Flameshadow Conjuring
|
||||
1 Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded
|
||||
1 Zara, Renegade Recruiter
|
||||
1 Goryo's Vengeance
|
||||
1 Corpse Dance
|
||||
1 Shallow Grave
|
||||
1 Apprentice Necromancer
|
||||
1 Whip of Erebos
|
||||
1 Sedris, the Traitor King
|
||||
1 Flayer of the Hatebound
|
||||
1 Grave Titan
|
||||
1 Sepulchral Primordial
|
||||
1 Etali, Primal Storm
|
||||
1 Solemn Simulacrum
|
||||
1 Baleful Strix
|
||||
1 Faerie Mastermind
|
||||
1 Opposition Agent
|
||||
1 Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
1 Professional Face-Breaker
|
||||
1 Coercive Recruiter
|
||||
1 Zealous Conscripts
|
||||
1 Final Fortune
|
||||
1 Last Chance
|
||||
1 Glorious End
|
||||
1 Time Stop
|
||||
1 Discontinuity
|
||||
1 Tale's End
|
||||
1 Stifle
|
||||
1 Swan Song
|
||||
1 Counterspell
|
||||
1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
|
||||
1 Fierce Guardianship
|
||||
1 Chaos Warp
|
||||
1 Terminate
|
||||
1 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
1 Cyclonic Rift
|
||||
1 Demonic Tutor
|
||||
1 Vampiric Tutor
|
||||
1 Entomb
|
||||
1 Reanimate
|
||||
1 Animate Dead
|
||||
1 Sol Ring
|
||||
1 Arcane Signet
|
||||
1 Talisman of Dominance
|
||||
1 Talisman of Indulgence
|
||||
1 Talisman of Creativity
|
||||
1 Fellwar Stone
|
||||
1 Lightning Greaves
|
||||
1 Swiftfoot Boots
|
||||
1 Strionic Resonator
|
||||
1 Lithoform Engine
|
||||
1 Rhystic Study
|
||||
1 Mystic Remora
|
||||
1 Phyrexian Arena
|
||||
1 Black Market Connections
|
||||
1 The One Ring
|
||||
1 Command Tower
|
||||
1 Exotic Orchard
|
||||
1 Path of Ancestry
|
||||
1 Xander's Lounge
|
||||
1 Morphic Pool
|
||||
1 Luxury Suite
|
||||
1 Training Center
|
||||
1 Watery Grave
|
||||
1 Blood Crypt
|
||||
1 Steam Vents
|
||||
1 Underground Sea
|
||||
1 Badlands
|
||||
1 Volcanic Island
|
||||
1 Polluted Delta
|
||||
1 Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
1 Scalding Tarn
|
||||
1 Marsh Flats
|
||||
1 Drowned Catacomb
|
||||
1 Dragonskull Summit
|
||||
1 Sulfur Falls
|
||||
1 Shipwreck Marsh
|
||||
1 Haunted Ridge
|
||||
1 Stormcarved Coast
|
||||
1 Clearwater Pathway
|
||||
1 Blightstep Pathway
|
||||
1 Riverglide Pathway
|
||||
1 Sunken Ruins
|
||||
1 Graven Cairns
|
||||
1 Cascade Bluffs
|
||||
1 Otawara, Soaring City
|
||||
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
|
||||
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
|
||||
1 Reliquary Tower
|
||||
1 Island
|
||||
1 Swamp
|
||||
1 Mountain
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Dress Down
|
||||
1 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
1 Opposition Agent
|
||||
1 Abrade
|
||||
1 Rakdos Charm
|
||||
1 Bedevil
|
||||
1 Thoughtseize
|
||||
1 Mindbreak Trap
|
||||
1 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
2027
strategies/commander/edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn/1/guide.md
Normal file
2027
strategies/commander/edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"R"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "Obeka, Brute Chronologist",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_obeka_brute_end_turn",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Obeka Brute End Turn",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep
|
||||
# Format: commander
|
||||
# Commander: Obeka, Splitter of Seconds
|
||||
# Colors: UBR
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, extra upkeeps, courts, monarch, beginning-phase triggers
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: confirm Obeka, Splitter of Seconds and Court trigger support before import.
|
||||
Main (100)
|
||||
1 Obeka, Splitter of Seconds
|
||||
1 Paradox Haze
|
||||
1 The Scarab God
|
||||
1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
|
||||
1 Court of Ambition
|
||||
1 Court of Ire
|
||||
1 Court of Cunning
|
||||
1 Court of Locthwain
|
||||
1 Court of Embereth
|
||||
1 Phyrexian Arena
|
||||
1 Black Market Connections
|
||||
1 Bitterblossom
|
||||
1 Bloodchief Ascension
|
||||
1 Descent into Avernus
|
||||
1 Mechanized Production
|
||||
1 As Foretold
|
||||
1 Smokestack
|
||||
1 Strionic Resonator
|
||||
1 Lithoform Engine
|
||||
1 Roaming Throne
|
||||
1 Talisman of Dominance
|
||||
1 Talisman of Indulgence
|
||||
1 Talisman of Creativity
|
||||
1 Arcane Signet
|
||||
1 Sol Ring
|
||||
1 Fellwar Stone
|
||||
1 Lightning Greaves
|
||||
1 Swiftfoot Boots
|
||||
1 Reconnaissance Mission
|
||||
1 Coastal Piracy
|
||||
1 Bident of Thassa
|
||||
1 Professional Face-Breaker
|
||||
1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
|
||||
1 Faerie Mastermind
|
||||
1 Likeness Looter
|
||||
1 Orcish Bowmasters
|
||||
1 Prosper, Tome-Bound
|
||||
1 Kardur, Doomscourge
|
||||
1 Notion Thief
|
||||
1 Hostage Taker
|
||||
1 Baleful Strix
|
||||
1 Ledger Shredder
|
||||
1 Grenzo, Havoc Raiser
|
||||
1 Curse of Opulence
|
||||
1 Cunning Rhetoric
|
||||
1 Stolen Strategy
|
||||
1 Etali, Primal Storm
|
||||
1 Blasphemous Act
|
||||
1 Cyclonic Rift
|
||||
1 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
1 Terminate
|
||||
1 Chaos Warp
|
||||
1 Counterspell
|
||||
1 Swan Song
|
||||
1 Fierce Guardianship
|
||||
1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
|
||||
1 Demonic Tutor
|
||||
1 Vampiric Tutor
|
||||
1 Rhystic Study
|
||||
1 Mystic Remora
|
||||
1 Keeper of Keys
|
||||
1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
|
||||
1 Sphinx of the Second Sun
|
||||
1 Command Tower
|
||||
1 Exotic Orchard
|
||||
1 Path of Ancestry
|
||||
1 Xander's Lounge
|
||||
1 Morphic Pool
|
||||
1 Luxury Suite
|
||||
1 Training Center
|
||||
1 Watery Grave
|
||||
1 Blood Crypt
|
||||
1 Steam Vents
|
||||
1 Underground Sea
|
||||
1 Badlands
|
||||
1 Volcanic Island
|
||||
1 Polluted Delta
|
||||
1 Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
1 Scalding Tarn
|
||||
1 Marsh Flats
|
||||
1 Drowned Catacomb
|
||||
1 Dragonskull Summit
|
||||
1 Sulfur Falls
|
||||
1 Shipwreck Marsh
|
||||
1 Haunted Ridge
|
||||
1 Stormcarved Coast
|
||||
1 Clearwater Pathway
|
||||
1 Blightstep Pathway
|
||||
1 Riverglide Pathway
|
||||
1 Sunken Ruins
|
||||
1 Graven Cairns
|
||||
1 Cascade Bluffs
|
||||
1 Otawara, Soaring City
|
||||
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
|
||||
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
|
||||
1 Ancient Tomb
|
||||
1 Reliquary Tower
|
||||
1 Island
|
||||
1 Swamp
|
||||
1 Mountain
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Abrade
|
||||
1 Bedevil
|
||||
1 Rakdos Charm
|
||||
1 Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
1 Opposition Agent
|
||||
1 Dress Down
|
||||
1 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Mindbreak Trap
|
||||
1 Thoughtseize
|
||||
1 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
1987
strategies/commander/edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep/1/guide.md
Normal file
1987
strategies/commander/edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"R"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "Obeka, Splitter of Seconds",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_obeka_splitter_upkeep",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Obeka Splitter Upkeep",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_commander_yshtola_extra_end_step
|
||||
# Format: commander
|
||||
# Commander: Y'shtola Rhul
|
||||
# Colors: U
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, end-step blink, extra turn/phase timing, ETB loops, delayed triggers
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: confirm Y'shtola Rhul metadata and whether final suite wants end-step blink, extra-turn, or broader extra-phase emphasis.
|
||||
Main (100)
|
||||
1 Y'shtola Rhul
|
||||
1 Thassa's Oracle
|
||||
1 Laboratory Maniac
|
||||
1 Faerie Mastermind
|
||||
1 Snapcaster Mage
|
||||
1 Spellseeker
|
||||
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
|
||||
1 Aether Channeler
|
||||
1 Archaeomancer
|
||||
1 Shipwreck Dowser
|
||||
1 Mulldrifter
|
||||
1 Peregrine Drake
|
||||
1 Palinchron
|
||||
1 Solemn Simulacrum
|
||||
1 Meteor Golem
|
||||
1 Agent of Treachery
|
||||
1 Torrential Gearhulk
|
||||
1 Hullbreaker Horror
|
||||
1 Displacer Kitten
|
||||
1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
|
||||
1 Deadeye Navigator
|
||||
1 Spark Double
|
||||
1 Clever Impersonator
|
||||
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
|
||||
1 Glasspool Mimic
|
||||
1 Trinket Mage
|
||||
1 Sphinx of the Second Sun
|
||||
1 Sol Ring
|
||||
1 Arcane Signet
|
||||
1 Thought Vessel
|
||||
1 Mind Stone
|
||||
1 Sapphire Medallion
|
||||
1 Sky Diamond
|
||||
1 Midnight Clock
|
||||
1 The One Ring
|
||||
1 Panharmonicon
|
||||
1 Conjurer's Closet
|
||||
1 Strionic Resonator
|
||||
1 Lightning Greaves
|
||||
1 Swiftfoot Boots
|
||||
1 Rhystic Study
|
||||
1 Mystic Remora
|
||||
1 Leyline of Anticipation
|
||||
1 Brainstorm
|
||||
1 Ponder
|
||||
1 Preordain
|
||||
1 Mystical Tutor
|
||||
1 Solve the Equation
|
||||
1 Fact or Fiction
|
||||
1 Dig Through Time
|
||||
1 Windfall
|
||||
1 High Tide
|
||||
1 Ghostly Flicker
|
||||
1 Essence Flux
|
||||
1 Planar Incision
|
||||
1 Displace
|
||||
1 Counterspell
|
||||
1 Swan Song
|
||||
1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
|
||||
1 Fierce Guardianship
|
||||
1 Force of Will
|
||||
1 Cyclonic Rift
|
||||
1 Reality Shift
|
||||
1 Pongify
|
||||
1 Command Tower
|
||||
1 Path of Ancestry
|
||||
1 Cavern of Souls
|
||||
1 Mystic Sanctuary
|
||||
1 Reliquary Tower
|
||||
1 Otawara, Soaring City
|
||||
1 Academy Ruins
|
||||
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
|
||||
1 Tolaria West
|
||||
1 Hall of Storm Giants
|
||||
1 Castle Vantress
|
||||
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
|
||||
1 Ancient Tomb
|
||||
1 Myriad Landscape
|
||||
1 War Room
|
||||
1 Riptide Laboratory
|
||||
1 Cephalid Coliseum
|
||||
1 Remote Isle
|
||||
1 Lonely Sandbar
|
||||
1 Fabled Passage
|
||||
1 Prismatic Vista
|
||||
1 Flooded Strand
|
||||
1 Polluted Delta
|
||||
1 Scalding Tarn
|
||||
1 Misty Rainforest
|
||||
1 Seat of the Synod
|
||||
1 Darksteel Citadel
|
||||
9 Island
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (10)
|
||||
1 Dress Down
|
||||
1 Dispel
|
||||
1 Negate
|
||||
1 Mystical Dispute
|
||||
1 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Pithing Needle
|
||||
1 Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
1 Aetherize
|
||||
1 Ravenform
|
||||
1 Blue Elemental Blast
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"commander"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"commander": "Y'shtola Rhul",
|
||||
"decklist": "commander/edge_commander_yshtola_extra_end_step.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_commander_yshtola_extra_end_step_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_commander_yshtola_extra_end_step",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Yshtola Extra End Step",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
36
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
36
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_reanimator
|
||||
# Format: legacy
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: BR
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, reanimator, graveyard targeting, discard, hidden hand disruption
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Legacy legality and reanimation target support before use.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Griselbrand
|
||||
2 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
|
||||
1 Archon of Cruelty
|
||||
1 Serra's Emissary
|
||||
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
|
||||
4 Entomb
|
||||
4 Reanimate
|
||||
4 Exhume
|
||||
4 Animate Dead
|
||||
4 Dark Ritual
|
||||
4 Lotus Petal
|
||||
4 Thoughtseize
|
||||
4 Unmask
|
||||
4 Faithless Looting
|
||||
3 Collective Brutality
|
||||
4 Polluted Delta
|
||||
4 Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
2 Badlands
|
||||
2 Swamp
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Meltdown
|
||||
3 Leyline of the Void
|
||||
2 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
2 Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
2 Chancellor of the Annex
|
||||
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
1 Magus of the Moon
|
||||
1 Shenanigans
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
938
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/guide.md
Normal file
938
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/guide.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,938 @@
|
||||
# Strategy Specifications
|
||||
## Deck Name And Archetype
|
||||
|
||||
Reanimator is a Legacy BR graveyard-combo strategy built to convert a discard outlet or graveyard tutor into an immediate battlefield threat, then protect that threat with hidden-hand disruption and fast mana. The registered shell is closer to stock Legacy BR Reanimator than a rogue brew because it uses the established core of Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Thoughtseize, Unmask, and Faithless Looting; it remains a hybrid test seed because the tags include edge-case, draft-only, graveyard targeting, discard-to-reanimate, replacement hate, and hidden hand disruption, and because the exact target suite and sideboard plan must be validated against Veles card-reference support before competitive use.
|
||||
|
||||
The active deck registration is valid at the supplied contract level: 60 main-deck cards, 15 sideboard cards, active format Legacy, no commander, and format-aware validation result passes. The main deck is exactly 4 Griselbrand, 2 Atraxa, Grand Unifier, 1 Archon of Cruelty, 1 Serra's Emissary, 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria, 4 Entomb, 4 Reanimate, 4 Exhume, 4 Animate Dead, 4 Dark Ritual, 4 Lotus Petal, 4 Thoughtseize, 4 Unmask, 4 Faithless Looting, 3 Collective Brutality, 4 Polluted Delta, 4 Bloodstained Mire, 2 Badlands, and 2 Swamp. The sideboard is exactly 3 Meltdown, 3 Leyline of the Void, 2 Feed the Swarm, 2 Dauthi Voidwalker, 2 Chancellor of the Annex, 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, 1 Magus of the Moon, and 1 Shenanigans.
|
||||
|
||||
The mana identity is operationally BR even though several reanimation targets are not castable from the registered mana base. Polluted Delta and Bloodstained Mire are mana-fixing lands here because they can find Badlands or Swamp; Badlands provides black and red, Swamp provides black, Lotus Petal supplies one-shot color, and Dark Ritual accelerates black mana. The agent should not plan to hard-cast Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, or Chancellor of the Annex unless the rules engine exposes an actually legal line from visible resources.
|
||||
|
||||
The core role concern is that this deck wins by legal graveyard placement plus legal reanimation, not by assuming a target is available. Entomb, Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, Thoughtseize targeting self when legal and chosen for that purpose, and Unmask targeting self when legal and chosen for that purpose can create graveyard access, but target choice must respect current legal actions, visible graveyard contents, replacement effects, and opposing graveyard hate. Reanimate, Exhume, and Animate Dead are not interchangeable at runtime: the agent must distinguish life payment, symmetrical graveyard return risk, Aura attachment behavior, target restrictions, and whether the target remains legal when the spell resolves.
|
||||
|
||||
The opponent information status is unknown at deck-registration time. The guide should assume no hidden opponent hand knowledge until Thoughtseize, Unmask, or another rules-engine-visible effect reveals it, and it should treat opponent graveyards, battlefield permanents, stack objects, life totals, mana availability, and revealed cards as public information only when the runtime state exposes them. Opponent or metagame examples must stay outside policy card lists unless prefixed as opponent examples, because Veles policy `Cards:` fields may name only registered cards from this exact main deck or sideboard.
|
||||
|
||||
The unresolved support risk is card-reference completeness rather than deck-count legality. If Veles lacks precise metadata for any target, mode, triggered ability, replacement effect, or sideboard card text, the pilot must avoid inventing exact outcomes and mark the decision as requiring card-reference metadata. This matters most for Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Animate Dead, Collective Brutality, Leyline of the Void, Dauthi Voidwalker, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Magus of the Moon, Shenanigans, and any graveyard-hate or replacement-effect interaction that changes where cards go or whether a reanimation target remains available.
|
||||
|
||||
## Thesis
|
||||
|
||||
Reanimator assembles a fast graveyard-to-battlefield sequence: put Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, or a sideboard target into the graveyard, then convert that card into a battlefield threat with Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead before the opponent can deploy stable graveyard hate or stack interaction. The highest priority is not raw card volume; it is a legal, protected reanimation window with a target that matches the visible matchup texture.
|
||||
|
||||
Reanimator wins by making the first major threat matter. Griselbrand is the default pressure and refill target when life total and card-reference metadata support the draw engine; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the slower stabilizing refuel target when the game needs material, resilience, or a lower life-risk reanimation plan; Archon of Cruelty is the high-impact attrition threat when one attack or entry trigger can break board and hand parity; Serra's Emissary and Iona, Shield of Emeria are matchup-locked bullets only when the rules engine exposes the necessary choice and that choice actually constrains the opponent's visible outs.
|
||||
|
||||
Reanimator is not trying to play a fair midrange game, hard-cast its large creatures from normal mana, or trade one-for-one until the late game. Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal should be spent to compress the combo turn, Thoughtseize and Unmask should clear or expose the relevant disruption window, and Faithless Looting plus Collective Brutality should turn excess targets, duplicates, or awkward hands into graveyard access and functional spell density. The agent should avoid lines that strand a threat in graveyard against visible hate, cast Exhume when the opponent's graveyard has a higher-impact creature, or pay Reanimate life into an exposed lethal crackback unless the reanimated card immediately changes that race.
|
||||
|
||||
Runtime legality beats archetype memory. If Entomb, Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, Thoughtseize, Unmask, Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead is not exposed as legal, the agent must not assume the deck can execute the line. If card-reference metadata is missing for a target, mode, replacement effect, or sideboard card, the agent should treat exact text-sensitive claims as unvalidated and prefer lines whose legal action text and public outcome are already visible.
|
||||
|
||||
## Role Package
|
||||
|
||||
- Threats: Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, sideboard Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, sideboard Chancellor of the Annex, sideboard Dauthi Voidwalker, and sideboard Magus of the Moon are the creature package. Main-deck threats are primarily reanimation targets, not cast plans; sideboard creatures either change the hate axis, alter the opener, or punish specific battlefield structures.
|
||||
|
||||
- Payoffs: Reanimate, Exhume, and Animate Dead are the payoff spells that transform a graveyard target into the battlefield plan. Reanimate is the fastest but life-sensitive payoff, Exhume is efficient but symmetrical and must check the opponent's graveyard, and Animate Dead creates an Aura-based reanimation object whose legality and failure modes must be respected from rules-engine output.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engines: Griselbrand and Atraxa, Grand Unifier are the main resource engines after reanimation. Griselbrand turns life into cards when the life total and board permit it; Atraxa, Grand Unifier reloads by card types only if card-reference metadata and revealed resolution output support that exact selection result. Faithless Looting is the pre-combo smoothing engine because it draws, discards, and later may be usable from graveyard if the rules engine exposes that legal action.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity: Entomb, Faithless Looting, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, Badlands, and Swamp provide the speed and color access that make turn-one or turn-two reanimation realistic. Entomb is the cleanest graveyard placement spell when a specific target is needed; Faithless Looting is better when the hand already contains a target or needs card selection; fetch lands should prioritize black access while preserving red when Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, Meltdown, Shenanigans, or Magus of the Moon matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction: Thoughtseize, Unmask, and Collective Brutality are the main-deck disruption suite. Thoughtseize and Unmask should usually inspect or clear the opponent before committing a fragile payoff, but self-targeting can be correct only when the legal action exists and discarding a specific threat is the best visible route. Collective Brutality is both interaction and discard outlet; mode and escalation choices are metadata-sensitive and must be chosen from exposed legal options.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protection: Thoughtseize, Unmask, Collective Brutality, and sideboard Chancellor of the Annex protect the combo by constraining the opponent's interaction window. Protection means clearing stack interaction, discard, or hate before the payoff; it does not mean guaranteeing resolution through unknown hand contents.
|
||||
|
||||
- Recursion: Reanimate, Exhume, and Animate Dead are the only registered main-deck recursion payoffs. The agent should choose among them based on life total, opponent graveyard contents, target vulnerability, visible permanent hate, and whether the battlefield threat produced is enough to survive the next turn cycle.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana: Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, Badlands, and Swamp form a black-heavy fast-mana base with limited red access. The deck should not plan for generic long-game casting of off-color large creatures unless the engine exposes a legal cast action.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard modules: Meltdown and Shenanigans pressure artifact-based hate or artifact boards; Leyline of the Void and Dauthi Voidwalker fight opposing graveyard plans; Feed the Swarm answers problematic permanents within its legal target class; Chancellor of the Annex supports protection from the opening hand or as a reanimation target if legal; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a creature-board punishment target; Magus of the Moon attacks mana bases when the deck can operate under its own constraint.
|
||||
|
||||
## Primary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- Primary line: put Griselbrand into the graveyard with Entomb, Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, Thoughtseize targeting self only when legal, or Unmask targeting self only when legal, then resolve Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead before the opponent establishes graveyard hate. Prioritize this line when life total is high enough to pay Reanimate safely, the opponent has no visible creature in graveyard that makes Exhume dangerous, and Thoughtseize or Unmask can clear the most relevant hand disruption before the payoff.
|
||||
|
||||
- Execution rule: use Griselbrand first when the deck needs both a fast clock and a refill engine. After it enters, attack when combat is legal and safe; use any card-draw ability only when the life payment cannot create an exposed lethal crackback and when rules-engine output confirms the action. If life is low, prefer Animate Dead or Exhume over Reanimate when legal, or shift to Atraxa, Grand Unifier if the available payoff and target produce a safer stabilizing battlefield.
|
||||
|
||||
- Refuel line: reanimate Atraxa, Grand Unifier when the game is about cards, stabilization, or rebuilding after discard rather than immediate life-for-cards pressure. Set up with Entomb when a specific target is needed or Faithless Looting when Atraxa, Grand Unifier is already in hand. Prioritize this line when Reanimate life loss on Griselbrand is unsafe, when the opponent is low on visible removal but high on card attrition, or when one resolved threat must generate enough material to survive a second interaction wave.
|
||||
|
||||
- Attrition kill: choose Archon of Cruelty when one battlefield entry or attack trigger, if supported by metadata and rules output, can break the opponent's board and hand while adding a large attacker. Prioritize it against creature decks, planeswalker pressure, or low-card opponents where immediate attrition matters more than Griselbrand's draw engine. Avoid it when the opponent's visible graveyard makes Exhume symmetrical in their favor or when the target does not stabilize the next combat.
|
||||
|
||||
- Lock target line: reanimate Serra's Emissary or Iona, Shield of Emeria only when the rules engine exposes the required choice and visible matchup information makes that choice meaningfully restrict the opponent. Prioritize these over Griselbrand only when a protected category or color constraint is better than raw cards, such as stopping a known single-axis damage race or cutting off visible interaction. Do not guess a protection choice, color choice, or lock effectiveness from archetype memory alone.
|
||||
|
||||
## Secondary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- Backup pressure: win with repeated attacks from any reanimated Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, sideboard Chancellor of the Annex, sideboard Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, sideboard Dauthi Voidwalker, or sideboard Magus of the Moon when the first combo turn resolves but the engine portion is unavailable. Treat combat as a real race: preserve life after Reanimate, account for visible blockers, and do not assume a large creature is lethal without legal attack and damage confirmation.
|
||||
|
||||
- Disruption-first win: use Thoughtseize, Unmask, and Collective Brutality to create a delayed but safer reanimation turn when the opener has interaction plus payoff but no clean target. This line is correct when the opponent's hand or battlefield contains the only visible blocker to the combo, when waiting one turn improves graveyard access through Faithless Looting or Entomb, or when firing a payoff into open disruption would waste the only Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard creature pressure: after sideboarding, Dauthi Voidwalker and Magus of the Moon can become real battlefield plans instead of only reanimation material. Use Dauthi Voidwalker when graveyard replacement pressure is relevant and black mana is available; use Magus of the Moon when the opponent's mana base is visibly punishable and the deck can still operate through its own Badlands, Polluted Delta, and Bloodstained Mire constraints. These are fallback pressure plans, not reasons to abandon a protected fast reanimation line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hate-break line: use Meltdown, Feed the Swarm, Shenanigans, or discard spells to unlock a graveyard plan through opposing hate, then return to the primary target hierarchy. This is secondary because spending turns on answers gives the opponent time; it becomes correct when the hate is visible, the answer is legal, and the hand contains enough follow-up to reanimate after the answer resolves.
|
||||
|
||||
## Emergency Lines
|
||||
|
||||
- Behind on life: stop treating Griselbrand plus Reanimate as automatic. Prefer Exhume or Animate Dead if legal, prioritize Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Archon of Cruelty for stabilization, and use Collective Brutality defensively when its exposed modes help preserve life or remove a dangerous creature. Do not pay life to Thoughtseize, Unmask alternate costs, Reanimate, or Griselbrand abilities when the resulting board still leaves visible lethal.
|
||||
|
||||
- Behind on board: choose the target that changes the next combat, not the target with the highest ceiling. Archon of Cruelty and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite are emergency board-swing targets when their text is validated and legal output supports the relevant effect; Serra's Emissary can be correct only when the exposed choice protects against the actual damage or removal axis. If no reanimation line stabilizes, spend discard or removal-mode Collective Brutality to buy a turn for Entomb, Faithless Looting, or another payoff.
|
||||
|
||||
- Behind on cards or mana: use Faithless Looting to turn dead extra creatures, redundant lands, or unusable sideboard cards into live combo pieces, and spend Dark Ritual or Lotus Petal only when it produces a real payoff window. Do not sacrifice Lotus Petal for speculative sequencing if the remaining hand cannot cast Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Thoughtseize, Unmask, Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, or a boarded answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard blocked or win conditions removed: pivot to visible answers and hard battlefield pressure instead of forcing illegal recursion. Use Feed the Swarm, Meltdown, Shenanigans, Thoughtseize, Unmask, or Collective Brutality according to legal target and mode output, then rebuild with remaining Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, or sideboard creatures. If the graveyard plan is fully shut off, preserve Dauthi Voidwalker, Magus of the Moon, and Chancellor of the Annex as actual attackers or disruption bodies when castable.
|
||||
|
||||
## Resource Model
|
||||
|
||||
- Life is a spendable but capped combo resource. Thoughtseize, Reanimate, and Griselbrand can turn life into information, battlefield power, or cards, but the pilot must stop spending life when visible attacks, damage, or stack pressure can make the resolved creature irrelevant. When life is low, prefer Exhume or Animate Dead over Reanimate if legal, and prefer Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Archon of Cruelty over a life-hungry Griselbrand line when stabilization matters more than reload speed.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hand cards are both action density and fuel. Faithless Looting converts stranded Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, or Iona, Shield of Emeria into graveyard targets, while Collective Brutality and Unmask can turn excess black cards or creatures into disruption. Do not discard the only reanimation spell unless another Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead is already available or the game is being lost without immediate disruption.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana converts tempo into a protected graveyard turn. Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal should be spent when they produce Entomb plus Reanimate, Entomb plus Exhume, Animate Dead, discard plus reanimation, or a sideboard answer plus follow-up. Preserve Lotus Petal when it is the only future red or black source for Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, Feed the Swarm, Meltdown, Shenanigans, Dauthi Voidwalker, or Magus of the Moon.
|
||||
|
||||
- The graveyard is the main staging zone, not a storage zone to fill blindly. Entomb should put the target that matches the current battlefield and opponent hand information into the graveyard; Faithless Looting should discard targets already in hand or redundant pieces. Before choosing Exhume, inspect the opponent's graveyard because the symmetrical return can undo the tempo advantage.
|
||||
|
||||
- Exile is mostly a cost and lockout zone. Unmask alternate casting consumes a black card permanently, and opposing replacement hate can make reanimation impossible until answered. After sideboarding, Leyline of the Void and Dauthi Voidwalker can redirect the graveyard fight, but they also change whether Exhume, Animate Dead, and Reanimate have useful legal targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Board presence is concentrated into one huge permanent. A resolved Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Chancellor of the Annex, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Dauthi Voidwalker, or Magus of the Moon must either win quickly, protect the next turn, or buy enough cards to rebuild. Do not trade tempo for a creature that fails to change the current race.
|
||||
|
||||
- This deck has almost no sacrifice fodder. Treat Lotus Petal as mana, not disposable material, and treat expendable hand cards as the main discard fuel for Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, and Unmask. Do not spend a card to escalate Collective Brutality unless the selected modes and follow-up spell are worth the lost hand resource.
|
||||
|
||||
- Information is a combo shield. Thoughtseize, Unmask, and Collective Brutality should identify whether the pilot can go now, must wait, or must answer hate first. Sideboard bullets are resource converters: Meltdown and Shenanigans trade mana and time for artifact-hate removal, Feed the Swarm trades mana and life exposure for creature or enchantment access, Leyline of the Void and Dauthi Voidwalker fight opposing graveyards, Magus of the Moon attacks mana, and Chancellor of the Annex taxes early interaction when registered after sideboarding.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mana Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- Black mana is the primary requirement. Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Dark Ritual, Thoughtseize, Unmask, Collective Brutality, Dauthi Voidwalker, Feed the Swarm, and Entomb all push the deck toward opening hands with immediate black access. Red mana supports Faithless Looting, Meltdown, Shenanigans, and Magus of the Moon, so Badlands, Bloodstained Mire, Polluted Delta into an available red source, or Lotus Petal matter more after sideboarding or in slower hands.
|
||||
|
||||
- Keep hands that produce black mana plus a real path to target and reanimation. A strong opener usually has a land or Lotus Petal, one of Entomb or Faithless Looting plus a creature, and one of Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead. Dark Ritual improves hands only when it accelerates a legal payoff or protected discard turn; it does not rescue a hand with no graveyard access, no reanimation spell, and no meaningful selection.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligan hands that cannot cast a spell before the opponent's second turn unless they contain a specific sideboard reason. Multiple Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, or Iona, Shield of Emeria without Faithless Looting, Entomb, or discard outlet are not keepable just because they are powerful. One-land hands are keepable when the land casts the current hand's setup spell and Lotus Petal or Dark Ritual bridges the reanimation turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequence fetch lands around information and color needs. Polluted Delta and Bloodstained Mire should find a source that casts the spells already in hand before preserving abstract flexibility. Fetch before Faithless Looting when the deck wants to reduce future land draws and has already decided the color requirement; wait until after Thoughtseize or Unmask when opponent information may change whether black, red, or a second mana source matters next.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play land before draw effects when the hand already knows its turn line. If Faithless Looting is being cast to find a missing reanimation spell and the hand has only one land, playing the land first may be required to cast the spell. Hold the land until after Faithless Looting only when all current spells are already castable and the discard choice may use an extra land as expendable material.
|
||||
|
||||
- Badlands is the cleanest dual-purpose source, but it is vulnerable to visible land interaction and Magus of the Moon changes future land behavior. Swamp is the stable black source for discard, Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Collective Brutality, and Feed the Swarm. Lotus Petal should supply the missing color on decisive turns, not be spent early for mana that a land already provides.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard mana must be planned before the first land search. Meltdown and Shenanigans require red access, Feed the Swarm and Dauthi Voidwalker require black access, and Magus of the Moon requires red access while potentially constraining Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, and Badlands afterward. Do not board into red answers and keep a hand that only reliably produces Swamp unless Lotus Petal or a fetchable red source is already present.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mulligan Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: keep black mana plus immediate graveyard access plus reanimation, especially Polluted Delta or Bloodstained Mire with Entomb and Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead. Lotus Petal plus Dark Ritual upgrades this only when it produces a protected turn-one or turn-two reanimation line, not when it merely empties mana into no payoff.
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: keep Faithless Looting plus a reanimation target in hand plus Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead when red and black mana are both accounted for. Griselbrand is the default first target when the hand needs cards; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is preferred when life pressure makes Reanimate risky or the hand needs broad reload instead of paying life.
|
||||
|
||||
- Medium keep: keep Thoughtseize or Unmask plus Entomb plus a slower reanimation spell when the mana casts both setup and payoff by turn two. This hand should disrupt first when the opponent can visibly interact, but may Entomb first when the hand otherwise loses to missing a discard outlet.
|
||||
|
||||
- Risky keep: keep one-land hands only when that land casts the first spell and Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, or Faithless Looting gives a concrete second action. A hand like Badlands, Faithless Looting, Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Reanimate, Thoughtseize, Lotus Petal is keepable; Swamp, Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Exhume, Animate Dead, Reanimate, Dark Ritual is a trap because it lacks Entomb, Faithless Looting, or a discard outlet that places a target in the graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no black mana source, no first-turn spell, or only large creatures plus reanimation spells. Ship hands that contain Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, or Iona, Shield of Emeria without Entomb, Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality discard, or Unmask self-discard plus a legal follow-up.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup-dependent keep: keep Leyline of the Void only post-board when opposing graveyard use is a real concern and the remaining six cards still contain mana plus a plan. Keep Meltdown, Feed the Swarm, Shenanigans, Dauthi Voidwalker, Magus of the Moon, or Chancellor of the Annex hands only when their role answers the expected axis and the hand still advances reanimation.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, prioritize speed with Thoughtseize or Unmask protection when possible; on the draw, prioritize discard before commitment and avoid hands that fold to one visible hate permanent. A slower hand with Thoughtseize, Entomb, Animate Dead, and stable mana is better on the draw than an all-in Lotus Petal hand with no disruption.
|
||||
|
||||
- Trap hand: do not keep multiple reanimation spells plus Exhume when the opponent's graveyard may become better than yours and the hand lacks Entomb or Faithless Looting. Do not keep Dark Ritual-heavy hands that cannot convert the mana into Entomb, discard, or a reanimation spell in the same turn cycle.
|
||||
|
||||
## Turn Arc
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1: lead with Thoughtseize or Unmask when the hand already has Entomb plus Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead and needs to clear interaction. Lead with Entomb only when the follow-up reanimation is already available and waiting exposes the line to discard, mana denial, or losing the necessary mana. Lead with Faithless Looting when the hand has a creature target in hand and needs to place it in the graveyard or find the missing payoff.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1 deviation: use Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal for a same-turn reanimation only when the target meaningfully changes the game and the visible information does not demand waiting. Griselbrand is the safest generic payoff for rebuilding, while Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, or Atraxa, Grand Unifier should be chosen only when their known role matches the current board and card-reference metadata supports the needed effect.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2: execute the first protected reanimation if the graveyard target and spell are ready. Reanimate is most tempo-positive but life-sensitive; Exhume requires checking the opponent's graveyard before choosing it; Animate Dead is slower and permanent-based, so avoid exposing it into visible enchantment removal or replacement hate when another legal line is available.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2 deviation: cast Collective Brutality when its discard and selected modes both matter. Use it to put Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, or Iona, Shield of Emeria into the graveyard while stripping an instant or sorcery only when the follow-up reanimation is planned.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3: rebuild or protect the second wave. If the first target resolved, use Thoughtseize, Unmask, or Collective Brutality to stop the answer that matters most; if the first attempt failed, use Faithless Looting and Entomb to reset with a target that avoids the hate currently visible.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5: stop treating speed as the only resource. Sequence discard, sideboard answers, and reanimation so Meltdown, Feed the Swarm, Shenanigans, Dauthi Voidwalker, Magus of the Moon, or Leyline of the Void does not strand the combo. Preserve Lotus Petal when it is the only red or black source for the answer-plus-reanimate turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late game: convert every draw into either target access, reanimation access, or hate removal. Flashback Faithless Looting when mana permits and the graveyard remains usable; avoid Exhume if the opponent's graveyard returns a creature that races or answers yours. When life is low, prefer Exhume or Animate Dead over Reanimate unless Reanimate creates immediate survival or lethal pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
## Card Roles
|
||||
|
||||
- Griselbrand is the default first Entomb target when the hand needs cards, protection, or a second reanimation spell. Prefer it over narrow bullets unless life total, known removal, or visible graveyard hate makes paying life unsafe.
|
||||
|
||||
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the stabilizing reload target when Reanimate life loss is costly or broad card selection is better than raw draw. Use her when a resolved body plus one trigger can find discard, mana, and another reanimation line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, and Iona, Shield of Emeria are matchup bullets, not blind defaults. Choose Archon when sacrifice/discard/life swing matters, Serra's Emissary only when the chosen card type is validated and decisive, and Iona only when a visible or strongly inferred color axis matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Entomb is the cleanest setup spell and should usually be paired with an already available Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead. Do not spend Entomb before knowing which target beats the current hate, clock, and opponent graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
- Reanimate is the fastest payoff but asks for life-total accounting. Use it aggressively for Griselbrand or a lock creature when the life payment does not expose lethal crackback; prefer Exhume or Animate Dead when life is the bottleneck.
|
||||
|
||||
- Exhume is explosive but symmetric. Check the opponent's graveyard first; do not cast it when the opponent returns a creature that invalidates or races the selected target.
|
||||
|
||||
- Animate Dead is the resilient mana-efficient permanent payoff, but it exposes the creature to enchantment interaction and its own attachment rules. Prefer it when life matters or when Dark Ritual enables a protected same-turn line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal are acceleration, color smoothing, and protection compression. Spend them to combine discard plus reanimation in one turn; do not burn them into a line missing graveyard access or a payoff.
|
||||
|
||||
- Thoughtseize and Unmask are protection before commitment and disruption after a creature resolves. Aim them at counterspells, graveyard hate, removal, or fast combo pieces; self-targeting with Unmask is acceptable only when it creates a legal graveyard target and follow-up.
|
||||
|
||||
- Faithless Looting and Collective Brutality are discard outlets with selection or interaction attached. Use Faithless Looting to convert hand targets into graveyard targets; use Collective Brutality when discarding a creature and a chosen mode both matter.
|
||||
|
||||
### Card Hover Notes
|
||||
|
||||
#### Griselbrand
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and default reanimation target.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; lifegain/stabilization; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Be the fastest target for `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, or `Collective Brutality` setup because flying, lifelink, and “Pay 7 life: Draw seven cards” can turn one resolved `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead` into more discard, fast mana, and a second reanimation wave.
|
||||
- Timing: Choose it by default when life is high enough for `Reanimate` life loss and at least one possible seven-life draw; if life is low, attack or block with lifelink before activating, or prefer `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead` lines.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard setup plus a reanimation spell; outputs a 7/7 flying lifelink clock and optional seven-card bursts paid with life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Uses `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, `Collective Brutality`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Dark Ritual`, `Lotus Petal`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Unmask`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Atraxa, Grand Unifier` is the safer no-life-payment reload target; `Archon of Cruelty` is the stronger immediate board-and-hand swing.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Paying seven life into visible lethal, paying `Reanimate` life before lifelink matters, choosing `Exhume` when the opponent returns a better creature, or drawing cards when the battlefield already demands blocking.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Best against unknown fair, control, and combo decks when cards and lifelink matter; less automatic against burn-speed pressure or graveyard hate.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Default to putting `Griselbrand` in the graveyard first, but do not pay life if the opponent can kill you before lifelink or new cards matter.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Atraxa, Grand Unifier
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies, core piece and secondary reanimation target.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; lifegain/stabilization; card selection; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Refill without spending life by revealing the top ten cards and taking up to one card of each type among artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, and sorcery; in this list the relevant hits are `Lotus Petal` as artifact, creatures such as `Griselbrand` or `Archon of Cruelty`, `Animate Dead` as enchantment, `Entomb` or `Dark Ritual` as instant, `Polluted Delta`, `Bloodstained Mire`, `Badlands`, or `Swamp` as land, and sorceries such as `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask`, `Faithless Looting`, or `Collective Brutality`.
|
||||
- Timing: Prefer it over `Griselbrand` when life payments from `Reanimate`, `Thoughtseize`, fetch lands, or Griselbrand activations would be dangerous, or when one broad reload is better than raw seven-card draw.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard setup and a reanimation spell; outputs a 7/7 flying vigilance deathtouch lifelink body plus type-limited card selection.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Strong with `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Unmask`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Griselbrand` draws more cards at the cost of life; `Archon of Cruelty` has stronger immediate opponent-resource impact.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Revealing ten does not guarantee the missing card type, and choosing redundant creatures over `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Entomb`, or mana can strand the follow-up.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong after discard, removal, or attrition has made life and card diversity more important than maximum speed.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Choose `Atraxa, Grand Unifier` when you need cards but cannot safely spend life on `Griselbrand`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Archon of Cruelty
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 1 copy, singleton role-player reanimation bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: threat/clock; lifegain/stabilization; interaction-removal; reach/finisher.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Punish boards and low-resource hands with an enters-or-attacks trigger that makes target opponent sacrifice a creature or planeswalker of their choice, discard a card, lose 3 life, while you draw a card and gain 3 life.
|
||||
- Timing: Entomb or discard it when the opponent has a key creature or planeswalker, few cards, or a race where the 3-point drain and 3 life gained matter more than `Griselbrand` draw.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard placement plus `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`; outputs a 6/6 flying attacker and a repeatable attack trigger if it survives.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Uses `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, `Collective Brutality`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Unmask`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite` is the sideboard creature-board sweeper target; `Serra's Emissary` and `Iona, Shield of Emeria` are lock bullets rather than attrition bullets.
|
||||
- Failure modes: The opponent chooses what to sacrifice, so it is weaker into expendable creatures; it is also worse than `Griselbrand` when the deck urgently needs many cards.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against single-threat, planeswalker, creature-midrange, and low-hand-resource boards.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Archon of Cruelty` when one sacrifice, discard, and life swing changes the next turn; do not treat it as the blind default over `Griselbrand`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Serra's Emissary
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 1 copy, singleton role-player lock reanimation target.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; threat/clock; lifegain/stabilization.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Enter, choose a card type, and give you and creatures you control protection from that chosen card type; this is for stopping a known losing axis, not for guessing.
|
||||
- Timing: Choose it only when public information from battlefield, graveyard, `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask`, or `Collective Brutality` shows which card type matters, such as creature damage, instant removal, or sorcery-speed answers.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard setup and a reanimation spell; outputs a 7/7 flying body and protection from the chosen card type for you and your creatures.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Best enabled by `Entomb` after hand information from `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask`, or `Collective Brutality`; reanimated by `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Iona, Shield of Emeria` locks a color instead of a card type; `Griselbrand` is better when the correct protection type is unknown.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Naming the wrong type leaves removal, combat, or combo outs untouched; protection does not stop effects outside the chosen card type.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong when the opponent is visibly relying on one card type to race or answer you.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Do not pick `Serra's Emissary` unless you know the exact card type you need to beat.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Iona, Shield of Emeria
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 1 copy, singleton role-player color-lock reanimation target.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; protection/evasion; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Enter, choose a color, and stop opponents from casting spells of that chosen color, which can lock color-concentrated combo or control hands after discard reveals the key color.
|
||||
- Timing: Use after `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask`, or visible game actions show that one color contains the opponent's meaningful spells; avoid guessing against multicolor decks with active colorless or off-color outs.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard placement plus `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`; outputs a 7-power flying clock and a color-based casting restriction.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Entomb` finds it as a bullet; `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask`, and `Collective Brutality` provide information before choosing the color.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Serra's Emissary` protects by card type; `Chancellor of the Annex` taxes spells without requiring a color choice.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Wrong color choice, opponent already has battlefield answers, or opponent can win through artifacts, lands, creatures already in play, or another color.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Best against one-color or clearly color-centered spell combo and control.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Pick `Iona, Shield of Emeria` only with visible color evidence; otherwise choose `Griselbrand` or `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Entomb
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and graveyard setup spell.
|
||||
- Role type: tutor/search; mechanic enabler; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Search your library for the exact card the current line needs, put it into your graveyard, then shuffle; most often this means `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Serra's Emissary`, `Iona, Shield of Emeria`, or post-board `Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite`, `Chancellor of the Annex`, or `Shenanigans`.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast near the reanimation turn, often after discard has revealed the opponent's hand, unless waiting lets the opponent discard you, deploy hate, or deny mana.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes one black mana and a library card choice; outputs a stocked graveyard target for `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, or dredge access to `Shenanigans`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Pairs directly with `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Dark Ritual`, `Lotus Petal`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Unmask`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Faithless Looting` and `Collective Brutality` set up creatures already in hand rather than searching the library.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Putting a creature into graveyard under `Leyline of the Void`-style opposing replacement hate, selecting a lock target without information, or using it before knowing whether `Exhume` is safe.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Target map shifts from `Griselbrand` against unknowns to `Archon of Cruelty` against boards, `Iona, Shield of Emeria` against color-locked hands, and `Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite` against small-creature swarms.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Entomb` to put the chosen reanimation target in your graveyard only when a legal payoff or clear setup turn exists.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Reanimate
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and fastest reanimation payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: recursion; combo enabler; lifegain/stabilization.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control and lose life equal to that card's mana value, making turn-one or turn-two `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Serra's Emissary`, or `Iona, Shield of Emeria` possible.
|
||||
- Timing: Use when the target is worth the life loss and the opponent cannot punish the lower life total before lifelink, discard, or the creature's trigger stabilizes; switch to `Exhume` or `Animate Dead` when life is the bottleneck.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes one black mana, a target creature card in a graveyard, and life equal to mana value; outputs that creature under your control.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Set up by `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, `Collective Brutality`, self-target `Thoughtseize` only when legal and correct, or self-target `Unmask` only with immediate follow-up.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Exhume` avoids life loss but helps both players; `Animate Dead` avoids life loss but creates Aura vulnerability and -1/-0.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Target disappears before resolution, life loss exposes lethal, or choosing an opponent's graveyard creature without checking whether your own target is better.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Best when speed beats hate; risky against burn, fast attackers, or known damage in hand.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Count your life first; do not cast `Reanimate` if the life loss lets the opponent kill you before the creature matters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Exhume
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and life-safe reanimation payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: recursion; combo enabler; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Return a creature from your graveyard without paying `Reanimate` life, but every player may put a creature card from their graveyard onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast after checking the opponent's graveyard; it is excellent when they have no relevant creature and dangerous when they can return a creature that races `Griselbrand`, answers `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, or invalidates `Archon of Cruelty`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes `{1}{B}` and a creature card in your graveyard; outputs symmetrical creature returns from graveyards.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Set up by `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, and `Collective Brutality`; accelerated by `Dark Ritual` and `Lotus Petal`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Reanimate` is faster and asymmetric but costs life; `Animate Dead` is asymmetric but vulnerable as an Aura.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Opponent returns a better creature, graveyard hate removes your target, or a symmetrical return undoes the tempo advantage.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against decks with empty graveyards; weaker after opposing discard, creature trades, self-mill, or graveyard combo setup.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Before casting `Exhume`, inspect the opponent's graveyard and make sure your returned creature still wins the exchange.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Animate Dead
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and Aura-based reanimation payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: recursion; combo enabler; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Enchant a creature card in a graveyard, return it under your control, attach `Animate Dead`, give it -1/-0, and accept that when `Animate Dead` leaves the battlefield that creature's controller sacrifices it.
|
||||
- Timing: Prefer when life makes `Reanimate` unsafe or when `Dark Ritual` enables setup plus payoff; use discard first if the opponent may have enchantment removal or bounce that breaks the Aura link.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes `{1}{B}`, a legal creature card in a graveyard, and an enchantment slot; outputs a reanimated creature with -1/-0 and an Aura dependency.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Works with `Entomb`, `Faithless Looting`, `Collective Brutality`, `Dark Ritual`, `Lotus Petal`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Unmask`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Reanimate` is faster but costs life; `Exhume` avoids Aura exposure but can help the opponent.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Target becomes illegal, the Aura is removed, `Animate Dead` leaves battlefield and forces sacrifice, or the -1/-0 changes combat math on `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, or `Archon of Cruelty`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Better in low-life games; worse when revealed hands or battlefields show enchantment interaction.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Animate Dead` to save life, but remember the creature depends on the Aura staying on the battlefield.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Dark Ritual
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and fast black mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Turn one black mana into `{B}{B}{B}` so one turn can contain `Thoughtseize` or `Unmask`, `Entomb`, and `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast only when the same turn spends the mana on a real line; do not fire it into an empty pool when the hand lacks graveyard setup, a payoff, or disruption.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes one black mana and a card; outputs three black mana for black-heavy combo sequencing.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Casts `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask` by normal cost, `Collective Brutality`, `Feed the Swarm`, and `Dauthi Voidwalker`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Lotus Petal` fixes any color once but produces only one mana; `Badlands` and `Swamp` provide repeat black mana.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Spending it before knowing the target/payoff line, using it when red is actually missing for `Faithless Looting`, `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, or `Magus of the Moon`, or walking into known discard/countermagic without protection.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strongest on the play and against combo or control when it compresses discard plus reanimation before the opponent develops.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Cast `Dark Ritual` only when you can immediately spend the black mana on named combo or disruption spells.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Lotus Petal
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and one-shot mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; engine fuel/material; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Sacrifice for one mana of any color to bridge hands that need black for `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Thoughtseize`, or `Dark Ritual`, red for `Faithless Looting`, or post-board red/black for `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, `Magus of the Moon`, `Feed the Swarm`, or `Dauthi Voidwalker`.
|
||||
- Timing: Hold until the turn it casts a decisive spell unless using it now produces protected same-turn reanimation.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes the artifact permanently by tapping and sacrificing it; outputs one mana of any color.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Enables `Faithless Looting` off black lands, powers `Dark Ritual` starts, and supplies red for `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, or `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Dark Ritual` provides more black mana; `Badlands` is repeat black/red access; `Polluted Delta` and `Bloodstained Mire` find `Badlands` or `Swamp`.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Sacrificing it before knowing whether red or black is missing, losing it to your own `Meltdown` for X=0 or greater while it remains on battlefield, or treating it as expendable when it is the only colored source.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Preserve it more carefully after sideboarding into red answers or black permanent answers.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Do not spend `Lotus Petal` just because you can; save it for the color that unlocks the current line.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Thoughtseize
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and hidden-hand disruption.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-discard; protection/evasion; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Target player reveals their hand, you choose a nonland card from it, that player discards it, and you lose 2 life; usually this clears the card that stops `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`.
|
||||
- Timing: Lead with it before commitment when the opponent may have permission, graveyard hate, removal for an `Animate Dead` creature, or a faster combo kill; self-target only if the rules engine offers it and discarding your own creature is worth the 2 life.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes one black mana, a card, and 2 life; outputs hand information and one chosen nonland card discarded.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Protects `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, and `Archon of Cruelty`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Unmask` can be free but costs an exiled black card; `Collective Brutality` hits only instant or sorcery cards with its discard mode.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Taking a powerful but irrelevant card while leaving the actual counterspell, graveyard hate, or lethal combo piece; losing 2 life when `Reanimate` or `Griselbrand` life payments are already tight.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Best against unknown interaction, combo, and control; update the reanimation target after seeing the hand.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Thoughtseize` to take the card that stops your next exact line, not the biggest-looking card.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Unmask
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and free hidden-hand disruption.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-discard; protection/evasion; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Reveal target player's hand and choose a nonland card for that player to discard, either for `{3}{B}` or by exiling a black card from your hand rather than paying the mana cost.
|
||||
- Timing: Use before all-in `Entomb` plus payoff turns when mana is tight; self-target only when legal and when discarding a creature immediately enables `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Normal cast consumes four mana including one black; alternate cost consumes an exiled black card from hand; both output hand information and one chosen nonland discard.
|
||||
- Mode map: Normal cast is for slower games with spare mana; alternate cast is for turn-one protection using expendable black cards such as redundant `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Serra's Emissary`, `Iona, Shield of Emeria`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, or `Collective Brutality` only when that exact card is not needed.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Protects `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, and `Animate Dead`; can pair with `Dark Ritual` when hard-cast.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Thoughtseize` costs life and mana but no exiled card; `Collective Brutality` can discard your own creature as escalation.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Exiling the only reanimation target, only payoff, or only black card that keeps the hand functional; self-targeting with no immediate graveyard payoff.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: High value against blue permission, fast combo, and hands where one hate card beats the reanimation turn.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Free does not mean free of cost; pitch only a black card you can afford to lose.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Faithless Looting
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core piece and red discard-selection enabler.
|
||||
- Role type: discard outlet; card selection; mechanic enabler.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Draw two cards, then discard two cards, turning in-hand `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Serra's Emissary`, or `Iona, Shield of Emeria` into graveyard targets while digging toward `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Entomb`, `Dark Ritual`, or `Lotus Petal`.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast early when you have a creature to discard or need to find a missing payoff; flash back later only when paying `{2}{R}` from graveyard is better than preserving red mana for `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, or `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Hand cast consumes `{R}` and one card; flashback consumes `{2}{R}` from graveyard and exiles `Faithless Looting` after it resolves; both draw two then discard two.
|
||||
- Mode map: Hand cast sets up the first graveyard target; flashback rebuilds after a stopped first attempt but requires three mana including one red and graveyard access.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Discards `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Serra's Emissary`, `Iona, Shield of Emeria`, and post-board `Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite` or `Chancellor of the Annex`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Collective Brutality` discards through escalation while interacting; `Entomb` searches directly rather than drawing.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Discarding the only payoff, only black source, or only protection spell; assuming flashback works through graveyard hate.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong in hands with creatures already drawn; weaker when red access is absent or graveyard replacement effects are active.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Faithless Looting` to put a big creature from hand into the graveyard while keeping the spell that brings it back.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 3 copies, role player discard outlet and flexible sorcery interaction.
|
||||
- Role type: modal utility; discard outlet; interaction-discard; interaction-removal; lifegain/stabilization.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Use escalate by discarding cards to combine graveyard setup with one or more of: stripping an instant or sorcery from target opponent, giving target creature -2/-2 until end of turn, and draining target opponent for 2 while gaining 2.
|
||||
- Timing: Choose modes that matter immediately; escalate when discarding `Griselbrand`, `Atraxa, Grand Unifier`, `Archon of Cruelty`, `Serra's Emissary`, or `Iona, Shield of Emeria` unlocks a follow-up `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes `{1}{B}` plus one discarded card for each mode beyond the first; outputs exact chosen-mode effects at sorcery speed.
|
||||
- Mode map: Hand-disruption mode hits only an instant or sorcery card from target opponent's revealed hand; creature mode gives target creature -2/-2 until end of turn; drain mode makes target opponent lose 2 life and you gain 2 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Fuels `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, and `Animate Dead`; complements `Thoughtseize` and `Unmask` against interaction; cushions life after `Thoughtseize`, fetch lands, `Reanimate`, or `Griselbrand`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Faithless Looting` is better pure selection; `Thoughtseize` and `Unmask` can take any nonland card, not just instant or sorcery.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Discarding required mana or the only payoff, picking a mode with no legal target, or using sorcery-speed removal too late to stop combat.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against low-toughness attackers, burn races, and instant/sorcery-heavy hands.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Escalate only when both the discarded card and every chosen mode help the current turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Polluted Delta
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, mana resource and fetch land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Pay 1 life, tap, and sacrifice to search for an Island or Swamp card; in this registered list the relevant targets are `Swamp` and `Badlands` because `Badlands` has land types Swamp Mountain.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch `Swamp` when black is enough or nonbasic pressure matters; fetch `Badlands` when red is needed for `Faithless Looting`, `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, or `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes the land and 1 life; outputs `Swamp` or `Badlands` onto the battlefield, then shuffles.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Casts `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Thoughtseize`, `Dark Ritual`, `Animate Dead`, `Exhume`, and through `Badlands` enables `Faithless Looting`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Bloodstained Mire` finds the same practical registered targets here; `Badlands` and `Swamp` are the actual mana-producing lands.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Paying life into a tight `Reanimate` or `Griselbrand` plan, fetching `Swamp` and stranding red spells, or fetching `Badlands` into nonbasic punishment.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Fetch before resolving your own `Magus of the Moon`; preserve life against burn-speed pressure.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If you need red, get `Badlands`; if you only need stable black, get `Swamp`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, mana resource and fetch land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Pay 1 life, tap, and sacrifice to search for a Swamp or Mountain card; in this registered list the relevant targets are `Swamp` and `Badlands` because `Badlands` is a Swamp Mountain.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch `Badlands` when the hand needs both black and red, especially `Faithless Looting` plus black reanimation; fetch `Swamp` when black stability beats red access.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes the land and 1 life; outputs `Swamp` or `Badlands` onto battlefield and shuffles.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Enables `Thoughtseize`, `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Dark Ritual`, `Faithless Looting`, `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, and `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Polluted Delta` has the same practical target map in this list; `Lotus Petal` can temporarily replace a missing color.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Fetching the wrong target for a post-board red card, overpaying life before `Reanimate`, or leaving fetches unused before your own `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong for post-board red-answer hands because it can find `Badlands`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Bloodstained Mire` to get the color your next spell actually needs.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Badlands
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies, mana resource and dual land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: As a Land — Swamp Mountain, tap for `{B}` or `{R}` and let the deck cast black combo spells while also enabling `Faithless Looting`, `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, and `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch or play it when red matters this turn or when one source must cast both black setup and red selection/answers; prefer `Swamp` when nonbasic hate or your own `Magus of the Moon` plan makes red less urgent.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Produces black or red mana repeatedly until constrained by effects such as `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Casts `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Thoughtseize`, `Dark Ritual`, `Faithless Looting`, `Collective Brutality`, `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, and `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Swamp` is safer black-only access; `Lotus Petal` gives one-shot any-color access.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Being turned into only a Mountain by `Magus of the Moon`, being exposed to nonbasic hate, or fetching it when a basic `Swamp` would cast the entire hand.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Essential for `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, and `Magus of the Moon`; risky against mana denial and when black requirements continue after `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: `Badlands` is your clean black/red land, but do not let it be your only black plan under `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Swamp
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies, basic mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide stable black mana for the deck's core spells: `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Dark Ritual`, `Thoughtseize`, `Unmask`, `Collective Brutality`, `Feed the Swarm`, and `Dauthi Voidwalker`.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch it when black is enough, life and nonbasic exposure matter, or a later `Magus of the Moon` would otherwise cut off black mana.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Taps for `{B}` and does not provide red.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Works with `Dark Ritual` for fast combo turns and with `Polluted Delta` or `Bloodstained Mire` as a fetch target.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Badlands` adds red but is nonbasic; `Lotus Petal` supplies one-shot red when `Swamp` cannot.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Keeping a `Swamp`-only hand that needs `Faithless Looting`, `Meltdown`, `Shenanigans`, or `Magus of the Moon`; fetching `Swamp` when the actual line requires red immediately.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against nonbasic pressure and before casting your own `Magus of the Moon`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Fetch `Swamp` for safe black starts, but remember it cannot cast your red spells.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Meltdown
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 3 copies, sideboard bullet and artifact sweeper.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-sweeper; sideboard bullet; hate piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Destroy each artifact with mana value X or less, clearing artifact graveyard hate, artifact mana, cheap lock pieces, or artifact creature boards that prevent `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead` from mattering.
|
||||
- Timing: Sorcery-speed; choose X from visible artifacts and your available red mana, and decide whether your own `Lotus Petal` should be sacrificed first because X=0 or greater destroys zero-mana artifacts too.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes `{X}{R}` and destroys each artifact with mana value X or less, including yours if they qualify.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Needs red from `Badlands`, `Bloodstained Mire` finding `Badlands`, `Polluted Delta` finding `Badlands`, or `Lotus Petal`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Shenanigans` destroys one target artifact and can dredge back; `Feed the Swarm` answers opposing creature or enchantment permanents, not ordinary artifacts.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Spending too much mana before a follow-up reanimation, missing nonartifact hate, or destroying your own `Lotus Petal` before it supplies needed mana.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against artifact prison, artifact-heavy tempo, and artifact graveyard hate.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Pick X to match the artifacts you must kill and plan your own `Lotus Petal` before casting.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Leyline of the Void
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 3 copies, sideboard bullet and graveyard replacement hate.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: If in your opening hand, it may begin on the battlefield; while there, cards that would go to an opponent's graveyard from anywhere are exiled instead, disrupting opposing graveyard decks while leaving your own graveyard plan intact.
|
||||
- Timing: Use the pregame placement only when the legal action exists from an opening hand; later hard-cast only when `{2}{B}{B}` is realistic and the opponent's graveyard matters more than advancing reanimation.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Opening-hand mode costs no mana through the pregame effect; hard-cast consumes four mana including two black; outputs a one-sided opponent graveyard replacement effect.
|
||||
- Mode map: Opening-hand placement is a special pregame permission; normal casting is an enchantment spell for `{2}{B}{B}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Pairs with `Dauthi Voidwalker` against opposing graveyard plans and with `Thoughtseize` or `Unmask` to strip answers.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Dauthi Voidwalker` is slower but attacks and can sacrifice to play an exiled opponent-owned card with a void counter.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Drawing it late without enough black mana, boarding it when the opponent's graveyard is irrelevant, or forgetting it does not exile your own discarded `Griselbrand` for protection.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against Reanimator mirrors, Dredge-style decks, delve/escape/flashback-heavy opponents, or graveyard combo.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Put `Leyline of the Void` onto the battlefield only from the legal opening-hand action; do not treat later copies as free.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Feed the Swarm
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, sideboard bullet and black permanent answer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls, giving this BR deck an answer to hate creatures and enchantments that stop graveyard setup or reanimation.
|
||||
- Timing: Sorcery-speed; cast before committing `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead` when the target permanent actually blocks the combo.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes `{1}{B}` and life equal to the destroyed permanent's mana value; outputs removal of a legal opposing creature or enchantment.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Protected by `Thoughtseize` or `Unmask`; cast from `Swamp`, `Badlands`, `Dark Ritual`, or `Lotus Petal`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Meltdown` and `Shenanigans` answer artifacts; `Collective Brutality` can remove only a creature small enough for -2/-2.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Losing too much life before `Reanimate` or `Griselbrand`, targeting a low-impact permanent while real graveyard hate remains, or trying to hit an artifact that is not also a creature or enchantment.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring for creature hate, enchantment hate, and problematic opposing creatures that must die before a reanimation turn.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Check both target class and life loss; `Feed the Swarm` is not the artifact answer unless the artifact is also a creature or enchantment.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Dauthi Voidwalker
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, sideboard bullet and disruptive threat.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; threat/clock; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Use shadow to attack through most creatures, exile opponent cards that would go to graveyard with void counters, and threaten to tap and sacrifice itself to play an opponent-owned exiled card with a void counter this turn without paying its mana cost.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast when slowing the opponent's graveyard is worth delaying the fastest reanimation line, or when a disruptive two-mana creature is better than a narrow reanimation target.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes `{B}{B}`; outputs a 3/2 shadow attacker, opponent graveyard replacement, and a one-shot stolen-card access if it survives untapped.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Works with `Thoughtseize` and `Unmask` because discarded opponent cards get exiled with void counters while `Dauthi Voidwalker` is active.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Leyline of the Void` is stronger from the opening hand but does not attack or cast exiled cards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Requires double black, dies to creature removal, and can be too slow if the only winning line is turn-one `Entomb` plus `Reanimate`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against graveyard mirrors, spell decks where exiled cards matter, and opponents relying on flashback, delve, escape, or recursion.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Play `Dauthi Voidwalker` as hate first and attacker second; sacrifice it only when the chosen exiled card is worth losing the replacement effect.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Chancellor of the Annex
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, sideboard bullet, opening-hand protection piece, and reanimation target.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; hate piece; threat/clock; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Reveal from opening hand to tax the opponent's first spell of the game unless they pay `{1}`, or reanimate it as a 5/6 flying body that taxes every opponent spell unless they pay `{1}`.
|
||||
- Timing: Reveal only in the opening-hand window if the legal action exists; reanimate when taxing interaction or fast combo matters more than `Griselbrand` cards.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Opening reveal costs no mana and creates a delayed tax on the opponent's first spell; reanimation consumes graveyard setup and `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`; hard-casting is not realistic in this BR mana base.
|
||||
- Mode map: Pregame reveal protects the early turn; battlefield mode is a continuing spell-tax effect attached to a flying creature.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Supports `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Unmask` by making opposing first interaction more expensive.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Iona, Shield of Emeria` can stop one chosen color; `Unmask` and `Thoughtseize` proactively remove specific cards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Weak when drawn after the opener with no discard outlet, lower card-flow ceiling than `Griselbrand`, and tax can be paid if the opponent has spare mana.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against fast combo, mirror starts, and low-mana blue interaction.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Reveal it only at the start if offered; otherwise treat it as a possible discard-to-reanimate target, not a cast plan.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, sideboard bullet and creature-board reanimation target.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-sweeper; threat/clock; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Reanimate to give other creatures you control +2/+2 and opposing creatures -2/-2, often clearing small boards while making any additional creatures larger.
|
||||
- Timing: Entomb, loot, or discard it when the opponent's battlefield is full of creatures with toughness low enough that -2/-2 matters, or when combat dominance is more important than drawing with `Griselbrand`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard setup and `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`; outputs a 4/7 vigilance body and static power/toughness changes.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Entomb`, discarded by `Faithless Looting` or `Collective Brutality`, and returned by `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, or `Animate Dead`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Archon of Cruelty` attacks one opponent resource at a time; `Serra's Emissary` protects against a chosen card type instead of shrinking creatures.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Poor against noncreature combo, large creatures that survive -2/-2, or removal-heavy hands where `Griselbrand` or `Atraxa, Grand Unifier` would replace resources.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against small-creature swarms, tribal boards, and battlefield races.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Choose `Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite` when the opponent's creatures are the problem and -2/-2 will actually change the board.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Magus of the Moon
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, sideboard bullet and mana-denial creature.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; threat/clock; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Make nonbasic lands Mountains, punishing opponents built around nonbasic mana while requiring this deck to secure black mana or complete graveyard setup first.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast for `{2}{R}` only after deciding how you will still cast black spells from `Swamp`, existing black mana, `Lotus Petal`, or already-resolved setup; do not strand `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, or `Feed the Swarm`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes three mana including one red; outputs a 2/2 creature and a static nonbasic-land-changing effect.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Needs red from `Badlands` or `Lotus Petal`; pairs with pre-fetched `Swamp` and discard from `Thoughtseize` or `Unmask`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Chancellor of the Annex` taxes spells; `Iona, Shield of Emeria` restricts one chosen color after reanimation.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Locking your own `Badlands`, `Polluted Delta`, and `Bloodstained Mire` into Mountains before black requirements are met, or choosing it against opponents with basics and cheap removal.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against nonbasic-heavy control, prison, or big-mana decks where mana denial buys the reanimation turn.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Fetch or play your black source first; `Magus of the Moon` can hurt you too.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Shenanigans
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, sideboard bullet and repeatable artifact answer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; recursion; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Destroy target artifact for `{1}{R}`, and use dredge 1 to replace a draw by milling one card and returning `Shenanigans` from graveyard to hand when repeated artifact removal is better than drawing normally.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast at sorcery speed when a specific artifact matters; dredge only when you need another artifact answer more than a fresh draw toward `Entomb`, `Reanimate`, `Exhume`, `Animate Dead`, `Thoughtseize`, or mana.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Normal cast consumes two mana including one red and destroys target artifact; dredge consumes a draw replacement and mills one card to return it from graveyard to hand.
|
||||
- Mode map: Cast mode answers one target artifact now; dredge mode recurs `Shenanigans` from graveyard instead of drawing, enabling repeated artifact answers but slowing card flow.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Can be put into graveyard by `Entomb` when dredge access is useful; needs red from `Badlands` or `Lotus Petal`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Meltdown` answers multiple low-mana-value artifacts at once; `Feed the Swarm` answers opposing creatures or enchantments.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Cannot hit nonartifact hate, dredge can replace a needed draw, and opposing graveyard hate can stop the recursion plan.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against artifact prison, artifact graveyard hate, and decks presenting repeated artifact threats.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Shenanigans` for artifacts only, and dredge it back only when another artifact must die.
|
||||
|
||||
## Interaction Priorities
|
||||
|
||||
- Discard first from the opponent's hand before committing the only reanimation spell. Use Thoughtseize or Unmask to clear stack interaction, graveyard hate, fast-combo payoff pieces, or removal that matters against the intended target; when the hand contains both a discard spell and Entomb plus Reanimate, lead with discard unless the opponent is tapped out or losing the target window would be worse.
|
||||
- Remove hate permanents before forcing a graveyard line through them. Feed the Swarm should answer enchantment or creature hate that actually stops Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, or graveyard access; Meltdown and Shenanigans should answer artifact hate or prison artifacts, with Shenanigans preferred when repeated artifact removal is worth the draw-replacement cost.
|
||||
- Exile opposing graveyard resources only when the opposing graveyard is part of their engine. Leyline of the Void is pregame pressure for graveyard mirrors; Dauthi Voidwalker is slower but also attacks hands and graveyards through normal play. Do not overvalue graveyard hate against fair decks whose visible plan is battlefield pressure and stack interaction.
|
||||
- Prioritize target selection as interaction. Griselbrand is the default stabilizer and reload target when life total supports activation; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the safer reload target when life is pressured; Archon of Cruelty pressures hand, board, and life totals; Serra's Emissary is the protection target when the relevant card type is clear; Iona, Shield of Emeria is the color-lock target when the opponent's visible resources are color-constrained.
|
||||
- Treat Collective Brutality as flexible interaction, not generic cleanup. Use discard mode to put Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, or Iona, Shield of Emeria into the graveyard when that unlocks reanimation; use hand-disruption mode when a specific instant or sorcery matters; use removal or drain modes only when the legal target and life swing materially affect survival or a race.
|
||||
- Bait with redundant enablers before exposing the only payoff chain. Faithless Looting, extra Entomb, or a lower-value reanimation spell can draw out interaction when there is redundancy; do not bait with the only Reanimate or Animate Dead if the graveyard has exactly one critical target and no second route.
|
||||
- Ignore low-impact battlefield pressure when a protected reanimation line wins faster. Small attackers, nonlethal value creatures, and slow engines are lower priority than cards that stop the graveyard, counter the reanimation spell, exile the target, or kill through the next attack step.
|
||||
- Change priorities by archetype. Against fast combo, discard the payoff or enabler that creates the earliest kill and consider Chancellor of the Annex; against blue control, clear stack interaction before reanimation and prefer reload targets; against artifact prison, preserve red mana for Meltdown or Shenanigans; against creature swarms, prioritize Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite or Archon of Cruelty lines over pure card draw.
|
||||
|
||||
## Combat And Trading Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Attack with reanimated creatures unless blocking is required for survival. Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Chancellor of the Annex, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Dauthi Voidwalker, and Magus of the Moon should pressure life totals when attacks are legal and do not expose a needed blocker to a worse crackback.
|
||||
- Preserve the engine creature over minor combat damage. Do not trade Griselbrand or Atraxa, Grand Unifier for ordinary attackers when their next attack, lifelink, draw, or card-selection impact is likely to dominate; block only when life total, lethal pressure, or a known combat rule makes blocking necessary.
|
||||
- Use Griselbrand lifelink as a life-total reset, but respect Reanimate and draw costs. If life is low after Reanimate, attacking or blocking with Griselbrand may be more important than activating immediately; if life is high enough, drawing before choosing the next line can find discard, Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, or another reanimation spell.
|
||||
- Treat Atraxa, Grand Unifier as a stabilizing body when life payment is unsafe. Atraxa is often the better target when the deck needs cards without paying life, or when the opponent can punish a low-life Griselbrand line before lifelink connects.
|
||||
- Use Archon of Cruelty to convert combat into resource denial. Attacking with Archon is usually better than holding it back unless the opponent can present lethal, because the attack trigger pressures life, hand, board, and recovery at once.
|
||||
- Name protection with Serra's Emissary according to the visible losing axis. Choose the card type that stops the opponent's actual route through the board or interaction; do not assume it protects against every answer, and do not choose a type based on hidden cards unless discard or public information revealed the need.
|
||||
- Let Iona, Shield of Emeria end games by constraining the opponent, not by racing alone. Attack when safe, but the main combat rule is to avoid unnecessary trades if the named color is locking the opponent out of relevant spells.
|
||||
- Trade sideboard creatures only when their hate job is finished or survival demands it. Dauthi Voidwalker should usually stay alive while opposing graveyard use matters; Magus of the Moon should not enter combat if its static effect is the reason the opponent is constrained; Chancellor of the Annex can trade more freely once its tax role is no longer decisive.
|
||||
- Shift blocking by matchup. Against creature swarms, prioritize stabilizing blocks and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite lines; against control, keep pressure high and avoid giving removal a clean tempo window; against combo, combat is secondary to discard, tax, and the fastest reanimation clock.
|
||||
|
||||
## Selection And Tutor Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Entomb selects the creature that solves the current visible problem, not the most expensive creature by default. Search for Griselbrand when life total supports card draw or lifelink stabilization, Atraxa, Grand Unifier when paying life is unsafe and a reload body is needed, Archon of Cruelty when the opponent's board or hand must be compressed, Serra's Emissary when one known card type is the losing axis, and Iona, Shield of Emeria when public information shows a color lock will matter.
|
||||
- Entomb should usually wait until the reanimation turn if the opponent can exile graveyards or use the information. Cast Entomb in the opponent's end step or immediately before Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead when mana and priority allow; cast it earlier only when Faithless Looting, Collective Brutality, discard protection, or available mana requires committing the graveyard first.
|
||||
- Faithless Looting is selection plus discard setup, not generic card advantage. Keep hands that can draw two and discard Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, or Iona, Shield of Emeria into an immediate or protected reanimation line; discard redundant lands, extra large creatures, or duplicate enablers only after preserving enough mana and reanimation spells.
|
||||
- Faithless Looting flashback consumes three mana including one red and the card from graveyard. Use flashback after the first reanimation attempt is stopped, after Griselbrand or Atraxa, Grand Unifier refills into mana, or when the hand lacks both a target and a reanimation spell; do not spend the flashback window if red mana is needed for Meltdown, Shenanigans, or Magus of the Moon post-sideboard.
|
||||
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier selection should rebuild the next protected chain. When the engine presents revealed card-type choices, prioritize a reanimation spell if the first creature may die, then discard protection such as Thoughtseize or Unmask, then mana from Lotus Petal or Dark Ritual, then a second target; do not choose a redundant creature over the only available enabler unless the current battlefield creature already wins without more spells.
|
||||
- Fetch lands should preserve access before filtering. Polluted Delta can find Badlands or Swamp in this registered deck, and Bloodstained Mire can find Badlands or Swamp; fetch Badlands when red is needed for Faithless Looting or sideboard cards, fetch Swamp when life total, Wasteland exposure, or black-density sequencing is more important.
|
||||
- Land-drop timing should follow known mana needs. Delay Polluted Delta or Bloodstained Mire briefly when Faithless Looting, discard, or Atraxa, Grand Unifier information could change which land is needed, but make the land drop before casting Dark Ritual, Thoughtseize, Entomb, or a reanimation spell if missing the mana would pass a winning turn.
|
||||
- Collective Brutality discards selected cards as an escalation cost, so choose modes and discard payload together. Escalate when the discarded creature immediately enables Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead, or when discarding an extra card strips a relevant instant or sorcery; avoid discarding the only reanimation spell or only red source just to add a low-impact mode.
|
||||
- Unmask selection should remove the card that blocks the next committed line. If the hand contains graveyard hate, stack interaction, and pressure, choose the hate or counter that interacts with Entomb or the reanimation spell before taking a slower threat; if the line relies on Exhume, also account for the opponent's best creature already in graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
## Priority And Stack Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Cast discard before the commitment spell when priority and mana permit. Thoughtseize or Unmask should clear known counterspells, graveyard hate, or surgical effects before Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead; skip that step only when the opponent is tapped out, the discard is unavailable, or waiting exposes the target to a worse public risk.
|
||||
- Use Entomb at instant speed to minimize exposure. The clean window is after the opponent passes with no relevant action, on their end step, or in the same main phase immediately before the reanimation spell; do not Entomb a key target into an active graveyard-hate permanent unless the next legal action can answer the hate or win through it.
|
||||
- Respond to graveyard interaction with legal available tools only. If the opponent targets the graveyard or chosen creature and Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead is still legal in response, evaluate whether moving first saves the line; if the hate effect already prevents graveyard use or exiles the target as part of a resolving spell or ability, do not assume the target remains available.
|
||||
- Let your own discard spell fully resolve before choosing the reanimation target when possible. Revealed-hand information can change Entomb from Griselbrand to Iona, Shield of Emeria, Serra's Emissary, Archon of Cruelty, or Atraxa, Grand Unifier, so avoid locking in a graveyard target before seeing whether the opponent's hand contains removal, counterplay, or a color-constrained plan.
|
||||
- Treat Exhume as symmetrical on resolution. Cast Exhume when the opponent has no meaningful creature in graveyard, when your returned target beats their return, or when speed matters more than their resource; prefer Reanimate or Animate Dead if the opponent's graveyard contains a creature that races, removes, or invalidates your target.
|
||||
- Animate Dead exposes both the graveyard target and the enchantment. Prefer it when life loss from Reanimate is unsafe or mana supports a slower line; avoid relying on it when visible enchantment removal or a known stack answer makes the reanimated creature less secure than a Reanimate line.
|
||||
- Reanimate spends life equal to the target's mana value. Use it aggressively for early Griselbrand or Atraxa, Grand Unifier when life remains above the opponent's visible damage, but switch targets or use Exhume or Animate Dead when Reanimate would put the pilot into known lethal range.
|
||||
- Griselbrand activation is a priority decision, not automatic. Draw seven when life total remains safe after the payment and cards are needed before passing priority; delay activation when lifelink combat, known damage, or Reanimate life loss makes the payment dangerous.
|
||||
- Sideboard hate changes priority windows. Leyline of the Void matters before the game begins if in opening hand; Dauthi Voidwalker must be deployed before the opposing graveyard turn when possible; Meltdown is a sorcery-speed artifact answer, Feed the Swarm is a sorcery-speed creature or enchantment answer, and Shenanigans can replace a draw with dredge only when repeated artifact removal is worth losing that draw.
|
||||
|
||||
## Sideboard Map
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact pressure and prison should add Meltdown as the cleanest broad answer to artifact mana, cheap lock pieces, and artifact creature boards. Meltdown is a sorcery, so plan the turn around red mana and its X value; it also destroys your own Lotus Petal when X is high enough for zero-mana artifacts, so spend or preserve Lotus Petal intentionally before casting it.
|
||||
- Graveyard mirrors and graveyard combo should add Leyline of the Void when opening-hand hate changes the first turn. Leyline of the Void is strongest before the game begins and weaker as a late draw; it also conflicts with Exhume lines that expect opposing graveyards to matter less, so treat it as matchup hate, not a default protection piece.
|
||||
- Creature or enchantment hate permanents should add Feed the Swarm when the opposing card can stop Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Entomb, or graveyard access. Feed the Swarm is a sorcery and costs life equal to the destroyed permanent's mana value, so do not point it at a low-impact permanent when Reanimate life payments or opposing damage make life the bottleneck.
|
||||
- Graveyard decks that also fight on board should add Dauthi Voidwalker when a permanent hate body is better than only opening-hand Leyline of the Void. Dauthi Voidwalker changes the deck toward a disruptive creature plan; it is weaker when the opponent can remove creatures easily before using the graveyard or when the pilot must maximize turn-one reanimation density.
|
||||
- Fast stack-combo or turn-one mirrors should add Chancellor of the Annex when pregame pressure on the opponent's first spell matters. Chancellor of the Annex is not a reanimation enabler by itself, but it can be a reanimation target in games where taxing the first opposing action buys the turn needed for Entomb plus Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead.
|
||||
- Small-creature battlefields should add Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite when the reanimation target must stabilize the board immediately. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is poor when the opponent wins through stack interaction, graveyard hate, noncreature permanents, or large threats that ignore the stat swing.
|
||||
- Nonbasic-land-dependent opponents should add Magus of the Moon when the game can be won by constraining mana before or after a large creature arrives. Magus of the Moon changes this deck into a light prison-threat deck; it is risky when the pilot still needs Badlands plus fetch sequencing, when red mana is not available early, or when the opponent has basic lands and creature removal.
|
||||
- Repeatable artifact hate should add Shenanigans when the opponent presents multiple artifacts over time and a single Meltdown is either too slow, too symmetrical, or too likely to be countered. Shenanigans can use dredge instead of a draw, so choose dredge only when repeated artifact destruction is worth delaying fresh cards toward Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, or discard.
|
||||
|
||||
Artifact prison / 8-Cast / artifact-heavy tempo
|
||||
Side in: 3 Meltdown; 1 Shenanigans; 2 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
Cut: 1 Serra's Emissary; 1 Animate Dead; 1 Archon of Cruelty; 1 Collective Brutality; 1 Exhume; 1 Faithless Looting
|
||||
|
||||
Graveyard mirror / Dredge / Reanimator-style opponent
|
||||
Side in: 3 Leyline of the Void; 2 Dauthi Voidwalker; 2 Chancellor of the Annex
|
||||
Cut: 3 Collective Brutality; 1 Serra's Emissary; 1 Reanimate; 1 Animate Dead; 1 Faithless Looting
|
||||
|
||||
Creature swarm or tribal battlefield deck
|
||||
Side in: 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite; 2 Feed the Swarm; 2 Chancellor of the Annex
|
||||
Cut: 1 Exhume; 1 Serra's Emissary; 1 Collective Brutality; 1 Unmask; 1 Faithless Looting
|
||||
|
||||
Nonbasic mana-control target
|
||||
Side in: 1 Magus of the Moon; 2 Chancellor of the Annex; 2 Feed the Swarm
|
||||
Cut: 1 Serra's Emissary; 1 Archon of Cruelty; 1 Collective Brutality; 1 Exhume; 1 Faithless Looting
|
||||
|
||||
- Against blue tempo and counterspell decks, add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex when the first opposing spell tax matters, Dauthi Voidwalker when graveyard pressure or flashback-style resources are relevant, and Feed the Swarm only for visible permanent hate that must be answered at sorcery speed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower duplicate targets and some Collective Brutality when the opposing deck has few important instants or sorceries beyond stack interaction already handled by Thoughtseize and Unmask.
|
||||
- Against fast combo, add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex for pregame and reanimation-target tax pressure, Thoughtseize and Unmask remain central, and Leyline of the Void enters only when the opposing combo materially uses the graveyard. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only stabilization targets such as Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite unless the combo wins through creatures on board.
|
||||
- Against artifact lock decks, add role cards: Meltdown, Shenanigans, and Feed the Swarm for artifacts, enchantments, and creature hate that prevent the graveyard plan. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Exhume when the opponent can place meaningful artifact creatures or other creatures in graveyard, and the least matchup-specific singleton reanimation targets.
|
||||
- Against graveyard hate decks with Leyline of the Void, Rest in Peace-style enchantments, or creature-based hate, add role cards: Feed the Swarm for creature or enchantment hate, Dauthi Voidwalker when opposing graveyard use is also important, and Chancellor of the Annex when forcing the opponent to spend extra mana before hate resolves matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: all-in Entomb exposure before the hate card is answered.
|
||||
- Against fair creature decks, add role cards: Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite when the battlefield is the axis, Feed the Swarm for disruptive creatures or enchantments, and Chancellor of the Annex when the opponent's first removal or hate spell is the key blocker. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Iona, Shield of Emeria when the opponent has multiple colors of removal or threats, and Serra's Emissary when the relevant card type is unclear from public information.
|
||||
- Against nonbasic-heavy control or prison, add role cards: Magus of the Moon when the pilot can fetch Swamp or secure red mana first, Chancellor of the Annex to protect the first decisive turn, and Feed the Swarm for enchantment hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: red flashback plans from Faithless Looting if Magus of the Moon will constrain Badlands access and the pilot lacks Lotus Petal.
|
||||
- Keep the core reanimation density high unless the sideboard card directly answers a card that prevents the deck from functioning. Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Entomb, Faithless Looting, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Thoughtseize, and Unmask are the deck's speed engine; sideboarding should usually adjust target mix and narrow support before weakening the ability to present a turn-one or turn-two large creature.
|
||||
- Choose target mix after seeing the opposing axis. Griselbrand remains the default engine target in most post-board games, Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the rebuild target when card type selection matters, Archon of Cruelty is the pressure-and-resource target, Serra's Emissary is for a known card-type shield, Iona, Shield of Emeria is for color-constrained opponents, and sideboard targets fill narrow battlefield or tax roles.
|
||||
|
||||
## Matchup Guidance
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro: Prioritize a fast reanimation line over incremental filtering because the opponent is trying to make life total matter before Griselbrand can stabilize. Griselbrand is still the default target when Reanimate life loss is survivable; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is better when the pilot needs a large stabilizer plus replacement resources; Archon of Cruelty is strong when one opposing creature or one card in hand matters. Add role cards: Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite against small-creature battlefields, Feed the Swarm when a hate creature or enchantment must be answered, and Chancellor of the Annex when taxing the first opposing spell protects the setup turn. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow singletons whose protection or color-lock text is not clearly aligned with public information.
|
||||
|
||||
- Control: Lead with discard before committing Entomb or a reanimation spell whenever the hand can afford the delay. Thoughtseize and Unmask should clear permission, graveyard hate, or a removal answer that matters against Animate Dead; Collective Brutality is useful only when its visible modes line up with the opponent's hand, creature, or life-total pressure. Griselbrand is the best default because drawing into another discard spell, Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, or reanimation effect can overpower one-for-one answers. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex for first-spell pressure, Magus of the Moon against nonbasic-dependent control when this deck can preserve Swamp or red access first, and Feed the Swarm for resolved enchantment hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only stabilizers and redundant high-cost targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Combo: Treat the matchup as a race plus hand-disruption check, not as a fair resource game. Thoughtseize and Unmask should take the card that allows the opponent to win before the reanimated creature attacks or draws into more disruption. Griselbrand is usually preferred because it can find another discard spell or a second reanimation line; Iona, Shield of Emeria is only preferred when public information shows the opponent is strongly constrained by one color. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex against fast spell-based starts and Leyline of the Void or Dauthi Voidwalker only when the opposing combo actually uses the graveyard. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and other battlefield-only cards unless the combo wins through creatures.
|
||||
|
||||
- Tempo: Respect that the opponent may combine a fast clock with stack interaction, so do not spend Lotus Petal or Dark Ritual on a line that loses to one known or likely answer when a discard-first line is available. Thoughtseize is usually better before Entomb if the hand already has a reanimation spell; Faithless Looting is better when the hand lacks a target or needs to convert extra large creatures into graveyard setup. Griselbrand is the default stabilizer, while Archon of Cruelty can be better when one threat and one card in hand are the opponent's whole pressure plan. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex and Dauthi Voidwalker when the opponent uses graveyard resources. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow duplicate setup pieces that expose the pilot to soft permission without adding a second threat.
|
||||
|
||||
- Midrange: Force the opponent to answer a must-answer creature before their discard, removal, and hate pieces accumulate. Griselbrand is the best snowball target when life total allows a draw burst; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the better rebuild target after discard or removal; Archon of Cruelty is strong when the opponent is playing one creature at a time. Add role cards: Feed the Swarm for hate permanents, Dauthi Voidwalker when graveyards matter on both sides, and Magus of the Moon when nonbasic mana is the opponent's structural weakness. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Iona, Shield of Emeria if the opponent's threats and answers span multiple colors.
|
||||
|
||||
- Big mana: Race first and disrupt the enabler that changes the clock, because this deck normally wins before expensive battlefield plans matter. Thoughtseize and Unmask should take the opponent's fastest payoff, mana burst, or hate piece depending on visible hand contents. Griselbrand is the default target because it can chain into additional disruption; Iona, Shield of Emeria is only attractive when one color clearly contains the opponent's relevant castable spells. Add role cards: Magus of the Moon when nonbasic lands are central, Chancellor of the Annex when the opponent's first spell is pivotal, and Feed the Swarm only for visible permanent hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-combat stabilizers.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard decks: Do not cast Exhume casually when the opponent can return a creature that races, answers, or invalidates this deck's target. Thoughtseize and Unmask should identify whether the opponent is faster, has graveyard hate, or can benefit from both graveyards. Add role cards: Leyline of the Void for opening-hand graveyard suppression, Dauthi Voidwalker for an on-board graveyard replacement threat, and Chancellor of the Annex when the first turn matters. Griselbrand is still the default target if the pilot can immediately convert cards into protection; Archon of Cruelty is better when forcing sacrifice or discard is tactically relevant. Reduce main-deck emphasis: some Exhume exposure and slow non-engine targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact/enchantment decks: Identify whether the artifact or enchantment is a lock piece, graveyard hate, mana engine, or creature threat before choosing a sideboard answer. Meltdown is for artifact clusters, Shenanigans is for repeated artifact pressure over multiple turns, and Feed the Swarm is the registered answer that can address enchantment hate or a creature that stops the plan. Do not dilute the reanimation core more than necessary; a fast Griselbrand or Atraxa, Grand Unifier can beat many artifact boards if the hate piece is removed first. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Exhume when opposing artifact creatures or graveyard creatures make it risky, and the least aligned singleton target.
|
||||
|
||||
- Go-wide: Stabilize with a target that changes combat immediately instead of relying on one large blocker when the opponent can attack around it. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is the sideboard target for small-creature swarms; Griselbrand is still acceptable when lifelink combat and extra cards are enough; Serra's Emissary is only correct when the relevant card type is known from public information and protects the actual losing axis. Add role cards: Feed the Swarm for disruptive permanents and Chancellor of the Annex when the opponent's first post-board hate spell is the key obstacle. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Iona, Shield of Emeria against multicolor creature decks.
|
||||
|
||||
- Single-threat decks: Target the opponent's narrow pressure plan with discard and choose a creature that either dominates combat or attacks their hand and board. Archon of Cruelty is strong when one creature or one card is the opponent's main resource; Griselbrand is strong when the pilot needs to draw into more disruption; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is better after both players trade resources. Add role cards: Feed the Swarm if the single threat is a creature that must be removed or if an enchantment hate piece is visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: swarm-specific cards such as Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite unless the opponent can pivot wide.
|
||||
|
||||
- Burn: Treat Reanimate life payment as a resource with a hard survival gate, not as automatic speed. Griselbrand can stabilize if the pilot survives the payment and combat step, while Animate Dead or Exhume may be safer than Reanimate when life total is already pressured. Collective Brutality is high-value when its modes can trade with a spell, a small creature, or life-total pressure without weakening the reanimation line. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex when taxing the first spell matters and Feed the Swarm only for specific permanents that must be answered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: painful or slow lines when a non-Reanimate route is available.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal-heavy decks: Prefer Griselbrand or Atraxa, Grand Unifier when the first creature may die, because they can replace resources before or after the exchange. Animate Dead is vulnerable to enchantment interaction and creature removal sequences, so use discard first when visible or likely answers matter. Serra's Emissary and Iona, Shield of Emeria require precise public-information alignment; do not name or choose a shield axis blindly. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex to tax the first answer, Dauthi Voidwalker when graveyard exchange matters, and Magus of the Moon if mana denial constrains removal colors. Reduce main-deck emphasis: all-in lines that produce one fragile creature with no follow-up.
|
||||
|
||||
## Specific Matchup Notes
|
||||
|
||||
- General note: These notes are archetype-only because no exact opposing decklists are supplied, and revealed cards must override assumptions. Use Thoughtseize and Unmask to identify whether the opponent is presenting graveyard hate, stack interaction, faster pressure, or a permanent lock piece before committing Entomb, Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead.
|
||||
|
||||
- Fast combo: Prioritize the opponent's enabler or protection spell over a slower payoff when discard sees both, because this deck can often win on the next turn if the opposing first kill attempt is broken. Griselbrand is the preferred target when it can draw into more discard or another reanimation line. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex and Dauthi Voidwalker. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower singleton targets that do not disrupt the opponent immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
- Blue permission: Lead with discard when possible, then reanimate in the same turn if mana allows, because giving the opponent another draw step increases the chance that one answer becomes two. Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal are strongest when they compress discard plus Entomb plus Reanimate or Animate Dead into one turn. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex and, when graveyards matter, Dauthi Voidwalker. Reduce main-deck emphasis: exposed Exhume lines if the opponent can profit from a graveyard creature.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard hate decks: Treat the first visible hate permanent or replacement effect as the priority target unless the current hand can win before it matters. Feed the Swarm answers relevant permanent hate within its legal target range, while Meltdown and Shenanigans are for artifact-based obstruction or artifact-heavy boards. Add role cards: Feed the Swarm, Meltdown, Shenanigans, and Dauthi Voidwalker as appropriate to the revealed hate type. Reduce main-deck emphasis: all-in Entomb lines without an answer already available.
|
||||
|
||||
- Creature swarms: Choose a target that changes the battlefield immediately rather than a target that only draws cards if the pilot is already under lethal pressure. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is the sideboard reanimation target for small-creature boards, while Griselbrand can stabilize when lifelink combat and extra cards are enough. Add role cards: Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and Feed the Swarm. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Iona, Shield of Emeria against multicolor creature pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact mana or artifact prison: Remove the artifact cluster before spending the only reanimation window if the artifact board prevents the creature from mattering. Meltdown is the burst answer to multiple artifacts, while Shenanigans is the repeat-pressure answer when the game will extend. Add role cards: Meltdown and Shenanigans, with Feed the Swarm only for nonartifact permanent problems it can legally answer. Reduce main-deck emphasis: fragile one-threat lines that lose to a still-active lock piece.
|
||||
|
||||
- Fair black or red removal: Prefer Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Archon of Cruelty depending on whether the game is about drawing through answers, rebuilding resources, or attacking one card and one creature. Animate Dead exposes the plan to both creature removal and enchantment interaction, so discard first when the opponent's hand is unknown and time permits. Add role cards: Chancellor of the Annex, Feed the Swarm for hate permanents, and Magus of the Moon when nonbasic mana is the opponent's weak point. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow shield targets chosen without public information.
|
||||
|
||||
## Risk Summary
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana risk: The deck has few lands and depends heavily on Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, Badlands, and Swamp to assemble black mana on time. Mulligans and sequencing must respect that Faithless Looting needs red access, while most reanimation, discard, and setup lines require black mana immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup risk: The deck is powerful but narrow, so opponents with fast clocks plus disruption can punish any hand that has only setup or only payoff. Thoughtseize and Unmask must identify whether the matchup is a race, a hate-piece fight, or a stack-interaction fight before the pilot spends its graveyard enabler.
|
||||
|
||||
- Draw risk: Griselbrand and Faithless Looting can convert cards into velocity, but hands with too many large creatures and no discard outlet or Entomb can stall. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is a strong rebuild target, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed immediate kill.
|
||||
|
||||
- Over-sideboarding risk: Sideboarding too many Meltdown, Leyline of the Void, Feed the Swarm, Dauthi Voidwalker, Chancellor of the Annex, Magus of the Moon, Shenanigans, or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite can reduce the density of Entomb plus reanimation starts. Keep the core plan intact unless revealed cards prove that a specific hate axis must be answered.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard risk: Exhume is symmetrical and can help the opponent if their graveyard contains a relevant creature. Leyline of the Void and Dauthi Voidwalker can change graveyard texture post-board, but they also require opening-hand or battlefield timing discipline.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sweeper/removal risk: A single reanimated creature can lose to removal, bounce, sacrifice effects, or enchantment interaction with Animate Dead. Use discard before committing when the opponent is likely to hold an answer, and prefer resource-generating targets when the first creature may not survive.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer risk: Serra's Emissary and Iona, Shield of Emeria are high-impact only when the chosen axis is known from public information and actually blocks the opponent's relevant actions. Default to Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Archon of Cruelty when the opponent's colors, card types, or answer mix are uncertain.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction risk: Collective Brutality is flexible but can weaken the reanimation plan if it discards the wrong card or spends too many resources for a low-impact exchange. Use it to bridge discard, removal, and life pressure only when the selected modes advance the current plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequencing risk: Entomb before discard can expose the exact plan, while discard before Entomb can miss a chance to act before the opponent draws or deploys hate. Choose the order from visible mana, current hand redundancy, opponent hand knowledge, and whether the pilot can reanimate in the same turn.
|
||||
|
||||
## Test Feedback Checklist
|
||||
|
||||
- Deciding factor: Record whether the match was decided by speed, graveyard access, hand disruption, mana, a hate permanent, stack interaction, or the first reanimated creature failing to close. Tie the answer to the exact cards involved, such as Entomb, Faithless Looting, Reanimate, Exhume, Animate Dead, Thoughtseize, Unmask, or Collective Brutality.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligans: Identify each keep that lacked one of three essentials: a graveyard enabler, a reanimation spell, or black mana from Swamp, Badlands, Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, Lotus Petal, or Dark Ritual. Mark whether the hand was kept because it had disruption, velocity, or a sideboard card, and whether that reason actually mattered.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana: Check whether Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal produced a compressed winning turn or were stranded by color, sequencing, or missing payoff. Note any game where Faithless Looting required red access but the hand only functioned as a black-mana hand.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity: Track whether Faithless Looting, Griselbrand, and Atraxa, Grand Unifier converted into a second wave after the first threat. If the deck drew cards but failed to produce a legal reanimation line, record whether the bottleneck was creature density, graveyard access, reanimation spell count, or mana.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engine execution: Record whether Entomb selected the correct target for the revealed matchup and board state. Flag cases where Griselbrand was chosen but immediate cards were less important than a lock-style creature, or where Serra's Emissary or Iona, Shield of Emeria was chosen without enough public information to justify the protected axis.
|
||||
|
||||
- Disruption timing: Review whether Thoughtseize, Unmask, and Collective Brutality were used before the commitment turn when the opponent had unknown interaction. Mark any game where discard was spent on a lower-impact card while a visible hate piece, permission spell, or faster kill remained the real constraint.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal and utility: Note whether Collective Brutality, Feed the Swarm, Meltdown, and Shenanigans answered the problem they were brought to solve. Separate failures caused by missing the answer from failures caused by drawing the answer after the legal window had passed.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard impact: Record which sideboard cards were drawn, cast, or stranded: Meltdown, Leyline of the Void, Feed the Swarm, Dauthi Voidwalker, Chancellor of the Annex, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Magus of the Moon, and Shenanigans. Mark whether sideboarding reduced the main plan so much that Entomb plus reanimation density fell below functional levels.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closing: Track whether Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Archon of Cruelty, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite ended the game from the position where it was chosen. If the opponent stabilized, record whether the failure was removal, racing, blockers, graveyard hate, or insufficient follow-up.
|
||||
|
||||
- Role assignment: After each match, state whether Reanimator was the faster combo deck, the disruption deck, or the answer-seeking deck. Flag mistakes where the pilot played for a long game with a hand built to race, or raced into a known answer when discard or Feed the Swarm was available.
|
||||
|
||||
- Stranded cards: List every card stranded in hand for two or more turns and why it was stranded. Common categories are uncastable large creatures, excess Exhume without a safe graveyard texture, Animate Dead exposed to removal, or sideboard cards with no legal target.
|
||||
|
||||
- Over/underperformers: Name exact cards that exceeded or missed expectations in the match. Prioritize repeat patterns over single-game variance, especially for Collective Brutality, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Magus of the Moon, and Chancellor of the Annex.
|
||||
|
||||
## First Tuning Questions
|
||||
|
||||
- Reanimation density: Is the full set of Reanimate, Exhume, and Animate Dead producing too many redundant spells, or is the deck still losing because the first reanimation attempt is answered? If redundancy is excessive, test whether the weak point is actually target quality or protection timing before reducing engine cards.
|
||||
|
||||
- Target mix: Are Griselbrand and Atraxa, Grand Unifier enough as default resource targets, or does the deck need more copies of a battlefield-swinging target like Archon of Cruelty or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite? If Serra's Emissary or Iona, Shield of Emeria is often chosen incorrectly, consider whether those slots are too matchup-dependent for current pilot accuracy.
|
||||
|
||||
- Discard balance: Are Thoughtseize, Unmask, and Collective Brutality creating enough protected commitment turns, or are they leaving the deck too low on cards after a failed reanimation attempt? If Unmask is strong only with redundant black cards, track how often it consumes the only reanimation target or necessary follow-up.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana configuration: Are Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, Badlands, Swamp, Lotus Petal, and Dark Ritual enough to support both black-heavy starts and Faithless Looting turns? If red access is late too often, evaluate whether the fetchable mana mix is the failure rather than the spell package.
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro plan: Against creature pressure, is Griselbrand lifelink stabilizing often enough, or is Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite needed more frequently as a reanimation target? If small-creature boards remain a problem, decide whether the sideboard wants more board-impact targets or more early interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- Control plan: Against discard-resistant or permission-heavy opponents, is Chancellor of the Annex meaningfully protecting the first turn, or would more resilient follow-up threats be better? Track whether losses happen before the first creature resolves or after it resolves and is answered.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hate plan: Are Feed the Swarm, Meltdown, Shenanigans, Dauthi Voidwalker, and Leyline of the Void covering the actual hate being faced? If artifact hate is common, compare Meltdown's burst role against Shenanigans's repeat role; if permanent hate is varied, check whether Feed the Swarm is too few.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer conflict: Are Magus of the Moon, Leyline of the Void, and Dauthi Voidwalker helping specific matchups without pulling the deck away from Entomb plus reanimation? If fair-plan sideboard cards win slowly, track whether they buy enough time for the core engine or merely create a weaker midrange deck.
|
||||
|
||||
- Quantity pressure: Which card is most often the fourth copy too many or the singleton too narrow: Collective Brutality, Faithless Looting, Griselbrand, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Serra's Emissary, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Meltdown, or Chancellor of the Annex? Tune only after repeated logs show the same failure mode.
|
||||
|
||||
## Veles Tactical Policy
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Opening Hand Engine Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: mulligan
|
||||
- Cards: Entomb; Faithless Looting; Reanimate; Exhume; Animate Dead; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Dark Ritual; Lotus Petal; Thoughtseize; Unmask
|
||||
- Phase windows: pregame
|
||||
- Runtime cues: opening hand; mulligan decision
|
||||
- Use when: deciding whether the hand can produce a protected or redundant reanimation line by turn one or two.
|
||||
- Avoid when: keeping a hand with only large creatures and no discard outlet, no Entomb, and no reanimation spell.
|
||||
- Instructions: Keep hands with mana, graveyard access, and reanimation; value discard protection against unknown blue or fast combo opponents. Faithless Looting hands need red access or enough black action to function without it.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Early Mana Setup
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana
|
||||
- Cards: Polluted Delta; Bloodstained Mire; Badlands; Swamp; Lotus Petal; Dark Ritual; Faithless Looting; Entomb; Thoughtseize; Reanimate; Animate Dead; Exhume
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; opponent end step
|
||||
- Runtime cues: land play; mana ability; fetch action
|
||||
- Use when: choosing first land, fetch target, or fast mana sequence.
|
||||
- Avoid when: sacrificing Lotus Petal before the line needs its color.
|
||||
- Instructions: Fetch Swamp when black is enough and life matters; fetch Badlands when Faithless Looting or sideboard red cards are part of the visible line. Spend Dark Ritual on same-turn discard plus Entomb plus reanimation, not on isolated setup that leaves no payoff.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: First Graveyard Enabler
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: selection; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Entomb; Faithless Looting; Collective Brutality; Unmask; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; opponent end step
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Entomb; action:cast Faithless Looting; action:cast Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Use when: the deck needs the first creature in its graveyard.
|
||||
- Avoid when: public graveyard hate prevents the creature from remaining available for the selected reanimation spell.
|
||||
- Instructions: Entomb is the clean setup card; Faithless Looting and Collective Brutality can discard drawn targets. Default to Griselbrand for cards and lifelink unless public information points to Atraxa, Grand Unifier for recovery, Archon of Cruelty for board pressure, Serra's Emissary for a known damage axis, or Iona, Shield of Emeria for a known color lock.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Target Self With Entomb After Commitment
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: selection
|
||||
- Cards: Entomb; Griselbrand
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent end step; precombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target self Griselbrand
|
||||
- Use when: Entomb is resolving, Griselbrand is a legal library search or target choice in visible action text, and the selected plan already committed to Griselbrand.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the selected plan names Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria; or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite instead.
|
||||
- Instructions: Choose the visible self Griselbrand target action exactly when the prior commitment selected Griselbrand as the reanimation target.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Reanimation Commitment Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Reanimate; Exhume; Animate Dead; Thoughtseize; Unmask; Collective Brutality; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; postcombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Reanimate; action:cast Exhume; action:cast Animate Dead
|
||||
- Use when: choosing whether to start the first reanimation attempt.
|
||||
- Avoid when: known opposing hand, battlefield, or graveyard state shows an answer that should be stripped or answered first.
|
||||
- Instructions: Lead with Thoughtseize, Unmask, or Collective Brutality before committing when the opponent may have permission, graveyard hate, or instant-speed removal. Prefer same-turn commitment when waiting exposes the graveyard creature or gives the opponent a draw step to find hate.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Cast Reanimate On Selected Creature
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority
|
||||
- Cards: Reanimate; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Reanimate
|
||||
- Use when: Reanimate is legal, the selected creature card is in a graveyard, and life total remains above the selected creature card's mana value plus expected visible damage this turn.
|
||||
- Avoid when: Reanimate life loss makes visible lethal damage possible before Griselbrand lifelink or another stabilizing effect can matter.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use Reanimate for the fastest kill or recovery line; account for life loss as a real cost, especially after Thoughtseize and fetchlands.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Cast Exhume Only With Graveyard Texture Checked
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Exhume; Entomb; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Exhume
|
||||
- Use when: Exhume is legal and the opponent has no creature card in graveyard that visibly races, answers, or invalidates the selected threat.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the opponent graveyard contains a creature that creates a worse battlefield than waiting or using Reanimate or Animate Dead.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat Exhume as symmetrical; check both graveyards before choosing it. If the opponent gains a creature, make sure your reanimated creature still wins the exchange.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Animate Dead Exposure Check
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Animate Dead; Thoughtseize; Unmask; Collective Brutality; Feed the Swarm
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; postcombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Animate Dead
|
||||
- Use when: Animate Dead is the available reanimation spell and the target creature is worth exposing to enchantment removal.
|
||||
- Avoid when: visible or known enchantment interaction will remove Animate Dead before the creature produces value.
|
||||
- Instructions: Prefer discard before Animate Dead when the opponent may answer the Aura. Use it confidently when the target has immediate impact or the opponent is constrained on mana.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Hidden Hand Disruption Before Combo
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Thoughtseize; Unmask; Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Thoughtseize; action:cast Unmask; action:cast Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Use when: the opponent has unknown hand cards and the turn can support disruption before reanimation.
|
||||
- Avoid when: spending the disruption card removes the only black card, discard outlet, mana, or reanimation spell needed for the turn.
|
||||
- Instructions: Take the card that stops the current line, not the card with the highest generic power. Prioritize permission, graveyard hate, instant-speed removal for Animate Dead, and faster combo pieces.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Unmask Pitch Discipline
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Unmask; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria; Reanimate; Exhume; Animate Dead
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Unmask
|
||||
- Use when: Unmask protects a same-turn or next-turn reanimation attempt.
|
||||
- Avoid when: exiling the only reanimation target, only reanimation spell, or only card that keeps the hand functional.
|
||||
- Instructions: Pitch redundant black cards first. Do not exile the sole large creature unless Entomb or Faithless Looting already supplies another legal target path.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Collective Brutality Mode Commitment
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Collective Brutality; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Use when: Collective Brutality can both discard a reanimation target and disrupt a relevant instant or sorcery, kill a small creature, or buffer life.
|
||||
- Avoid when: escalating discards required engine pieces without a reanimation spell ready.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use escalation to convert stranded large creatures into graveyard resources. Choose modes from visible legal text and public needs; do not assume a mode hits an unknown permanent type.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Griselbrand Draw Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Griselbrand; Reanimate; Faithless Looting; Lotus Petal; Dark Ritual
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; combat; end step; opponent turn
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Griselbrand
|
||||
- Use when: paying 7 life is legal and the cards are needed to find protection, another reanimation spell, mana, or a closing line.
|
||||
- Avoid when: paying 7 life exposes visible lethal before lifelink combat or before the next priority window.
|
||||
- Instructions: Activate aggressively when the first threat must snowball through interaction; hold when attacking with lifelink first changes the life math.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Attack With Reanimated Lifelink Threat
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: combat
|
||||
- Cards: Griselbrand; Archon of Cruelty; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
- Phase windows: beginning of combat; declare attackers
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:attack
|
||||
- Use when: attacking advances lethal, stabilizes life, or triggers the selected threat without losing to visible crackback.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the creature must remain untapped to block a visible lethal attack or when public effects make attacking illegal or ineffective.
|
||||
- Instructions: Griselbrand attacks are often stabilization, not only damage. Archon of Cruelty pressure is valuable when repeated attacks compound sacrifice, discard, and life swing.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Block To Preserve The Engine
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: combat
|
||||
- Cards: Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Archon of Cruelty; Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
- Phase windows: declare blockers
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:block
|
||||
- Use when: blocking prevents lethal damage or preserves enough life to use Griselbrand or Reanimate later.
|
||||
- Avoid when: trading the only reanimated threat for a nonlethal attacker lets the opponent escape the lock or race.
|
||||
- Instructions: Preserve dominant threats unless life total forces a block. Do not assume damage shrinks creatures; evaluate lethal damage and combat rules from engine output.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Anti-Hate Sideboard Entry
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard
|
||||
- Cards: Feed the Swarm; Meltdown; Shenanigans; Magus of the Moon; Dauthi Voidwalker; Leyline of the Void; Chancellor of the Annex; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboard
|
||||
- Runtime cues: sideboarding decision
|
||||
- Use when: post-game public information shows graveyard hate, artifact hate targets, faster graveyard decks, low-resource blue decks, or creature swarms.
|
||||
- Avoid when: adding answers lowers reanimation density below a functional plan.
|
||||
- Instructions: Add Feed the Swarm for enchantment or creature hate, Meltdown for artifact-heavy hate and mana, Shenanigans for repeat artifact pressure, Leyline of the Void and Dauthi Voidwalker for graveyard mirrors, Chancellor of the Annex for early protection, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite for creature boards, and Magus of the Moon for vulnerable mana bases.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Leyline Pregame Reveal
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: pregame; sideboard
|
||||
- Cards: Leyline of the Void
|
||||
- Phase windows: pregame
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:begin game with Leyline of the Void
|
||||
- Use when: Leyline of the Void is in opening hand and the engine presents a legal pregame placement action.
|
||||
- Avoid when: no legal pregame action is offered.
|
||||
- Instructions: Put Leyline of the Void onto the battlefield only through the legal pregame action. Do not treat drawn later copies as free permanents.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Answer Resolved Hate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Feed the Swarm; Meltdown; Shenanigans; Dauthi Voidwalker; Leyline of the Void
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; postcombat main
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Feed the Swarm; action:cast Meltdown; action:cast Shenanigans
|
||||
- Use when: a resolved permanent prevents graveyard setup, reanimation, or mana execution.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the answer does not legally affect the hate permanent shown by the rules engine.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use Feed the Swarm for legal creature or enchantment targets; use Meltdown for artifact clusters; use Shenanigans for recurring artifact pressure. Graveyard hate must be removed before committing Entomb or reanimation into it.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Lock Creature Selection
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: selection
|
||||
- Cards: Serra's Emissary; Iona, Shield of Emeria; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite; Archon of Cruelty; Griselbrand; Atraxa, Grand Unifier
|
||||
- Phase windows: precombat main; opponent end step
|
||||
- Runtime cues: reanimation target selection; Entomb selection
|
||||
- Use when: the matchup or visible battlefield makes a lock or sweeper body better than raw cards.
|
||||
- Avoid when: public information does not identify the damage type, color, or creature-board axis needed for the lock target.
|
||||
- Instructions: Choose Serra's Emissary only with enough information to name a relevant protection axis through legal prompts. Choose Iona, Shield of Emeria only when a color restriction is tactically justified. Choose Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite for creature boards when it is available from sideboarded configuration.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 4
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Preserve Legal Runtime Boundaries
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; selection; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: none
|
||||
- Phase windows: all phases
|
||||
- Runtime cues: legal action list; target prompt; mode prompt
|
||||
- Use when: generated strategy text and engine legal actions appear to conflict.
|
||||
- Avoid when: choosing actions not present in the legal action list.
|
||||
- Instructions: Follow rules-engine legal actions, visible board state, public zones, and prompt wording. Do not invent hidden cards, unlisted targets, unoffered modes, or certainty about opponent hand contents.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
36
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/metadata.json
Normal file
36
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"R"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"legacy"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_reanimator.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_reanimator_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_reanimator",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Reanimator",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
1
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/reflection.md
Normal file
1
strategies/legacy/edge_1v1_reanimator/1/reflection.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_death_and_taxes
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: W
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, taxes, aether vial, flicker, search restriction
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Modern legality and Aether Vial/search-restriction decision logging.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Aether Vial
|
||||
4 Giver of Runes
|
||||
4 Esper Sentinel
|
||||
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
|
||||
4 Leonin Arbiter
|
||||
4 Stoneforge Mystic
|
||||
4 Skyclave Apparition
|
||||
4 Solitude
|
||||
4 Flickerwisp
|
||||
1 Kaldra Compleat
|
||||
1 Batterskull
|
||||
4 Ghost Quarter
|
||||
4 Field of Ruin
|
||||
4 Horizon Canopy
|
||||
4 Silent Clearing
|
||||
2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
|
||||
4 Plains
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Sanctifier en-Vec
|
||||
2 Rest in Peace
|
||||
2 Drannith Magistrate
|
||||
2 March of Otherworldly Light
|
||||
2 Path to Exile
|
||||
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
1 Pithing Needle
|
||||
1 Kataki, War's Wage
|
||||
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
921
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1/guide.md
Normal file
921
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1/guide.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,921 @@
|
||||
# Strategy Specifications
|
||||
## Deck Name And Archetype
|
||||
Death And Taxes is a mono-white Modern disruptive creature deck built around tax effects, Aether Vial timing, flicker triggers, search restriction, and equipment tutoring. The registered list is 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, matching the supplied Modern validation contract: at least 60 main cards and at most 15 sideboard cards. The active format is Modern, and the provided format-aware result says this registration passes; the remaining validation concern is not deck legality but runtime support for Aether Vial timing, search-restriction choices, and decision-log visibility.
|
||||
|
||||
This version is a stock-hybrid Death And Taxes shell rather than a pure rogue brew. The core stock identity is Aether Vial, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Flickerwisp, Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Ghost Quarter, and Field of Ruin. The hybrid pressure package comes from the high density of one-mana creatures, four Esper Sentinel, four Giver of Runes, and a compact Stoneforge Mystic package of Kaldra Compleat and Batterskull. The deck should be piloted as a tempo-prison creature deck: constrain opposing mana and spell sequencing, convert the delay into combat damage, and use equipment or Solitude to stabilize when the board turns hostile.
|
||||
|
||||
The registered tags are accurate for agent routing: `tax effects`, `aether vial timing`, `flicker triggers`, `search restriction`, `equipment tutoring`, `edge-case`, and `draft-only`. The `edge-case` and `draft-only` tags should make Veles conservative about assuming every tactical hook is fully supported by the rules wrapper. In particular, Leonin Arbiter plus Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin depends on whether the opponent can legally pay for searching at the relevant moment; the pilot must use visible engine actions and public mana availability rather than assuming the search is always locked.
|
||||
|
||||
The mana base is mono-white but resource-denial heavy, so color validation is not the same as curve validation. Plains, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Ghost Quarter, and Field of Ruin provide enough white sources for the registered white spells, but Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin can create awkward early turns when Aether Vial is absent. Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing are both mana resources and late-game card-conversion resources; sacrificing them too early can strand Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, or hard-cast equipment lines. Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire is a registered nonbasic land and should be treated as both a white source and a conditional interaction resource when rules metadata exposes its alternate use.
|
||||
|
||||
The primary role concern is that this deck wins by small edges, not by raw card quantity. Aether Vial converts mana into tempo and instant-speed creature deployment, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxes noncreature spells, Leonin Arbiter punishes searching, and Flickerwisp plus Skyclave Apparition or Stoneforge Mystic creates board-state leverage. The agent should not spend disruption as generic removal without checking whether the disruption piece is currently suppressing the opponent’s best visible line.
|
||||
|
||||
Opponent information is currently unknown and should be treated as unavailable until revealed by matchup selection, game actions, public zones, or Veles scouting context. Mulligan, sideboard, and interaction policies must therefore start from open-field Modern assumptions and tighten only when public information identifies the opponent’s plan. Do not infer hidden cards from archetype stereotypes unless the match context supplies that archetype, and do not name absent staples as if they are registered tools.
|
||||
|
||||
## Thesis
|
||||
Death And Taxes assembles layered friction, not a single lock: Aether Vial turns creature deployment into mana-free, instant-speed pressure; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxes noncreature spell chains; Leonin Arbiter turns Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin into punishing mana-denial tools when the opponent cannot or does not pay for searching; Stoneforge Mystic converts one creature into Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull inevitability. The deck wins when those small constraints force the opponent to spend turns inefficiently while mono-white creatures, equipment, and utility lands keep adding damage or cards.
|
||||
|
||||
The primary plan is to commit a disruptive permanent early, protect the most relevant one, and use tempo to make every opposing mana decision awkward. Aether Vial starts the strongest games because it lets the pilot deploy Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, or Solitude without tapping mana on the same turn. Giver of Runes should usually protect the permanent that is currently enforcing the opponent’s worst constraint, not automatically the largest attacker.
|
||||
|
||||
The deck is not trying to be pure control, pure equipment midrange, or a fast combo deck. It should not spend Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as generic one-for-one tools before checking whether the target or land activation advances the tax plan, preserves lethal pressure, or prevents a visible stabilizing line. It should also avoid sacrificing Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing early unless the extra card is worth more than preserving white mana for Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, hard-cast equipment, or sideboard interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
Prioritize board text before damage when the opponent’s next turn is constrained by that text. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is often worth more than an extra attacker against spell-heavy hands; Leonin Arbiter is often worth more than a random body when Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin is available; Stoneforge Mystic becomes a must-preserve threat when Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull is the cleanest path through blockers. Once the opponent is under mana or spell pressure, switch from containment to closing: equip, attack, flicker for tempo, and use Solitude or Skyclave Apparition to clear the blocker or permanent that actually changes the race.
|
||||
|
||||
## Role Package
|
||||
- Threats: Esper Sentinel, Giver of Runes, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, Solitude, Kaldra Compleat, and Batterskull all contribute damage, but their first job differs. Treat disruptive creatures as pressure attached to rules text; do not trade them off casually when their static or triggered role is still constraining the opponent.
|
||||
|
||||
- Payoffs: Kaldra Compleat and Batterskull are the Stoneforge Mystic payoff package and the cleanest way to turn a stalled board into a clock. Kaldra Compleat pressures quickly when a living weapon threat is hard to answer; Batterskull stabilizes races and rewards longer games where the pilot can preserve mana. Sword of Fire and Ice is the sideboard equipment payoff for matchups where its protection and combat-trigger profile are more relevant than the main-deck equipment split.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engines: Aether Vial is the central tempo engine, letting the pilot spend mana on Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, equipment actions, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Horizon Canopy, or Silent Clearing while still adding creatures. Stoneforge Mystic is the equipment engine. Flickerwisp is the blink engine for reusing Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Solitude timing where legal, or resetting opposing permanents when rules output exposes a legal and useful target.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity: Esper Sentinel taxes opposing noncreature development and can turn early friction into cards. Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing convert excess lands into cards later, but they are also white sources, so the agent should delay sacrificing them when hand or board still needs white mana. Aether Vial also functions as velocity by converting drawn creatures into battlefield presence without spending mana.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction: Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Flickerwisp, Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire form the main-deck interaction suite. Sideboard interaction expands with March of Otherworldly Light, Path to Exile, Pithing Needle, Rest in Peace, Kataki, War's Wage, Drannith Magistrate, Sanctifier en-Vec, and Burrenton Forge-Tender. Use the exact legal action and visible target list; do not assume hidden zones, unpaid search restrictions, or unsupported alternate uses.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protection: Giver of Runes protects key creatures from many targeted problems and can also force attacks through some blockers, but it does not protect noncreature permanents, lands, Kaldra Compleat as an Equipment object, or Batterskull as an Equipment object unless rules text makes the target legal. Burrenton Forge-Tender is the sideboard protection card for red damage contexts where its legal prevention action matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Recursion: The registered main deck has no true graveyard recursion engine. Batterskull can matter as a repeatable equipment threat if its return action is legal and mana is available, but do not treat the deck as built to rebuy creatures from graveyard. Rest in Peace and Sanctifier en-Vec from the sideboard further push some games away from graveyard resource plans.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana: Plains, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Ghost Quarter, and Field of Ruin support a mono-white shell with heavy utility-land pressure. Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin should be treated as tactical mana-denial tools whose strength changes sharply with Leonin Arbiter, visible opposing mana, and the runtime search-payment choices the engine exposes.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard modules: Sanctifier en-Vec and Rest in Peace are graveyard and color-pressure tools; Drannith Magistrate constrains casting from non-hand zones when relevant; March of Otherworldly Light and Path to Exile add removal; Pithing Needle answers activated abilities when the named card is known; Kataki, War's Wage pressures artifact-heavy boards; Burrenton Forge-Tender protects against red damage; Sword of Fire and Ice adds an equipment plan for creature combat and attrition matchups.
|
||||
|
||||
## Primary Win Conditions
|
||||
- Equipment clock: Prioritize Stoneforge Mystic into Kaldra Compleat when the opponent is under early tax pressure, has limited visible clean answers, or cannot race a large living-weapon attacker. Setup is Stoneforge Mystic finding Kaldra Compleat, then using the legal put-onto-battlefield action or a hard-cast line only when mana and timing support it. Execution is to protect Stoneforge Mystic or the equipped threat with Giver of Runes when legal, clear the key blocker with Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Flickerwisp, or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and attack before the opponent rebuilds. Disruption to respect: visible artifact removal, exile effects, bounce, sacrifice pressure, or blockers that make the attack non-decisive.
|
||||
|
||||
- Stabilizing equipment clock: Prioritize Stoneforge Mystic into Batterskull when behind on life, facing creature pressure, or expecting a longer game where a reusable threat matters more than raw speed. Setup is the same Stoneforge Mystic package, but execution values mana preservation for equip, redeploy, and any legal return/recast line. Use Batterskull to force races where the opponent must answer the threat twice; do not abandon Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Leonin Arbiter pressure unless life total or board state demands stabilization.
|
||||
|
||||
- Tax-and-denial combat: Prioritize Thalia, Guardian of Thraben plus Leonin Arbiter with Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin when the opponent needs mana efficiency, search effects, or multiple spells to stabilize. Setup is a one- or two-drop tax permanent, then utility-land pressure once Leonin Arbiter is active and the engine exposes legal land actions. Execution is to keep attacking with small creatures while spending lands as interaction; choose Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin targets based on visible mana bottlenecks, not generic land destruction. Disruption to respect: the opponent may pay search taxes or already have enough mana, so do not sacrifice a land unless the resulting tempo loss is favorable.
|
||||
|
||||
- Vial tempo swarm: Prioritize Aether Vial starts when opening hands contain multiple creatures and enough mana to use utility lands or equipment actions while still deploying threats. Setup is Aether Vial early, then add counters toward the hand’s pressure points: two for Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, or Giver of Runes-style sequencing, and three for Skyclave Apparition or Flickerwisp lines when appropriate. Execution is to deploy threats at legal timing that taxes opposing mana, surprises combat, or reuses enter-the-battlefield pressure. Disruption to respect: do not overcommit into visible sweep risk if the current tax board already constrains the opponent.
|
||||
|
||||
## Secondary Win Conditions
|
||||
- Protected small-creature pressure: Use Esper Sentinel, Giver of Runes, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, and Solitude as a damage package when equipment is unavailable or too risky. The setup is any disruptive board plus a protected attacker; execution is to attack while preserving the creature whose text matters most. Giver of Runes should usually protect the tax piece, equipment carrier, or lethal attacker, not a random body.
|
||||
|
||||
- Flickerwisp tempo conversion: Use Flickerwisp to convert a stalled board into tempo when the rules engine exposes a legal target that reuses Stoneforge Mystic, resets a Skyclave Apparition or Solitude-related line, temporarily removes a blocker, or disrupts an opposing permanent at the right window. Prioritize this path when the current board needs one tempo swing rather than another permanent answer. Do not choose a Flickerwisp target by label alone; confirm legal target, timing, return behavior, and whether the delayed return helps or hurts.
|
||||
|
||||
- Attrition through card flow: Use Esper Sentinel, Horizon Canopy, and Silent Clearing to keep pressure alive when the opponent has answered the first equipment or tax creature. Esper Sentinel is strongest before the opponent can pay easily; Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing are strongest after land drops or white-mana needs are less important. Sacrifice those lands only when the extra card is worth more than preserving white mana for Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Flickerwisp, equipment actions, or sideboard interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- Clean-board rebuild: Use Aether Vial, Stoneforge Mystic, Batterskull, and creature-dense hands to rebuild after removal. Aether Vial lets the deck redeploy while keeping mana open; Stoneforge Mystic forces another answer; Batterskull provides the best long-game body if legal return or recast lines become available. Prioritize this plan when both players are low on cards and the opponent’s visible pressure is not immediately lethal.
|
||||
|
||||
## Emergency Lines
|
||||
- Behind on life: Shift from fast Kaldra Compleat pressure to Batterskull stabilization, Solitude interaction, Skyclave Apparition removal, and high-value blocks. Preserve white mana and do not sacrifice Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing if that mana is needed for survival. Giver of Runes should protect the blocker or lifegain equipment carrier that changes combat math.
|
||||
|
||||
- Behind on board: Spend Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Flickerwisp, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Path to Exile, or March of Otherworldly Light only on the permanent or attacker that changes the next combat or unlocks lethal. Do not use Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin as desperation plays unless the visible land target blocks the opponent’s immediate line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Behind on cards or engines: Convert Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing into cards only after checking white-mana requirements and Aether Vial counters. If Aether Vial is absent or removed, sequence creatures by mana curve and preserve Stoneforge Mystic because it is the cleanest single-card rebuild into Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or sideboard Sword of Fire and Ice.
|
||||
|
||||
- Behind against graveyard recursion or non-hand casting: After sideboarding, prioritize Rest in Peace, Sanctifier en-Vec, or Drannith Magistrate when their text matches visible opposing resources or legal casting patterns. Do not assume graveyard hate stops spells already legally cast; use it preemptively when the engine shows the relevant card is still in a zone the hate can affect.
|
||||
|
||||
- Win conditions removed: If Kaldra Compleat and Batterskull are answered, win by tax-board combat, protected evasive or unblockable-by-color attacks when Giver of Runes legally enables them, and repeated utility-land pressure. If creature pressure is mostly gone, preserve Aether Vial and card lands for rebuilds rather than spending all interaction on low-impact targets.
|
||||
|
||||
## Resource Model
|
||||
- Tempo is the primary currency: convert Aether Vial, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, and Flickerwisp into turns where the opponent cannot spend mana cleanly. Count a turn won as a real resource when it lets Stoneforge Mystic put Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull into play, lets small creatures attack, or forces the opponent to choose between paying taxes and answering the board.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hand size is pressure plus contingency: keep enough creatures to make Aether Vial matter, enough white cards to support emergency Solitude, and enough lands to operate without drawing from Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing too early. Do not spend Solitude by exiling a key white card unless the target changes survival, lethal pressure, or a decisive engine permanent.
|
||||
|
||||
- Life total is spendable but not free: Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing convert life and a land into a card after white mana is no longer the bottleneck. Use Batterskull to reverse races; choose Kaldra Compleat when the faster clock is worth more than lifegain and recast resilience.
|
||||
|
||||
- Board presence is the deck’s tax engine: Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, and equipment bodies all make later decisions stronger. Preserve the permanent whose text constrains the opponent’s visible line, not simply the highest-power creature.
|
||||
|
||||
- Lands are both mana and interaction: Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin are best when Leonin Arbiter is active, when the opponent lacks spare mana for search taxes, or when a visible land is enabling a decisive line. Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing are late card-flow valves; sacrificing them before casting Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, Solitude, or sideboard white interaction is often a mistake.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard is not a core resource: this list has no main-deck recursion engine. After sideboarding, Rest in Peace and Sanctifier en-Vec can intentionally suppress graveyards; do not protect your own graveyard at the cost of losing the matchup axis those cards answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- Exile is a cost and an answer zone: Solitude and March of Otherworldly Light can consume hand resources for emergency interaction, while Skyclave Apparition and Rest in Peace-style effects can move opposing resources out of normal recursion paths. Treat exiling your own white cards as a survival or decisive-tempo payment, not routine value.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sacrifice fodder is narrow: this deck does not have disposable artifact or creature fodder. The main sacrifice resources are Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Horizon Canopy, and Silent Clearing; spend them only when the mana loss, card draw, or land-denial exchange is visible and favorable.
|
||||
|
||||
- Information comes from legal actions and revealed equipment: Stoneforge Mystic announces the equipment plan, so choose Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or sideboard Sword of Fire and Ice according to the current race, not habit. Sideboard bullets should be treated as matchup-specific conversion cards, not generic upgrades.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mana Guide
|
||||
- White mana is mandatory: most spells require white, and several hands need repeated white sources for Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, Solitude, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and sideboard cards. Keep hands with Aether Vial plus one white source more readily than hands with only colorless utility lands.
|
||||
|
||||
- Utility-heavy hands need a deployment plan: Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin are interaction, but too many early copies can strand double-spell turns or prevent timely Skyclave Apparition and Flickerwisp. A hand with Leonin Arbiter plus Ghost Quarter can be strong, but it still needs enough white mana or Aether Vial to build pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Aether Vial changes sequencing: play Aether Vial early when the hand has multiple creatures and enough lands to activate Stoneforge Mystic, Field of Ruin, equipment abilities, or sideboard interaction while deploying threats through Vial. Tick Vial toward two for Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, and Giver of Runes sequencing; consider three when Skyclave Apparition or Flickerwisp is the next decisive play.
|
||||
|
||||
- Land before draw is context-dependent: play a land before using Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing if the turn needs guaranteed mana for a visible spell, activation, or tax payment. Draw first only when the extra card can change which land to play and the current mana is already sufficient for all required legal actions.
|
||||
|
||||
- Do not crack card lands casually: sacrifice Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing after checking Aether Vial counters, equipment activation costs, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire availability, and sideboard interaction. If Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is taxing your own noncreature sideboard spells, leave extra mana before converting lands into cards.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequence Leonin Arbiter with land denial: deploy Leonin Arbiter before Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin when the goal is to restrict searching. If the opponent has open mana to pay the tax or already has enough lands, use those lands as mana until the denial exchange matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Keep/mulligan mana rule: keep hands that can cast or Vial early pressure and have a realistic second turn; mulligan hands with no white source, no Aether Vial, and only utility lands unless the rules engine shows a specific legal plan. One-land Aether Vial hands need multiple cheap creatures and a path if Vial is answered.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard mana discipline matters: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Rest in Peace, Drannith Magistrate, Sanctifier en-Vec, Kataki, War's Wage, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Pithing Needle, and Sword of Fire and Ice all compete with main-deck sequencing. When bringing in noncreature spells, account for Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxing them before choosing land sacrifices or utility-land activations.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mulligan Guide
|
||||
- Strong keep: Aether Vial, Plains, Horizon Canopy, Giver of Runes, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Stoneforge Mystic, and Skyclave Apparition is a premium opener because it has turn-one deployment, Vial scaling, white mana, a tax effect, equipment access, and a clean answer. Lead Aether Vial unless the visible matchup makes immediate Giver of Runes protection more important than mana acceleration.
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: Plains, Ghost Quarter, Leonin Arbiter, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Esper Sentinel, Skyclave Apparition, and Flickerwisp is keepable because the hand can cast early pressure and threaten the Leonin Arbiter plus Ghost Quarter search lock. Do not keep this style if the only white source is missing or if the hand cannot cast a turn-one or turn-two spell.
|
||||
|
||||
- Medium keep: Plains, Silent Clearing, Field of Ruin, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, and Batterskull is slower but functional, especially on the draw. Keep when the matchup is creature-heavy or attrition-focused; consider a mulligan against fast combo or low-land decks where Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, or Aether Vial is more important.
|
||||
|
||||
- Risky keep: Aether Vial, Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Horizon Canopy, Flickerwisp, Solitude, and Kaldra Compleat needs Vial to live and needs white mana to appear or remain available. Keep only on the draw or against slow decks when the rules engine shows a legal turn-one Aether Vial and the hand has multiple Vial payoffs.
|
||||
|
||||
- Automatic ship: Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, and Solitude has no reliable early white spell and too much stranded top-end. Also ship zero-land hands, one-land hands without Aether Vial, and hands with only equipment plus Solitude and no expendable white card.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup-dependent keep: Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Plains, Plains, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire is strong against spell-heavy decks but less punishing against creature decks that ignore noncreature taxes. Against visible creature pressure, prefer hands with Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Stoneforge Mystic, or sideboard removal after boarding.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, prioritize Aether Vial, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or Leonin Arbiter because early tax text can steal the opponent’s first efficient turn. On the draw, value Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Giver of Runes, and Stoneforge Mystic slightly higher because catching up and stabilizing matter more.
|
||||
|
||||
- Trap hand: Plains, Plains, Plains, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, Flickerwisp, and Flickerwisp looks castable but lacks a first-turn play, lacks Stoneforge Mystic, and may spend early turns doing nothing relevant. Trap hand: Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Leonin Arbiter, Leonin Arbiter, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, and Flickerwisp has synergy but no white source unless Aether Vial or Plains is drawn.
|
||||
|
||||
## Turn Arc
|
||||
- Turn 1 priority: cast Aether Vial when the hand contains multiple creatures, especially Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, or Flickerwisp. If there is no Aether Vial, cast Esper Sentinel into spell-heavy opponents and Giver of Runes when protecting Stoneforge Mystic, Leonin Arbiter, or Thalia, Guardian of Thraben will matter immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1 deviation: play Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing only when the life payment is acceptable and it enables a real one-mana spell. Do not treat Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin as a keepable first land unless Aether Vial is legal or the hand already has another white source for turn two.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2 priority: deploy Thalia, Guardian of Thraben against noncreature-spell decks, Leonin Arbiter when Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin is ready to punish searching, or Stoneforge Mystic when the race or attrition plan needs Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or post-board Sword of Fire and Ice. Use Aether Vial at one for Giver of Runes or Esper Sentinel before ticking it up only when the extra creature matters this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2 deviation: do not fire Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin before Leonin Arbiter if the goal is search restriction and the opponent can otherwise replace the land freely. Hold Solitude unless the visible creature threatens survival, a decisive engine, or a tempo swing that justifies exiling a white card.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3 priority: convert the early tax turn into board control with Skyclave Apparition, equipment development with Stoneforge Mystic activation, or a disruptive Flickerwisp line from Aether Vial at three. Prefer Skyclave Apparition when a visible permanent is enabling the opponent’s best legal line; prefer Flickerwisp when blinking Skyclave Apparition, Stoneforge Mystic, a blocker, or an opposing permanent changes the current turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3 deviation: choose Kaldra Compleat from Stoneforge Mystic when a fast, resilient clock is needed; choose Batterskull when lifegain and recast pressure stabilize the race. If Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxes your own noncreature interaction after sideboarding, sequence Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Rest in Peace, or Pithing Needle before losing the needed mana window.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5 priority: stack taxes with pressure instead of overextending into unknown sweepers when the current board already constrains the opponent. Use Leonin Arbiter plus Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin to attack key lands only when the opponent cannot pay or when removing that land blocks a visible line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5 deviation: flicker Skyclave Apparition only when the new exile target is better than preserving the existing Apparition token risk. Use Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as interaction when the channel action is legal and the target matters more than keeping a land.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late game priority: turn excess Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing into cards after confirming mana for equipment activation, Solitude hard-cast or evoke lines, and sideboard interaction. Rebuild through Stoneforge Mystic and equipment bodies; do not sacrifice white sources if doing so strands Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp, Solitude, or post-board white cards.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late game deviation: keep Aether Vial counters aligned with the best legal creature band rather than ticking automatically. A Vial on two supports Giver of Runes, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, and Stoneforge Mystic; a Vial on three supports Skyclave Apparition and Flickerwisp when those effects are the game’s pivot.
|
||||
|
||||
## Card Roles
|
||||
- Aether Vial is the deck's best tempo engine because it converts low land counts into uncounterable instant-speed creature deployment. Set counters deliberately: one for Giver of Runes or Esper Sentinel, two for Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, or Stoneforge Mystic, and three for Skyclave Apparition or Flickerwisp.
|
||||
- Giver of Runes turns fragile tax creatures and equipment carriers into persistent threats, but it cannot protect itself. Use it before combat or removal resolution only when the rules engine shows a legal target and the chosen protection color or colorless actually changes damage, blocking, targeting, or lethal math.
|
||||
- Esper Sentinel pressures spell decks by taxing their first noncreature spell each turn. It is a stronger turn-one play against interaction and can become a real attacker or equipment carrier when the opponent stops paying.
|
||||
- Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Leonin Arbiter are the main prison bodies. Thalia delays noncreature spells, including this deck's sideboard noncreature cards; Leonin Arbiter makes Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Path to Exile, and opponent fetch effects tactically sensitive.
|
||||
- Stoneforge Mystic is the equipment tutor and cheat engine. Get Kaldra Compleat when a fast hard-to-answer clock matters; get Batterskull when lifelink, vigilance, and recast resilience stabilize the game; get Sword of Fire and Ice only after boarding and only when protection and card flow matter.
|
||||
- Skyclave Apparition and Solitude are the cleanest board-control cards. Prioritize visible permanents or creatures that beat the tax plan, unlock combo, or threaten survival; avoid using them as low-impact tempo plays when the opponent's next visible line is not improved by waiting.
|
||||
- Flickerwisp is the tactical reset card. Use it with Aether Vial at three to blink Skyclave Apparition, Stoneforge Mystic, equipment Germ tokens when legal and useful, blockers, or opposing permanents; do not blink a strong Skyclave Apparition target away unless the replacement exchange is favorable.
|
||||
- The land suite is disruptive, not just mana. Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin become denial with Leonin Arbiter; Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing turn flood into cards; Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire is a land until channel removal is worth more than the mana source.
|
||||
|
||||
### Card Hover Notes
|
||||
|
||||
#### Aether Vial
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core tempo engine.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; mana/fixing/ramp; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: converts one early mana into repeated mana-free creature deployment so `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, `Stoneforge Mystic`, `Skyclave Apparition`, `Flickerwisp`, and sometimes `Solitude` can enter while lands are used for `Ghost Quarter`, `Field of Ruin`, equipment actions, or card-land draws.
|
||||
- Timing: cast on turn one when the hand has multiple creatures; on upkeep, add counters only when the new number matches the next important creature in hand.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: consumes the artifact slot and upkeep counter choices; outputs a tapped artifact activation that puts a creature card from hand with mana value exactly equal to its charge counters onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Mode map: one counter puts in `Giver of Runes` or `Esper Sentinel`; two counters puts in `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, `Stoneforge Mystic`, `Sanctifier en-Vec`, `Drannith Magistrate`, `Kataki, War's Wage`, or `Burrenton Forge-Tender`; three counters puts in `Skyclave Apparition` or `Flickerwisp`; five counters is only for `Solitude` and is rarely worth passing the denser bands.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: enables instant-speed `Flickerwisp`, surprise `Skyclave Apparition`, protected `Stoneforge Mystic` timing, and sideboard hate creatures `Sanctifier en-Vec`, `Drannith Magistrate`, `Kataki, War's Wage`, and `Burrenton Forge-Tender`.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct peer; closest role overlap is `Stoneforge Mystic` as a mana-cheating engine for `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, and `Sword of Fire and Ice`.
|
||||
- Failure modes: ticking past two can strand `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, and `Stoneforge Mystic`; holding it at one too long can miss `Skyclave Apparition` or `Flickerwisp` interaction; `Kataki, War's Wage` taxes it after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strongest against counterspell or tempo decks because Vial activation is not casting a creature spell; weaker when artifact hate is visible or when the hand lacks matching creature mana values.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: cast it early, keep it at two unless a three-mana creature in hand is the next important play, and activate at the last useful moment.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Giver of Runes
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core one-mana protection creature.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: protects another key creature, usually `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, `Stoneforge Mystic`, `Skyclave Apparition`, `Flickerwisp`, a `Kaldra Compleat` Germ, a `Batterskull` Germ, or a `Sword of Fire and Ice` carrier.
|
||||
- Timing: deploy early when protecting a tax creature or `Stoneforge Mystic` matters more than immediate `Esper Sentinel` card pressure; hold activation for removal, blocks, or a lethal attack rather than using it before the opponent commits.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps and targets another creature you control; outputs protection from colorless or one chosen color until end of turn, which can stop targeting, damage, blocking, and enchanting/equipping by sources of that quality when applicable.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: protects `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` against colored removal, `Leonin Arbiter` during `Ghost Quarter` or `Field of Ruin` pressure, `Stoneforge Mystic` before equipment deployment, and equipped attackers carrying `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, or `Sword of Fire and Ice`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Burrenton Forge-Tender` overlaps only against red damage; `Sanctifier en-Vec` protects itself from black and red but does not protect other creatures.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target itself; does not protect lands, `Aether Vial`, unattached Equipment, or the player; does not stop sacrifice effects, sweepers without targeting, or nonmatching colors.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: prioritize it against visible targeted removal, colored blockers, and combat races; devalue it against edict, sweeper, or colorless/non-targeting plans.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: use the ability only on another creature you control, and protect the creature whose text or equipped attack is winning the current turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Esper Sentinel
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core one-drop tax threat.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: makes the opponent’s first noncreature spell each turn either cost extra mana or give this deck a card, buying time for `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, and `Stoneforge Mystic` pressure.
|
||||
- Timing: best on turn one against spell-heavy, removal-heavy, or setup decks; less important than `Giver of Runes` when a protected turn-two `Stoneforge Mystic`, `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, or `Leonin Arbiter` is the hand’s real plan.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: triggers only on each opponent’s first noncreature spell each turn; you draw unless that player pays `{X}`, where X is `Esper Sentinel`’s power.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` compounds the mana squeeze on noncreature spells; `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, and `Sword of Fire and Ice` can make it a better attacker or increase its relevance as an Equipment carrier.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct peer; closest role overlap is `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` as another noncreature-spell tax, though Thalia raises costs instead of drawing cards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: weak when the opponent mostly casts creatures, can pay `{X}` easily, or removes it after it has drawn no cards; protecting it over `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` or `Leonin Arbiter` can lose the actual prison axis.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong into control, combo setup, and removal-heavy starts; sideboard out first when visible games are about creature combat where `Path to Exile`, `March of Otherworldly Light`, or `Sanctifier en-Vec` matters more.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: play it early when legal, but do not spend `Giver of Runes` protection on it if a more important tax creature is threatened.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core disruptive two-drop and legendary combat body.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: increases the cost of each noncreature spell by `{1}`, slowing opposing removal, combo setup, and card selection while attacking as a 2/1 first striker.
|
||||
- Timing: cast on turn two against spell-heavy or unknown opponents unless `Leonin Arbiter` plus `Ghost Quarter` or `Field of Ruin` is immediately stronger; deploy before the opponent chains cheap noncreature spells.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: symmetrical static tax affects opposing noncreature spells and your own `Aether Vial`, `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, `Rest in Peace`, `March of Otherworldly Light`, `Path to Exile`, `Sword of Fire and Ice`, and `Pithing Needle`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: pairs with `Esper Sentinel` to punish noncreature sequencing, with `Giver of Runes` to stay alive, and with `Leonin Arbiter` to turn the game into mana denial plus combat.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Leonin Arbiter` is the closest hate-creature peer, but Arbiter restricts searching while Thalia taxes noncreature spells.
|
||||
- Failure modes: can strand your own sideboard noncreature spells if cast before checking mana; legendary copies are redundant on battlefield; first strike does not make her safe against larger blockers with enough toughness or damage.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: premium against control, combo, and big-mana setup; weaker against creature-heavy decks where `Solitude`, `Skyclave Apparition`, `Path to Exile`, or `Batterskull` must stabilize.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: remember the tax is symmetrical, so sequence urgent `Path to Exile`, `March of Otherworldly Light`, `Rest in Peace`, or `Pithing Needle` before Thalia when that mana matters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Leonin Arbiter
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core search-restriction creature.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; role glue; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: turns library searching into a taxed choice, making `Ghost Quarter`, `Field of Ruin`, and sideboard `Path to Exile` more punishing when the opponent cannot afford `{2}`.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before activating `Ghost Quarter` or `Field of Ruin` when the land-destruction line is meant to deny resources; hold land activations if the opponent has spare mana and losing your land is not favorable.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: each player cannot search libraries unless that player pays `{2}` for that player to ignore Leonin Arbiter’s effect until end of turn.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Ghost Quarter` can destroy any target land and make the controller’s basic search conditional on Arbiter payment; `Field of Ruin` can destroy an opponent’s nonbasic land and forces both players into search decisions; `Path to Exile` gives the creature’s controller a basic-land search that Arbiter can tax.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` is the closest hate-creature peer, but she taxes noncreature spells rather than searches.
|
||||
- Failure modes: your own `Stoneforge Mystic` searches for Equipment and may need you to pay `{2}` if Arbiter is active; `Field of Ruin` may also require your own search payment; firing `Ghost Quarter` too early can fix the opponent’s mana.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strongest against fetchlands, utility lands, big mana, and search-heavy decks; weakest when the opponent has basics, spare mana, or does not need to search.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not assume a search is locked; check whether the searching player can pay `{2}` this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Stoneforge Mystic
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core Equipment tutor and deployment engine.
|
||||
- Role type: tutor/search; engine piece; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: finds the exact Equipment needed for the game state, then can put that Equipment from hand onto the battlefield for `{1}{W}` and tapping.
|
||||
- Timing: cast when the searched Equipment will matter and the 1/2 body can either survive or be protected by `Giver of Runes`; activate at opponent end step when possible so `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, or `Sword of Fire and Ice` is ready for your attack.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: enters trigger may search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle; activated ability puts an Equipment card from your hand onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Mode map: search `Kaldra Compleat` for the fastest resilient clock; search `Batterskull` when lifelink, vigilance, and the `{3}` return ability matter; search `Sword of Fire and Ice` after sideboarding when protection from red and blue plus combat-damage card flow is the best plan.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Giver of Runes` protects Stoneforge or the carrier; `Aether Vial` can deploy Stoneforge without spending mana; `Flickerwisp` can exile Stoneforge and return it at end step for another Equipment search.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct peer; closest role overlap is `Aether Vial` as another way to convert timing and mana into battlefield advantage.
|
||||
- Failure modes: `Leonin Arbiter` can tax your own search; tutoring an Equipment already in hand wastes the search because `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, and `Sword of Fire and Ice` are singletons; activating Stoneforge can remove it from blocking duty.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: choose `Kaldra Compleat` against slow or unstable boards, `Batterskull` in races, and `Sword of Fire and Ice` when red/blue protection or repeated damage plus cards matters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not always take `Kaldra Compleat`; pick the Equipment that solves the current race or matchup.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Skyclave Apparition
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core white permanent answer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: exiles a visible nonland, nontoken opposing permanent with mana value 4 or less, then leaves behind a 2/2 body that can attack, block, or carry Equipment.
|
||||
- Timing: use when the target unlocks the opponent’s engine, blocks the Equipment clock, threatens lethal, or answers your tax plan; avoid spending it on a low-impact permanent if a better legal target is likely soon.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: when it enters, exile up to one target nonland, nontoken permanent you do not control with mana value 4 or less; when Skyclave leaves, the exiled card’s owner creates an X/X blue Illusion creature token where X is the mana value of the exiled card.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Aether Vial` at three can deploy it at instant speed; `Flickerwisp` can reset Skyclave only when the new exile target is worth giving the opponent the Illusion from the old target; `Giver of Runes` can protect Skyclave’s body from targeted colored or colorless interaction.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Solitude` answers creatures at instant speed but gives life; `March of Otherworldly Light` answers artifacts, creatures, and enchantments after sideboarding; `Path to Exile` answers only creatures after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target lands, tokens, your permanents, or mana value 5+ permanents; losing or flickering it can give the opponent an Illusion that changes combat.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: best against cheap engines, blockers, and hate permanents; weaker when the opponent’s threats are lands, large permanents, spells on the stack, or tokens.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: check the exact target restriction and remember that killing or blinking Skyclave gives the opponent a token.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Solitude
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core instant-speed creature exile and stabilizer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; lifegain/stabilization; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: answers creatures that beat combat, break the tax plan, or threaten lethal, while hard-cast Solitude can also attack or block as a 3/2 flash lifelink creature.
|
||||
- Timing: hold for decisive creatures unless survival requires immediate action; evoke by exiling a white card only when the target is worth the card disadvantage.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{3}{W}{W}` normally; has flash and lifelink; on entry exiles up to one other target creature and that creature’s controller gains life equal to its power; evoke cost is exiling a white card from your hand.
|
||||
- Mode map: hard-cast mode keeps a lifelink body and is best when mana is available; evoke mode is emergency interaction that spends another white card and usually sacrifices Solitude after the trigger.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Flickerwisp` can interact with Solitude timing only when rules windows make the exile and return favorable; `Aether Vial` on five can put Solitude in without casting, but reaching five counters is uncommon; `Giver of Runes` can protect a hard-cast Solitude as a lifelink attacker or blocker.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Skyclave Apparition` handles lower-mana nonland nontoken permanents; `Path to Exile` is cheaper creature exile after sideboarding; `Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire` damages only attacking or blocking creatures.
|
||||
- Failure modes: life gain can ruin lethal math; evoke consumes a white card such as `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, `Stoneforge Mystic`, `Sanctifier en-Vec`, `Drannith Magistrate`, `March of Otherworldly Light`, `Path to Exile`, `Kataki, War's Wage`, or `Burrenton Forge-Tender`; cannot target itself because the trigger says another target creature.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: premium against large creatures, creature combo, and lethal attacks; lower priority against spell-light decks with few creatures.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: pitch-cast it only for a creature that changes survival, lethal, or the opponent’s engine.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Flickerwisp
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, core blink tempo creature.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; protection/evasion; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: uses a 3/1 flying body plus a temporary exile trigger to reuse your enters abilities, clear a blocker for one turn, save a permanent from targeted interaction, or disrupt an opposing permanent until the next end step.
|
||||
- Timing: strongest from `Aether Vial` at three during combat, in response to removal, or at opponent end step; main-phase it only when the exile and delayed return are still favorable.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: when it enters, exile another target permanent; return that card to the battlefield under its owner’s control at the beginning of the next end step.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: can reset `Stoneforge Mystic` for another `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, or post-board `Sword of Fire and Ice` search; can reset `Skyclave Apparition` when the new target is worth the Illusion risk; can temporarily remove a blocker for an equipped attacker.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Skyclave Apparition` is the closest three-mana disruptive body, but Skyclave exiles within a restriction until it leaves while Flickerwisp returns the card at end step.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target itself; flickering your own blocker or tax creature can expose you before it returns; flickering an opponent’s permanent can retrigger their enters ability; resetting Skyclave can hand the opponent an Illusion.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong in board stalls, against removal pointed at key permanents, and when a one-turn blocker removal produces lethal; weaker when there is no profitable target and a 3/1 flyer trades down.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: only choose a target if the permanent being gone until the next end step helps you more than its return helps the opponent.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Kaldra Compleat
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 1 copy, singleton Stoneforge finisher.
|
||||
- Role type: threat/clock; reach/finisher; engine payoff.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: gives `Stoneforge Mystic` a fast living-weapon closer that attacks immediately with a large indestructible, first strike, trample, haste Equipment threat.
|
||||
- Timing: choose or deploy it when racing and closing speed matter more than lifegain; use `Stoneforge Mystic` to put it onto the battlefield rather than trying to hard-cast `{7}` unless the game is very late.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{7}` to cast; living weapon creates a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ and attaches Kaldra to it; equipped creature gets +5/+5, first strike, trample, indestructible, haste, and exiles creatures it deals combat damage to; equip cost is `{7}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Stoneforge Mystic` finds and cheats it; `Giver of Runes` can protect the equipped creature from targeted colored or colorless interaction; `Flickerwisp` can clear a blocker for a decisive attack.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Batterskull` is the stabilizing Equipment peer; `Sword of Fire and Ice` is the sideboard attrition Equipment peer.
|
||||
- Failure modes: drawing it without `Stoneforge Mystic` can strand a seven-mana card; the Equipment is indestructible but the Germ can be exiled, bounced, sacrificed, or otherwise answered; equip `{7}` is expensive after the Germ dies.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: best against decks that cannot answer a large Equipment carrier quickly; less attractive when lifegain from `Batterskull` is required or artifact removal is visible.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: take it with `Stoneforge Mystic` when a fast clock is the way to win, not when you are about to die in combat.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Batterskull
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 1 copy, singleton stabilizing Equipment.
|
||||
- Role type: lifegain/stabilization; threat/clock; engine payoff.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: gives `Stoneforge Mystic` a lifelink, vigilance living-weapon threat that can stabilize races and be returned to hand for repeat pressure.
|
||||
- Timing: choose it over `Kaldra Compleat` when life total, blocking, or attrition matters more than a faster clock; deploy with `Stoneforge Mystic` at opponent end step when possible.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{5}` to cast; living weapon creates a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ and attaches Batterskull to it; equipped creature gets +4/+4, vigilance, and lifelink; `{3}` returns Batterskull to its owner’s hand; equip cost is `{5}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Stoneforge Mystic` searches and puts it onto the battlefield; `Giver of Runes` protects the equipped creature; `Aether Vial` frees mana for the `{3}` return or future equip.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Kaldra Compleat` is the faster main-deck Equipment peer; `Sword of Fire and Ice` is the sideboard peer for protection from red and blue plus combat damage card flow.
|
||||
- Failure modes: slower than `Kaldra Compleat`; returning it for `{3}` can consume a turn’s mana; the Germ can be removed before lifelink connects.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strongest against aggro, burn races, and removal-heavy attrition; weaker against combo or big mana where lifegain does not disrupt the opponent’s decisive line.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: choose Batterskull when surviving combat or gaining life is more important than maximum speed.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ghost Quarter
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, disruptive land and mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; interaction-removal; hate piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: produces colorless mana early and later sacrifices to destroy a key land, with `Leonin Arbiter` turning the controller’s replacement search into a taxed or denied choice.
|
||||
- Timing: use as mana until the target land matters; activate under `Leonin Arbiter` when the opponent cannot pay `{2}` without losing the turn’s important action or when destroying a utility land is worth allowing a basic search.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{C}`; taps and sacrifices to destroy target land; that land’s controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Leonin Arbiter` taxes the controller’s search; `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` can make the opponent’s post-denial turn even tighter; `Path to Exile` shares the same Arbiter pressure on opponent basic searches after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Field of Ruin` also attacks lands but targets only opponent nonbasic lands and makes each player search; `Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire` is the interactive land peer for combat creatures instead of lands.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not make white mana; early activation can fix the opponent; sacrificing it can strand `Skyclave Apparition`, `Flickerwisp`, `Solitude`, or sideboard white spells.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: best against utility lands, greedy mana, creature lands, and big-mana pieces; weaker against basic-heavy decks or opponents with spare mana through `Leonin Arbiter`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not crack it just because it is available; wait for `Leonin Arbiter` or a land that truly matters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Field of Ruin
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, disruptive land and colorless mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; interaction-removal; hate piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: destroys an opponent’s nonbasic land while potentially finding your `Plains`, with `Leonin Arbiter` making both players’ searches require payment decisions.
|
||||
- Timing: activate when you can pay `{2}` and the target nonbasic land enables a visible line; delay if sacrificing a land would cut off white spells or if the opponent can search freely and benefit.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{C}`; `{2}`, tap, sacrifice destroys target nonbasic land an opponent controls; each player searches their library for a basic land card, puts it onto the battlefield, then shuffles.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Leonin Arbiter` taxes the opponent’s and your own search; `Plains` is the registered basic target; `Aether Vial` lets you spend mana on Field while still deploying creatures.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Ghost Quarter` can target any land and costs no mana to activate but only the destroyed land’s controller may search; `Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire` supplies white mana and combat interaction instead of land denial.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target basic lands or your own land; may require your own `{2}` Arbiter payment to search; colorless mana can slow double-white `Skyclave Apparition` and `Flickerwisp`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong against nonbasic-heavy mana, creature lands, and utility lands; weaker when the opponent has basics and the game is about creature combat rather than land bottlenecks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: with `Leonin Arbiter` out, check who can pay `{2}` before activating.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Horizon Canopy
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, pain-land white source and late card-conversion land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; card selection; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: casts early white spells while giving the deck a way to turn extra lands into cards after the tax board or Equipment plan is established.
|
||||
- Timing: use for white mana early when the one life is acceptable; sacrifice for a card only after checking that white mana is no longer needed for `Giver of Runes`, `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Stoneforge Mystic`, `Skyclave Apparition`, `Flickerwisp`, `Solitude`, or post-board interaction.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps and pays 1 life to add `{G}` or `{W}`; `{1}`, tap, sacrifice draws a card. This deck uses the `{W}` mode for spells and the draw mode for flood recovery; the registered list has no green spell that needs `{G}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Aether Vial` reduces the need to spend this land on creature casting; `Batterskull` lifelink can offset repeated pain; `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` makes preserving mana for noncreature sideboard spells more important.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Silent Clearing` is the closest peer with `{W}` or `{B}` instead of `{G}` or `{W}`; `Plains` is the painless stable white peer.
|
||||
- Failure modes: repeated life payments matter against burn or aggro; sacrificing too early can strand double-white spells or `Stoneforge Mystic` activations.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: cash it in late against attrition and control; preserve it as mana when racing or when `Solitude`, `March of Otherworldly Light`, or `Path to Exile` must remain available.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: treat it as a white land first and a draw spell only after your mana is safe.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Silent Clearing
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, pain-land white source and late card-conversion land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; card selection; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: provides white mana for the mono-white curve and converts to a card in flood states without requiring any spell slot.
|
||||
- Timing: tap for white early when the life payment is acceptable; sacrifice only when drawing a card is worth losing a land and when enough white mana remains for current-turn and next-turn obligations.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps and pays 1 life to add `{W}` or `{B}`; `{1}`, tap, sacrifice draws a card. This registered list uses `{W}` for spells and does not need `{B}` for any registered card.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: supports `Giver of Runes`, `Esper Sentinel`, `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, and `Stoneforge Mystic` early; later finds more action with `Aether Vial` on board; helps pay for `Path to Exile`, `March of Otherworldly Light`, and `Rest in Peace` after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Horizon Canopy` is the closest peer with the same draw-sacrifice role; `Plains` is the painless white peer.
|
||||
- Failure modes: early life loss can make `Batterskull` arrive too late; sacrificing it can cut off `Skyclave Apparition`, `Flickerwisp`, `Solitude`, or sideboard white interaction.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strongest in attrition games after land drops are covered; weakest against red damage races or fast creature pressure where every life point and untapped white source matters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not sacrifice it just to use mana; first confirm you can still cast the white cards that keep you alive.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies, legendary white land and channel interaction.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; interaction-removal; modal utility.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: functions as an untapped white source until its channel ability can remove or finish an attacking or blocking creature without using a spell slot.
|
||||
- Timing: play as a land when white mana is needed; channel only when 4 damage to an attacking or blocking creature changes combat, saves life, clears a key blocker, or preserves `Solitude`, `Skyclave Apparition`, `Path to Exile`, or `March of Otherworldly Light` for a better target.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{W}`; channel costs `{2}{W}` and discards Eiganjo to deal 4 damage to target attacking or blocking creature, with the cost reduced by `{1}` for each legendary creature you control.
|
||||
- Mode map: land aspect supplies white mana and supports the curve; channel aspect is a nonspell combat interaction line that consumes this land card from hand and targets only an attacking or blocking creature.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` is the main legendary creature that can reduce channel cost; `Aether Vial` can reduce mana pressure so holding Eiganjo in hand for channel is more realistic.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Solitude` and `Path to Exile` exile creatures; `March of Otherworldly Light` exiles artifact, creature, or enchantment permanents; Eiganjo only deals damage to attacking or blocking creatures.
|
||||
- Failure modes: legendary duplicates can be awkward as lands; channeling too early costs a white source; 4 damage does not kill creatures with enough toughness or damage prevention.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong in creature combat and against attackers or blockers that dodge sorcery-speed answers; weak against noncreature engines or creatures that never attack or block.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: if you need white mana, play it as a land; channel only for an attacking or blocking creature that matters now.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Plains
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies, basic white mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: supplies painless white mana and is the registered basic land that `Field of Ruin` can find.
|
||||
- Timing: prioritize early when the hand needs reliable white mana for `Giver of Runes`, `Esper Sentinel`, `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, or `Stoneforge Mystic`; preserve enough basics for `Field of Ruin` searches when that land-denial plan is active.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{W}` with no life payment and no sacrifice cost.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: supports double-white `Skyclave Apparition`, `Flickerwisp`, `Sanctifier en-Vec`, and hard-cast `Solitude`; makes `Horizon Canopy` and `Silent Clearing` life payments less necessary.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire`, `Horizon Canopy`, and `Silent Clearing` also make white; `Ghost Quarter` and `Field of Ruin` do not.
|
||||
- Failure modes: only four copies means repeated `Field of Ruin` searches are finite; hands with only `Ghost Quarter` and `Field of Ruin` cannot cast white spells without help.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: especially important against burn, land pressure, and games where life-cost lands would shorten the race.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: treat Plains as the safest early land; it casts the deck’s spells without costing life.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Sanctifier en-Vec
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 3 copies, graveyard and color-protection hate creature.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; protection/evasion; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: attacks red and black graveyard plans while presenting a 2/2 body with protection from black and from red that can carry `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, or `Sword of Fire and Ice`.
|
||||
- Timing: bring in when red or black cards in graveyards, red or black removal, or red or black combat pressure are central; deploy before the opponent puts more black or red cards into graveyards.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{W}{W}`; protection from black and from red affects targeting, damage, blocking, and attachment legality from those qualities; enters trigger exiles all black or red cards from all graveyards; replacement effect exiles black or red permanents, spells, or cards not on battlefield that would be put into a graveyard.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Aether Vial` on two can deploy it; `Stoneforge Mystic` can find `Sword of Fire and Ice`, `Kaldra Compleat`, or `Batterskull` for Sanctifier to carry; `Rest in Peace` overlaps as broader graveyard hate.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Rest in Peace` is broader graveyard hate but not a creature; `Burrenton Forge-Tender` overlaps against red damage but does not affect graveyards or black cards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does little against nonred, nonblack graveyards or colorless/white/green/blue interaction; double-white can be awkward with `Ghost Quarter` and `Field of Ruin`; protection does not stop sweepers that do not damage or target.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: excellent against red or black graveyard recursion, red damage, and black removal; sideboard out or avoid when the opponent’s key resources are artifacts, lands, or nonred/nonblack spells.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: bring it in for red or black graveyard/removal pressure, not as a generic 2/2.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Rest in Peace
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, broad graveyard hate enchantment.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: shuts off graveyards completely so Death And Taxes can win with taxes, Equipment, and combat while the opponent loses graveyard resources.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before the opponent pays flashback, escape, delve, recursion, or graveyard-count costs; it usually does not undo a spell already legally cast and paid for.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}{W}`; when it enters, exiles all graveyards; if a card or token would be put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: pairs with `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` and `Leonin Arbiter` to attack different resource axes; `Aether Vial` helps keep creature deployment going while mana is spent on this noncreature spell; `Sanctifier en-Vec` overlaps against black or red graveyard cards.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Sanctifier en-Vec` is narrower but also a protected creature; `Drannith Magistrate` stops casting from outside hand but does not exile graveyards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: noncreature spell is taxed by `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`; reduces creature density for `Aether Vial`; does not answer creatures or permanents already on the battlefield.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: bring in against graveyard engines, recursion, escape, flashback, delve, and graveyard-count decks; avoid against decks that win through battlefield permanents without using graveyards.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: cast it before the opponent uses the graveyard, then keep attacking; do not wait until after the graveyard spell is already cast.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Drannith Magistrate
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, cast-restriction hate creature.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; role glue; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: prevents opponents from casting spells from anywhere other than their hands, adding a two-mana creature hate axis that works with `Aether Vial`.
|
||||
- Timing: bring in only when the opponent visibly casts or plans to cast from exile, graveyard, library, or another non-hand zone; deploy before that casting window matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}{W}`; static ability applies to opponents only and stops them from casting spells from zones other than hand.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Aether Vial` on two can deploy it at instant speed; `Giver of Runes` can protect it from targeted colored or colorless removal; `Rest in Peace` overlaps against graveyard-cast plans by removing the graveyard resource instead of restricting the casting permission.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` taxes noncreature spells broadly; `Leonin Arbiter` restricts searching; Drannith specifically restricts opponent casting zones.
|
||||
- Failure modes: poor as a generic 1/3 when the opponent casts normally from hand; does not stop abilities, lands, or permanents already on battlefield; can be removed before the relevant cast attempt.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: high value against cascade-like, graveyard-cast, exile-cast, or adventure/impulse-style plans when visible; low value against ordinary creature decks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: sideboard it for non-hand casting, not just because it is a two-mana creature.
|
||||
|
||||
#### March of Otherworldly Light
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, flexible instant exile removal.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: answers artifact, creature, or enchantment permanents that the main deck cannot efficiently handle, especially when instant speed matters.
|
||||
- Timing: hold for permanents that threaten lethal, break the tax board, or invalidate Equipment combat; cast earlier only if waiting lets the opponent gain decisive value.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{X}{W}`; as an additional cost you may exile any number of white cards from your hand, reducing the spell cost by `{2}` for each card exiled this way; exiles target artifact, creature, or enchantment with mana value X or less.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` taxes March because it is a noncreature spell; `Leonin Arbiter` does not affect March because March does not search; white cards such as extra `Giver of Runes`, `Esper Sentinel`, `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, or `Solitude` can pay the alternate cost only when they are less important than the target.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Skyclave Apparition` hits nonland nontoken opposing permanents with mana value 4 or less; `Path to Exile` hits only creatures; `Solitude` hits creatures and gives life.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target planeswalkers, lands, or spells on the stack; underpaying X makes the target illegal; exiling white cards can weaken `Solitude` or the tax board.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: bring in against artifact, creature, or enchantment engines; avoid when the opponent’s key cards are lands, planeswalkers, or stack-only spells.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: set X at least to the target’s mana value and preserve white cards unless the permanent is decisive.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Path to Exile
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies, efficient creature exile.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: removes a creature for one white mana, with `Leonin Arbiter` sometimes turning the basic-land drawback into a denied or taxed search.
|
||||
- Timing: use on creatures that must not stay on battlefield: lethal attackers, combo creatures, large blockers stopping `Kaldra Compleat` or `Batterskull`, or threats too big for `Skyclave Apparition`; wait when the opponent’s search would fix their mana and the creature is not urgent.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{W}`; exiles target creature; that creature’s controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Leonin Arbiter` taxes the controller’s search; `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` taxes Path because it is a noncreature spell; `Ghost Quarter` and `Field of Ruin` share the same search-denial pressure with Arbiter.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Solitude` is main-deck creature exile that can be free by exiling a white card and gives life; `March of Otherworldly Light` can also hit artifacts or enchantments; `Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire` only damages attacking or blocking creatures.
|
||||
- Failure modes: without `Leonin Arbiter`, Path can ramp or fix the opponent; cannot hit noncreature permanents or spells on the stack; casting it through Thalia costs extra.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: bring in against large creatures, creature combo, and combat decks; lower value against spell-light decks with few creature targets.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: pair with `Leonin Arbiter` when possible, but still cast it if the creature will otherwise win the game.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, singleton Equipment bullet and attrition payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: engine payoff; threat/clock; protection/evasion; card selection.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: gives `Stoneforge Mystic` a post-board Equipment target that turns a connecting creature into damage plus a card while protecting the equipped creature from red and blue.
|
||||
- Timing: bring in and tutor when protection from red and blue changes combat or removal, or when repeated combat-damage triggers are better than `Kaldra Compleat` speed or `Batterskull` lifegain.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{3}`; equipped creature gets +2/+2 and protection from red and from blue; whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, Sword deals 2 damage to any target and you draw a card; equip cost is `{2}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Stoneforge Mystic` searches or deploys it; `Flickerwisp` is an evasive carrier; `Giver of Runes` can help another carrier connect through a chosen color or colorless blocker; `Sanctifier en-Vec` can be a protected carrier against red or black decks.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Kaldra Compleat` is faster and bigger; `Batterskull` stabilizes with lifelink; Sword is best for attrition and protection from red/blue.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does nothing without a creature; protection from red and blue does not stop white, black, green, colorless, sacrifice, or sweeper effects; `Kataki, War's Wage` taxes it.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong against red or blue removal, creature stalls, and attrition; weak when the opponent answers artifacts cleanly or prevents combat damage to players.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: search it only after sideboarding when red/blue protection or repeated hit triggers matter more than the main-deck Equipment choices.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Pithing Needle
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, activated-ability hate artifact.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: shuts off activated abilities from a known named card, giving the deck a one-mana answer to specific engines that creature taxes and exile removal may not cover.
|
||||
- Timing: cast when public information, matchup configuration, or revealed cards identify the correct name; do not guess if the opponent has not shown the card and no matchup data is reliable.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}`; as it enters, choose a card name; activated abilities of sources with the chosen name cannot be activated unless they are mana abilities.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben` taxes it because it is a noncreature spell; `Stoneforge Mystic` does not search for it because Needle is not Equipment; `Kataki, War's Wage` will tax it as an artifact if both are in the post-board game.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Kataki, War's Wage` attacks artifact boards generally; `March of Otherworldly Light` exiles artifact, creature, or enchantment permanents; Pithing Needle is narrower but can hit activated abilities from card names March cannot profitably answer.
|
||||
- Failure modes: wrong name wastes the card; does not stop triggered abilities, static abilities, mana abilities, spells, or abilities of differently named sources.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: bring in for known activated engines, creature lands if naming is supported, planeswalker-like activated abilities, or artifact engines with a central name; avoid against redundant threat decks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: name only a card you know matters from visible or configured information.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Kataki, War's Wage
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, artifact-tax hate creature.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: pressures artifact-heavy opponents by forcing each artifact’s controller to pay `{1}` during upkeep or sacrifice that artifact, while adding a two-mana creature body.
|
||||
- Timing: bring in when opposing artifact density is high enough that the upkeep tax hurts them more than your own artifacts; cast before the opponent untaps with a large artifact board when possible.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}{W}`; each artifact gains “At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this artifact unless you pay `{1}`.”
|
||||
- Partners / packages: your own affected artifacts are `Aether Vial`, `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, `Sword of Fire and Ice`, and `Pithing Needle`; `Aether Vial` on two can deploy Kataki but then may need upkeep payments; `Giver of Runes` can protect Kataki from targeted removal.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Pithing Needle` stops one named activated ability; `March of Otherworldly Light` exiles specific artifacts; Kataki taxes artifact-heavy boards broadly and can punish wide boards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: symmetrical tax can force you to sacrifice `Aether Vial` or Equipment; weak when the opponent has few artifacts or enough spare mana; legendary copies are redundant on battlefield.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strongest against artifact-heavy battlefield engines; avoid when your `Stoneforge Mystic` Equipment plan is more important than the opponent’s artifacts.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: before casting Kataki, count your own `Aether Vial`, `Kaldra Compleat`, `Batterskull`, `Sword of Fire and Ice`, and `Pithing Needle` upkeep payments.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Burrenton Forge-Tender
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy, one-mana red-damage prevention creature.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; protection/evasion; lifegain/stabilization.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: protects a key creature, the player, or the board from one red source’s damage for a turn while also serving as an `Aether Vial` one-counter creature or Equipment carrier in slower games.
|
||||
- Timing: bring in against red damage, red sweepers, and red combat races; deploy before the turn where a red source can kill `Thalia, Guardian of Thraben`, `Leonin Arbiter`, `Stoneforge Mystic`, an Equipment carrier, or you.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{W}`; has protection from red; sacrifice it to prevent all damage a red source of your choice would deal this turn.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Aether Vial` on one can deploy it while keeping mana open; `Giver of Runes` overlaps on creature protection but cannot protect the player; `Sanctifier en-Vec` overlaps against red and black cards but does not prevent a red source’s damage to the player.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Sanctifier en-Vec` is broader against red/black graveyards and red/black interaction; `Batterskull` stabilizes with lifelink after damage happens; Burrenton prevents a red source’s damage before it matters.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not stop nonred damage, life loss, exile, sacrifice, destroy effects without damage, or red effects that do not deal damage; using it too early can leave a later sweeper uncovered.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: premium against burn, red sweepers, and red removal pointed at the key tax creature or carrier; low value when red sources are absent.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: save the sacrifice for the red source that would actually kill a creature, sweep the board, or deal lethal damage.
|
||||
|
||||
## Interaction Priorities
|
||||
- Primary removal rule: exile or neutralize the permanent that invalidates the tax board before answering ordinary attackers. Prioritize creatures or artifacts that ignore combat math, produce repeated resources, or remove multiple hate creatures over single bodies that can be raced by Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or protected attacks.
|
||||
- Exile first: use Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, March of Otherworldly Light, Path to Exile, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire on threats that beat creature combat, threaten lethal, or unlock the opponent through Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Leonin Arbiter. Do not spend Solitude pitch resources on a creature that Giver of Runes, Flickerwisp, or equipment can blank unless life total or tempo makes waiting unsafe.
|
||||
- Tax first: protect Thalia, Guardian of Thraben against spell-heavy decks and Leonin Arbiter against fetch-heavy or search-heavy decks. A protected tax creature can be worth more than immediate removal if it strands the opponent's visible mana or makes Path to Exile, Ghost Quarter, and Field of Ruin asymmetrical.
|
||||
- Land interaction rule: Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin are interaction, not just mana sources. With Leonin Arbiter on battlefield, prioritize destroying nonbasic lands that produce missing colors, enable big-mana turns, or represent creature-land pressure; without Leonin Arbiter, use them more conservatively because the opponent may search normally.
|
||||
- Equipment interaction rule: protect Stoneforge Mystic when it is about to put Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull onto the battlefield, but do not overprotect an already-resolved equipment if the carrier is replaceable. Against decks with artifact removal, bait with Aether Vial or Batterskull before committing Kaldra Compleat when the board can afford the delay.
|
||||
- Stack and hand limitation rule: this deck has no registered counterspell, discard spell, or bounce spell. Do not invent counter, discard, or bounce decisions; interact through taxes, exile effects, protection, Flickerwisp timing, land destruction, and combat.
|
||||
- Bait sequence: lead with Esper Sentinel, Aether Vial, or a redundant hate creature when the opponent's removal is likely to be forced early. Hold Giver of Runes, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, or Solitude for the turn where protecting or answering the first decisive permanent changes the game.
|
||||
- Ignore first: ignore low-impact blockers, mana creatures already taxed out of relevance, and small attackers that Batterskull lifelink or Kaldra Compleat racing can beat. Do not spend Skyclave Apparition on a replaceable small permanent if a planeswalker-like engine, artifact engine, or lock-breaking permanent is likely and within range.
|
||||
- Archetype shift: against combo and spell decks, interaction priority is Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Esper Sentinel, then fast equipment. Against creature decks, priority becomes Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Flickerwisp tempo, Giver of Runes protection, and Batterskull stabilization. Against graveyard decks after sideboard, Rest in Peace and Sanctifier en-Vec outrank normal combat development.
|
||||
- Sideboard interaction rule: bring in March of Otherworldly Light and Path to Exile when exile speed matters more than maintaining density. Bring in Pithing Needle only when the name is known from public information or matchup context; a wrong name is worse than another creature. Bring in Kataki, War's Wage only when opposing artifacts are more punished than your Aether Vial, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, Pithing Needle, and Sword of Fire and Ice.
|
||||
|
||||
## Combat And Trading Rules
|
||||
- Attack rule: attack when the pressure preserves the tax lock or forces the opponent to answer the wrong permanent. A single equipped or protected attacker is often better than exposing multiple hate creatures that are needed to keep Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Drannith Magistrate, or Sanctifier en-Vec active.
|
||||
- Preserve rule: do not trade Giver of Runes, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, or Drannith Magistrate for a generic attacker unless the trade prevents lethal or protects a more decisive equipment line. These creatures are engines first and attackers second.
|
||||
- Equipment carrier rule: prefer carriers that are expendable, protected, or evasive. Flickerwisp with Kaldra Compleat or Sword of Fire and Ice can close games quickly; Giver of Runes can carry equipment only when its protection ability is not needed to defend the board.
|
||||
- Kaldra Compleat rule: race aggressively when Kaldra Compleat is online and the opponent lacks a visible profitable block or exile answer. Do not move all combat resources into Kaldra Compleat if a single removal spell or bounce-like opponent effect shown by rules output would undo the tempo and leave no blocker.
|
||||
- Batterskull rule: stabilize before racing when life total is under pressure. Batterskull lifelink can justify taking small hits, but do not ignore a board that can assemble lethal before lifelink connects.
|
||||
- Flickerwisp combat rule: use Flickerwisp to reset blockers, clear a temporary blocker, rebuy Skyclave Apparition-style pressure, or protect a permanent only when the end-step return timing is acceptable. Do not flicker away your own crucial blocker before the opponent's combat if that exposes lethal.
|
||||
- Protection rule: use Giver of Runes to force damage through, blank targeted removal, or create a safe block, but respect legal target and color restrictions from the rules engine. Protection can make some blocks illegal or prevent damage from selected qualities; it does not stop sacrifice effects, sweepers without targeting, or colorless/nonmatching sources.
|
||||
- Block rule: block to preserve life-total thresholds against aggressive decks and to protect planeswalker-like pressure if present, but avoid trading hate creatures for damage that Batterskull, Solitude, or a crack-back with equipment can recover. Under visible lethal, keep enough blockers back even if an attack looks favorable.
|
||||
- Trade rule: trade Skyclave Apparition or Flickerwisp when the trade preserves a tax permanent or buys time for equipment. Avoid trading Esper Sentinel after it has taxed the opponent only if it is still drawing cards or carrying equipment; otherwise it can trade with real pressure.
|
||||
- Life-total thresholds: above 12 life, prioritize board lock and equipment setup over chump blocks. From 8 to 12, count opponent visible attackers and haste-like or instant-speed damage from public rules output before attacking with blockers. Below 8, favor Batterskull lifelink, Solitude exile, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire channel windows, and leaving blockers over extra chip damage.
|
||||
- Archetype shift: against control, attack with resilient single threats and protect Aether Vial timing; do not overextend into sweepers. Against combo, shorten the clock while preserving Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Leonin Arbiter. Against creature decks, trade only when it improves the next combat step or enables Batterskull and Kaldra Compleat to dominate.
|
||||
|
||||
## Selection And Tutor Rules
|
||||
- Stoneforge Mystic rule: use Stoneforge Mystic as the only true main-deck tutor and choose equipment by battlefield role. Find Kaldra Compleat when pressure, inevitability, or a fast protected clock matters; find Batterskull when life total, blocking, or resilience against removal matters; after sideboard, find Sword of Fire and Ice when protection from its colors, card flow, or repeat combat damage is more important than lifelink or a single large threat.
|
||||
- Stoneforge timing rule: cast Stoneforge Mystic when the opponent is least able to remove it before the activated ability matters. If Aether Vial can put Stoneforge Mystic onto the battlefield at instant speed, prefer windows that hide the searched equipment until the opponent has committed mana or removal.
|
||||
- Equipment hand rule: do not search for an equipment that is already in hand unless a second copy exists, which this registered list does not have. If Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull is drawn naturally, use Stoneforge Mystic to find the other equipment or, post-sideboard, Sword of Fire and Ice if it is in the deck.
|
||||
- Aether Vial selection rule: treat Aether Vial counters as future selection, not automatic growth. Keep Aether Vial at two counters when hand or matchup values Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Drannith Magistrate, Sanctifier en-Vec, Kataki, War's Wage, or Burrenton Forge-Tender; move toward three counters when Flickerwisp or Skyclave Apparition is the hand's main interaction; four counters is mostly for Solitude only when hard deployment through Aether Vial is realistic.
|
||||
- Draw-land rule: use Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing as mana first when land drops still matter, then convert them into cards when flooding, when holding excess white sources, or when the extra card is needed before committing an attack, Solitude pitch, March of Otherworldly Light payment, or equipment line. Do not sacrifice the only untapped white source before checking Giver of Runes, Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire channel, or hard-cast Solitude legality.
|
||||
- Land-drop timing rule: play Plains early when the hand needs stable untapped white mana under opposing land pressure. Play Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin early when Leonin Arbiter is present or expected, but avoid exposing too many colorless lands if the hand needs double-spell white turns.
|
||||
- Search-denial rule: pair Leonin Arbiter with Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin when possible, and remember the controller of a search effect may have legal payment choices. Do not assume the opponent fails to search unless the rules engine reports the payment was not made or the search did not happen.
|
||||
- No-scry rule: this list has no registered scry spell and no registered cantrip besides Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing drawing a card through sacrifice. Do not invent bottoming, surveil, loot, or library-filter decisions.
|
||||
|
||||
## Priority And Stack Rules
|
||||
- Aether Vial window rule: activate Aether Vial at the last useful moment that preserves legal timing and information advantage. Common windows are opponent end step for Stoneforge Mystic or hate creatures, before blockers for Flickerwisp combat tricks, and in response to removal when a vialed Giver of Runes, Flickerwisp, or Skyclave Apparition changes the exchange.
|
||||
- Aether Vial trigger rule: decide whether to add a counter from the current hand and board, not by habit. Two counters is the deck's densest tactical point, three counters unlocks Flickerwisp and Skyclave Apparition, and moving past three can strand important two-mana interaction in hand.
|
||||
- Stoneforge Mystic activation rule: put Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull onto the battlefield when the opponent is tapped low, after they spend removal, or at opponent end step before a protected attack. Do not activate into visible artifact removal or bounce-like interaction when waiting keeps the same threat and forces the opponent to act first.
|
||||
- Flickerwisp stack rule: use Flickerwisp only when the temporary exile and end-step return are beneficial under the current turn structure. Strong targets include your Skyclave Apparition for a reset, your Stoneforge Mystic for another equipment search, your endangered permanent in response to targeted interaction, or an opposing blocker/permanent whose absence matters before it returns.
|
||||
- Flickerwisp failure rule: do not flicker your own tax creature, equipment carrier, or blocker when its absence gives the opponent a clean main phase, combat step, or lethal attack. The return timing is delayed, so the agent must count the opponent's next relevant window before choosing the target.
|
||||
- Giver of Runes priority rule: hold up Giver of Runes when a protected attack, protected block, or targeted removal exchange is likely. Use the ability before damage or before the targeted spell resolves, and respect that it does not answer sweepers, sacrifice effects, or sources outside the chosen legal quality.
|
||||
- Solitude timing rule: use Solitude as emergency exile interaction when a creature threatens lethal, breaks the tax lock, or invalidates equipment combat. Pitch-casting consumes a white card and gives up card economy, so prefer hard-cast Solitude or Skyclave Apparition when time and mana allow.
|
||||
- Skyclave Apparition timing rule: cast or vial Skyclave Apparition when its exile target is already visible and within legal range from rules output. Avoid firing it at a minor permanent if a higher-impact artifact, creature, enchantment, or planeswalker-like permanent is likely to resolve before the next interaction window.
|
||||
- Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire channel rule: keep Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire available when combat math depends on an attacking or blocking creature. Channeling is not casting a spell, but it still requires a legal target and enough mana after accounting for taxes and other costs reported by the engine.
|
||||
- Tax-stack rule: let opposing spells resolve when Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Esper Sentinel, or Leonin Arbiter already taxes the opponent into an inefficient line and the spell is not decisive. Spend exile interaction only when the resolved object or attack changes lethal, unlocks the opponent's engine, or removes a critical hate permanent.
|
||||
- Graveyard timing rule: after sideboard, deploy Rest in Peace before the opponent can pay graveyard-based costs when possible. Do not treat Rest in Peace as a response to a spell already legally cast from the graveyard unless the rules engine shows a legal priority action that still changes the outcome.
|
||||
|
||||
## Sideboard Map
|
||||
- Sideboarding rule: preserve the deck's functional spine of Aether Vial, white creature density, mana denial, and Stoneforge Mystic equipment access unless the matchup makes a specific package low-impact. Do not overload on noncreature sideboard cards when Aether Vial is needed to deploy threats through taxed mana.
|
||||
- Sanctifier en-Vec role: bring Sanctifier en-Vec against red or black damage/removal decks, graveyard-leaning red or black decks, and attrition matchups where protection colors make it a stable equipment carrier. It is bad when protection from red and from black do not affect removal, blockers, or graveyard pressure; it changes role from hate creature to evasive carrier when Sword of Fire and Ice, Kaldra Compleat, or Batterskull is the main route to winning.
|
||||
- Rest in Peace role: bring Rest in Peace when opposing graveyards are a primary resource, not merely incidental. It is bad when the opponent wins through battlefield size, mana, or stack interaction while ignoring graveyards; it also reduces the pressure density of Aether Vial hands because it is not a creature.
|
||||
- Drannith Magistrate role: bring Drannith Magistrate against decks casting from exile, graveyard, library, or command-like alternate zones when Modern legality and rules output expose that axis. It is bad as a generic bear against battlefield creature decks; it changes role into an Aether Vial two-counter hate piece when instant-speed deployment can interrupt the opponent's planned cast window.
|
||||
- March of Otherworldly Light role: bring March of Otherworldly Light when cheap exile interaction for artifact, creature, or enchantment permanents matters and pitching extra white cards is acceptable. It is bad when the hand is already card-light, when Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxes make holding mana awkward, or when the opponent's threats are mostly lands, planeswalkers, or spells on the stack.
|
||||
- Path to Exile role: bring Path to Exile when clean creature exile is more important than denying lands, especially against large creatures that Solitude alone cannot cover efficiently. It is bad with Leonin Arbiter absent against opponents that exploit extra lands, but with Leonin Arbiter it can function as removal plus search pressure if the engine reports the opponent cannot or does not pay.
|
||||
- Sword of Fire and Ice role: bring Sword of Fire and Ice against red or blue interaction, creature stalls, and matchups where a protected equipment carrier can repeatedly connect. It is bad when the opponent answers equipment cleanly, races before equip matters, or invalidates combat without targeting; it changes Stoneforge Mystic from Kaldra Compleat pressure toward repeatable card/damage advantage.
|
||||
- Pithing Needle role: bring Pithing Needle when a known activated ability is central and the correct name is available from public information or matchup configuration. It is bad against decks with redundant threats and no single activated permanent; do not guess names from hidden information.
|
||||
- Kataki, War's Wage role: bring Kataki, War's Wage against artifact-heavy decks where upkeep payments materially constrain battlefield development. It is bad when your own Aether Vial, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or Sword of Fire and Ice would be the more important artifacts and the opponent can pay comfortably; use it as a tax piece, not as removal.
|
||||
- Burrenton Forge-Tender role: bring Burrenton Forge-Tender against red damage decks, red sweepers, and races where preventing a red source protects a key creature or life total. It is bad when red sources are absent or the opponent's answers are exile, sacrifice, black removal, white removal, or colorless effects; it changes role into a one-mana Aether Vial carrier when protection timing is not immediately needed.
|
||||
|
||||
Graveyard-red or graveyard-black pressure
|
||||
Side in: 3 Sanctifier en-Vec; 2 Rest in Peace; 2 Path to Exile
|
||||
Cut: 4 Esper Sentinel; 1 Batterskull; 1 Flickerwisp; 1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
|
||||
|
||||
Artifact-heavy battlefield engine
|
||||
Side in: 1 Kataki, War's Wage; 2 March of Otherworldly Light; 1 Pithing Needle; 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
Cut: 4 Esper Sentinel; 1 Batterskull
|
||||
|
||||
Large-creature fair deck
|
||||
Side in: 2 Path to Exile; 2 March of Otherworldly Light; 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
Cut: 4 Esper Sentinel; 1 Leonin Arbiter
|
||||
|
||||
Red damage race
|
||||
Side in: 3 Sanctifier en-Vec; 1 Burrenton Forge-Tender; 1 Sword of Fire and Ice; 2 Path to Exile
|
||||
Cut: 4 Esper Sentinel; 1 Batterskull; 1 Flickerwisp; 1 Leonin Arbiter
|
||||
|
||||
Alternate-zone or nonhand casting engine
|
||||
Side in: 2 Drannith Magistrate; 2 Rest in Peace; 1 Pithing Needle
|
||||
Cut: 4 Solitude; 1 Batterskull
|
||||
|
||||
- Against graveyard decks: Add role cards: Rest in Peace, Sanctifier en-Vec, and sometimes Drannith Magistrate when the opponent casts from zones other than hand. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel against decks that can pay later, Batterskull when lifelink is slower than hate, and excess Flickerwisp when there are few profitable battlefield targets.
|
||||
- Against red removal or red race decks: Add role cards: Sanctifier en-Vec, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Path to Exile for creatures that must leave combat. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel when the opponent can ignore the tax, Batterskull when five-mana equipment pacing is too slow, and Leonin Arbiter when search denial is not the pressure point.
|
||||
- Against artifact decks: Add role cards: Kataki, War's Wage, March of Otherworldly Light, Pithing Needle for a named activated ability, and Sword of Fire and Ice if combat connects. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel first when the opponent empties artifacts instead of casting taxed noncreature spells; keep Aether Vial unless Kataki, War's Wage plus your own artifacts creates an immediate upkeep-payment problem.
|
||||
- Against creature-heavy fair decks: Add role cards: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, and Sword of Fire and Ice. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel when the opponent's plan is mostly creatures, and one Leonin Arbiter when Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin are not central to the game plan.
|
||||
- Against spell-heavy low-creature decks: Add role cards: Drannith Magistrate only if nonhand casting matters, Pithing Needle only for a known activated ability, and Sword of Fire and Ice when combat can connect. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Solitude when there are too few targets, but keep Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Esper Sentinel because their taxes are the main disruption.
|
||||
- Against decks with few legal removal targets: Add role cards: Pithing Needle for a visible activated-permanent plan and Sword of Fire and Ice for pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, and Solitude unless the opponent's visible threats justify exile effects.
|
||||
- Equipment-sideboard rule: when Sword of Fire and Ice enters, Stoneforge Mystic's search priority becomes matchup-dependent. Search Kaldra Compleat for fastest lethal pressure, Batterskull for lifelink stabilization, and Sword of Fire and Ice when protection colors, combat stalls, or repeatable card advantage matter more than raw body size.
|
||||
- Mana-denial sideboard rule: keep Leonin Arbiter with Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin when the opponent relies on searching, greedy mana, or Path to Exile drawback mitigation. Reduce Leonin Arbiter emphasis only when the matchup is decided by immediate board combat and the opponent does not care about search restrictions.
|
||||
- Thalia tension rule: keep Thalia, Guardian of Thraben against spell decks even when adding March of Otherworldly Light, Path to Exile, Rest in Peace, or Pithing Needle. Reduce Thalia emphasis only when your post-sideboard plan requires multiple noncreature spells early and the opponent is primarily creature-based.
|
||||
- Aether Vial sideboard rule: keep Aether Vial in most plans because it deploys Giver of Runes, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, Sanctifier en-Vec, Drannith Magistrate, Kataki, War's Wage, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Flickerwisp, and Skyclave Apparition without spending main-phase mana. Reassess only when Kataki, War's Wage is active and your own artifact upkeep payments are more damaging than the tempo gained.
|
||||
|
||||
## Matchup Guidance
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro: Prioritize surviving the first combat turns, then turn the corner with equipment or protected attacks. Keep hands that produce early Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, or Aether Vial plus lands; do not keep a slow equipment-only hand because Kaldra Compleat and Batterskull need Stoneforge Mystic, Aether Vial pacing, or enough time. Use Solitude and Skyclave Apparition on creatures that determine combat math, not on replaceable early bodies unless life total is already under pressure. Add role cards: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Burrenton Forge-Tender when red damage is central. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel when the opponent is mostly creature-based and can ignore the draw tax, and Batterskull when five-mana pacing is too slow.
|
||||
|
||||
- Control: Present staggered must-answer threats and protect the tax engine instead of committing everything into a sweeper. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Esper Sentinel should lead when they make opposing interaction awkward; Aether Vial lets you hold mana for Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing, or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire while adding creatures at instant speed. Stoneforge Mystic should choose Kaldra Compleat when fast pressure is needed, Batterskull when lifelink and recursion matter, or Sword of Fire and Ice after sideboard when protection colors and card flow matter. Add role cards: Sword of Fire and Ice and Pithing Needle only for a known activated ability. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Solitude if the opponent has few creatures, but keep enough exile effects for visible finishers.
|
||||
|
||||
- Combo: Identify whether the opponent loses to taxes, search denial, battlefield exile, graveyard lock, or alternate-zone restriction, then mulligan toward that axis. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is the broad spell tax; Leonin Arbiter plus Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin punishes search-heavy mana and tutor-like infrastructure only when the engine exposes legal search/payment choices; Drannith Magistrate matters when the opponent casts from places other than hand; Rest in Peace matters when graveyard resources are required. Do not spend Skyclave Apparition or Solitude on low-impact creatures if a visible engine permanent or payoff creature is likely to be the real choke point. Add role cards: Drannith Magistrate, Rest in Peace, Pithing Needle for a public activated-ability name, and March of Otherworldly Light when an artifact, creature, or enchantment permanent must be exiled. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Batterskull and excess creature-removal slots when speed and hate are more important than attrition.
|
||||
|
||||
- Tempo: Make land drops, keep mana denial live, and avoid walking Stoneforge Mystic equipment lines into a board where one bounced or removed carrier loses the race. Giver of Runes is high value if it protects Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, Stoneforge Mystic, or a key equipment carrier from targeted interaction, but it does not beat sweepers, sacrifice effects, or non-targeting pressure. Aether Vial is strong because it deploys through permission and lets Flickerwisp or Skyclave Apparition appear around combat and end-step windows. Add role cards: Sword of Fire and Ice when protection colors and repeatable damage matter, Path to Exile for large tempo threats, and Sanctifier en-Vec if red or black card pressure is central. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Batterskull when it is too slow and some Esper Sentinel copies when the opponent can pay after establishing pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Midrange: Trade resources while preserving the permanent that makes later trades unfair. Skyclave Apparition should answer the permanent that blocks your pressure, unlocks their engine, or blanks equipment; Solitude should be saved for creatures Skyclave Apparition cannot profitably answer or for survival. Flickerwisp is best when it reuses Stoneforge Mystic or Skyclave Apparition, resets your permanent, removes a blocker for a lethal turn, or breaks up an opposing permanent for one turn; do not spend it as a plain 3/1 flyer if a visible blink target is about to matter. Add role cards: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, and Sword of Fire and Ice. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel if both players are trading creatures more than casting noncreature spells.
|
||||
|
||||
- Big mana: Attack mana development before attacking life total when the opponent depends on land searching or expensive payoffs. Leonin Arbiter with Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can become real disruption only if the runtime confirms the land ability is legal and the opponent faces the search-payment restriction; do not assume a missed payment from hidden or unsupported state. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben buys time against noncreature setup spells, and Stoneforge Mystic into Kaldra Compleat gives the fastest clock when the opponent’s battlefield is not yet stable. Add role cards: Pithing Needle for a known activated permanent, March of Otherworldly Light for artifact or enchantment accelerants when legal, and Drannith Magistrate only if nonhand casting is part of the opponent’s plan. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Batterskull if lifelink does not change the race.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard: Deploy graveyard hate before the opponent converts the graveyard into mana, cards, or battlefield presence. Rest in Peace is the cleanest static plan; Sanctifier en-Vec is strongest when red or black graveyard pressure and targeted removal overlap. Solitude and Path to Exile answer creatures that have already reached the battlefield, but they do not prevent graveyard costs or recursion already paid unless the rules engine exposes a legal response at the correct time. Add role cards: Rest in Peace, Sanctifier en-Vec, Path to Exile, and Drannith Magistrate when alternate-zone casting matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Batterskull and some Esper Sentinel when hate plus pressure is more important than card-tax attrition.
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact/enchantment: Treat the matchup as a permanent-management puzzle, not a generic creature fight. Skyclave Apparition and March of Otherworldly Light are the primary exile tools for legal targets; Kataki, War's Wage taxes artifact boards but also taxes your Aether Vial, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, and Sword of Fire and Ice, so check your own upkeep burden before relying on it. Pithing Needle should name only a known activated ability from public information. Add role cards: Kataki, War's Wage, March of Otherworldly Light, Pithing Needle, and Sword of Fire and Ice when combat can connect. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel first if the opponent empties permanents quickly instead of casting taxed noncreature spells.
|
||||
|
||||
- Go-wide: Keep the board from snowballing and value Flickerwisp as a tempo piece that can remove a blocker or reset your own exile creature. Solitude should hit the creature that changes attacks, pumps the team, or threatens lethal, while Skyclave Apparition handles permanent-based engines when legal. Kaldra Compleat is strong when one large vigilant body stabilizes combat; Batterskull is strong when lifelink races multiple small attackers. Add role cards: Path to Exile and March of Otherworldly Light for extra exile density. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel when the opponent’s pressure is mostly creature deployment.
|
||||
|
||||
- Single-threat: Save clean answers for the real threat and avoid diluting the plan with low-impact trades. Solitude and Path to Exile are premium against a large creature; Skyclave Apparition covers legal lower-value permanents and some threat-support pieces; Giver of Runes can force through equipment attacks if the opponent relies on colored blockers or targeted removal. Add role cards: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Pithing Needle if one activated permanent is the threat engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: excess small-tax creatures only if they do not affect the opponent’s actual bottleneck.
|
||||
|
||||
- Burn: Protect life total first, then win with lifelink, prevention, or protection from relevant colors. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxes noncreature burn spells; Giver of Runes protects a key creature from targeted colored damage but does not protect the player; Burrenton Forge-Tender can prevent damage from a red source when the legal activation is available. Sanctifier en-Vec and Sword of Fire and Ice are important when their protections line up, while Batterskull is strong only if it arrives before life total is too low. Add role cards: Sanctifier en-Vec, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Path to Exile for must-answer creatures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel when drawing a card is less important than not taking damage.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal-heavy decks: Make every answer awkward by layering tax, protection, and recursive equipment pressure. Lead with Esper Sentinel or Thalia, Guardian of Thraben when they tax interaction; use Giver of Runes to protect the creature that matters most this turn; prefer Aether Vial lines that add threats without tapping mana into open removal. Stoneforge Mystic should value Batterskull when the game is attrition-based, Kaldra Compleat when the opponent lacks a clean exile answer, and Sword of Fire and Ice when protection colors and combat damage produce repeated advantage. Add role cards: Sword of Fire and Ice, Sanctifier en-Vec against red or black removal, and Burrenton Forge-Tender against red damage. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Path to Exile and March of Otherworldly Light only if the opponent presents few creatures or artifacts/enchantments worth exiling.
|
||||
|
||||
## Specific Matchup Notes
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only notes: Revealed cards and rules-engine legal actions override these assumptions. Treat unknown opponents as a matchup-identification problem for the first two turns: prioritize whether they are constrained by Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, whether Leonin Arbiter plus Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can tax land searching, whether Skyclave Apparition has legal engine targets, and whether Solitude must be preserved for a creature that beats Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull.
|
||||
|
||||
- Versus fast creature pressure: Stabilize combat before maximizing card-tax value. Prioritize Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Path to Exile, and March of Otherworldly Light for creatures or permanents that change lethal math, pump attacks, or invalidate blocks. Add role cards: Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Burrenton Forge-Tender against red damage, and Sword of Fire and Ice when protection and combat damage can safely connect. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel when the opponent mostly spends mana on creatures and the extra card is slower than survival.
|
||||
|
||||
- Versus spell-heavy tempo or control: Make every noncreature spell cost more and every removal spell line up poorly. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Esper Sentinel are early pressure pieces, Giver of Runes should guard the permanent that carries equipment or keeps taxes active, and Aether Vial is valuable for deploying threats through open mana. Add role cards: Sanctifier en-Vec against red or black interaction, Burrenton Forge-Tender against red sweepers or damage, Sword of Fire and Ice when protection colors matter, and Pithing Needle only for a known activated ability. Reduce main-deck emphasis: some creature removal if the opponent shows few legal targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Versus big mana and land-search decks: Attack mana before life total when Leonin Arbiter is present or when the opponent’s visible plan depends on land searching. Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin are strongest when the search restriction is active and the runtime exposes legal activation windows; do not assume the opponent fails to pay unless the rules engine records that choice. Add role cards: Pithing Needle for a public activated permanent, Drannith Magistrate if the opponent casts from nonhand zones, and March of Otherworldly Light for legal artifact or enchantment accelerants. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Batterskull when lifelink does not alter the clock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Versus graveyard decks: Deploy hate before the opponent turns graveyard resources into spells, mana, or creatures. Rest in Peace is the main static graveyard plan; Sanctifier en-Vec is strongest when red or black graveyard cards and red or black removal overlap. Solitude and Path to Exile answer creatures already on the battlefield, but they do not undo costs already paid from the graveyard. Add role cards: Rest in Peace, Sanctifier en-Vec, Path to Exile, and Drannith Magistrate when nonhand casting matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Batterskull or excess Esper Sentinel if hate plus pressure is the better clock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Versus artifact or enchantment engines: Preserve exile effects for the permanent that actually converts resources. Skyclave Apparition and March of Otherworldly Light are the cleanest answers to legal targets; Kataki, War's Wage can punish artifact density but also taxes your Aether Vial, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, and Sword of Fire and Ice. Add role cards: Kataki, War's Wage, March of Otherworldly Light, Pithing Needle, and Sword of Fire and Ice when combat connects. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Esper Sentinel if the opponent empties artifacts quickly instead of casting taxed noncreature spells.
|
||||
|
||||
## Risk Summary
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana risk: This deck has many colorless or life-costing lands, so opening hands with Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and Plains must be judged by whether they cast Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, and Stoneforge Mystic on time. Do not treat Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin as painless white sources.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup risk: The deck can draw the wrong half when taxes do not touch the opponent’s bottleneck. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is weaker against creature-heavy boards, Leonin Arbiter is weaker when searching is irrelevant, and Giver of Runes is weaker against sweepers or non-targeting effects.
|
||||
|
||||
- Draw risk: Aether Vial hands are powerful only when the creature curve and counters line up. Avoid keeping a slow hand that has Aether Vial but no early creature sequence, no white source, or no pressure plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Over-sideboarding risk: Removing too many creatures makes Aether Vial, equipment, and Flickerwisp worse. Keep enough bodies to carry Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or Sword of Fire and Ice and enough pressure to make tax effects matter.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard risk: Rest in Peace can shut off opposing graveyard plans but does not answer resolved battlefield threats by itself. Pair it with pressure or exile removal instead of spending a turn on hate that does not affect the current lethal line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sweeper and removal risk: Giver of Runes protects against targeted colored interaction when legal, but it does not stop edicts, sweepers, sacrifice effects, or colorless/non-targeting removal. Aether Vial can rebuild after removal, but only if counters and hand contents match.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer risk: Kaldra Compleat is the fastest equipment closer, Batterskull is the stabilizing lifelink closer, and Sword of Fire and Ice is the attrition closer. Choosing the wrong Stoneforge Mystic target can lose the race even when the tutor resolves.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction risk: Solitude has a high opportunity cost when cast for its alternate cost, and Skyclave Apparition has target restrictions. Spend them on threats or engines that change the game state, not on replaceable bodies unless survival requires it.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequencing risk: Flickerwisp is easy to underuse as a plain attacker. Prioritize blink lines that reuse Stoneforge Mystic, reset Skyclave Apparition interactions, clear a blocker for a decisive attack, or temporarily disrupt a permanent when the visible board makes that timing matter.
|
||||
|
||||
## Test Feedback Checklist
|
||||
|
||||
- Deciding factor: Which permanent or exchange actually decided the game: Aether Vial tempo, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxing noncreature spells, Leonin Arbiter constraining search, Stoneforge Mystic finding a closer, Skyclave Apparition or Solitude answering a key threat, or sideboard hate changing the opponent's plan?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligan check: Did the opener contain a legal white-mana plan for the first two turns, and did it have either pressure plus disruption or Aether Vial plus enough creatures to justify the keep?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana check: Did Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and Plains support the intended curve, or did colorless lands and life payments delay Giver of Runes, Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, or Stoneforge Mystic?
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity check: Did Aether Vial add more mana than it cost, and were its counters aligned with actual hand contents, or did it sit on an unhelpful number while the deck needed castable spells?
|
||||
|
||||
- Tax-engine check: Did Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and Leonin Arbiter tax the opponent's bottleneck, or were they low-impact bodies against a creature-heavy or mana-rich board?
|
||||
|
||||
- Search-restriction check: When Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin was available with Leonin Arbiter, did the pilot fire it at a window where the opponent's search payment was constrained, or did it give the opponent time to pay or ignore the tax?
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal check: Were Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, and Path to Exile spent on threats or engines that changed lethal math, card flow, or combat access, or were they used on replaceable creatures while a better target was visible?
|
||||
|
||||
- Equipment check: Did Stoneforge Mystic choose the right closer: Kaldra Compleat for fast pressure, Batterskull for lifelink stabilization, or Sword of Fire and Ice after sideboarding for protection and attrition?
|
||||
|
||||
- Flicker check: Did Flickerwisp reuse Stoneforge Mystic, reset or reposition Skyclave Apparition interactions, clear a blocker, or disrupt a permanent at a meaningful timing point, or was it only used as a three-mana attacker?
|
||||
|
||||
- Combat check: Did Giver of Runes change attacks or blocks by protecting the important creature, and did the pilot avoid attacking with needed blockers when the opponent represented lethal on board?
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard check: Did Rest in Peace, Sanctifier en-Vec, Drannith Magistrate, Kataki, War's Wage, Pithing Needle, Burrenton Forge-Tender, March of Otherworldly Light, Path to Exile, and Sword of Fire and Ice enter only when their text matched the opponent's visible plan?
|
||||
|
||||
- Closing check: Did the deck turn tax advantage into a clock before the opponent escaped, or did it keep interacting without presenting Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, Sword of Fire and Ice, Flickerwisp pressure, or protected creature damage?
|
||||
|
||||
- Role check: Was the deck correctly assigned as aggressor, prison-tempo deck, stabilizer, or attrition deck after sideboarding, and did that role change after the first key exchange?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mistake check: Which legal action looked attractive but failed tactically: early land destruction without Leonin Arbiter pressure, overprotecting Esper Sentinel, overcommitting into a sweeper, wrong Stoneforge Mystic target, or spending Solitude too early?
|
||||
|
||||
- Stranded-card check: Which cards stayed unused in hand, and why: Kaldra Compleat or Batterskull without Stoneforge Mystic, Flickerwisp without a target, Solitude without a pitch card, sideboard hate without a matching opponent resource, or lands that did not cast white spells?
|
||||
|
||||
- Performance check: Which card overperformed or underperformed in the match, and was that caused by matchup texture, sequencing, sideboard plan, or registered quantity?
|
||||
|
||||
## First Tuning Questions
|
||||
|
||||
- Aether Vial quantity: If multiple losses involved slow hands, awkward counters, or too few creatures to deploy, should four Aether Vial remain mandatory, or is the issue actually mulligan discipline and counter management?
|
||||
|
||||
- One-drop pressure: If the deck failed to tax early, did four Giver of Runes and four Esper Sentinel provide enough turn-one action, or did too many hands rely on Aether Vial without a follow-up creature?
|
||||
|
||||
- Tax density: If opponents ignored the disruption, did Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Leonin Arbiter line up poorly against the tested field, or did the pilot fail to pair Leonin Arbiter with Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin at constrained windows?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana balance: If white spells were delayed, should the land mix with four Ghost Quarter, four Field of Ruin, four Horizon Canopy, four Silent Clearing, two Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and four Plains be adjusted toward more reliable white sources?
|
||||
|
||||
- Life-total pressure: If Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing caused race losses, were their draw modes worth the damage, or should the list reduce life-costing lands for matchups where Batterskull is needed just to stabilize?
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal mix: If creature decks overwhelmed the board, are four Skyclave Apparition and four Solitude enough main-deck removal, or do sideboard Path to Exile and March of Otherworldly Light need more space or more frequent use?
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer split: If Stoneforge Mystic often found the wrong threat, is the one Kaldra Compleat plus one Batterskull package sufficient, or does Sword of Fire and Ice deserve main-deck consideration for attrition-heavy fields?
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro plan: If fast creature matchups remain bad, should the sideboard add more early removal, lifegain, or protection beyond Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Burrenton Forge-Tender, and Sanctifier en-Vec?
|
||||
|
||||
- Control plan: If spell-heavy opponents beat the taxes, did the deck need more resilient threats, more equipment pressure, or better protection sequencing around Giver of Runes and Aether Vial?
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard plan: If Rest in Peace and Sanctifier en-Vec were too slow or too narrow, should the sideboard graveyard package change, or were losses caused by not pairing hate with a fast clock?
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact plan: If artifact decks beat Kataki, War's Wage, was the issue that Kataki, War's Wage conflicted with Aether Vial, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, and Sword of Fire and Ice, or that it entered without enough pressure?
|
||||
|
||||
- Role conflict: If sideboarding weakened Aether Vial, Stoneforge Mystic, or Flickerwisp, did the plan cut too many creatures, or is the deck trying to become a control deck without enough card advantage?
|
||||
|
||||
- Flex-slot pressure: If specific sideboard cards were repeatedly stranded, should Pithing Needle, Kataki, War's Wage, Burrenton Forge-Tender, or the second copies of Rest in Peace, Drannith Magistrate, March of Otherworldly Light, and Path to Exile be reassigned to broader answers?
|
||||
|
||||
## Veles Tactical Policy
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Opening Hand Tax Engine
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: mulligan
|
||||
- Cards: Aether Vial; Esper Sentinel; Giver of Runes; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Leonin Arbiter; Stoneforge Mystic; Plains; Horizon Canopy; Silent Clearing; Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
|
||||
- Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions
|
||||
- Runtime cues: opening_hand; legal_action:mulligan; legal_action:keep
|
||||
- Use when: choosing whether the hand can cast or deploy a turn-one play and a turn-two tax or Stoneforge Mystic line.
|
||||
- Avoid when: hand evaluation depends on hidden matchup knowledge not visible from game one.
|
||||
- Instructions: Keep hands with white access plus Aether Vial or a castable one-drop and a follow-up disruptive creature. Mulligan hands that cannot make white mana early, cannot deploy pressure, or rely only on Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin for development.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: low
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: First Permanent Setup
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Aether Vial; Esper Sentinel; Giver of Runes
|
||||
- Phase windows: turn one main phase
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Aether Vial; action:cast Esper Sentinel; action:cast Giver of Runes
|
||||
- Use when: multiple turn-one plays are legal from visible mana.
|
||||
- Avoid when: only one legal turn-one permanent exists.
|
||||
- Instructions: Prefer Aether Vial when the hand has multiple creatures and can use future uncounterable tempo. Prefer Esper Sentinel when taxing immediate noncreature spells matters. Prefer Giver of Runes when protecting Stoneforge Mystic, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or Leonin Arbiter is the hand's next turn.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: low
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Aether Vial Counter Management
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Aether Vial; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Leonin Arbiter; Stoneforge Mystic; Skyclave Apparition; Flickerwisp
|
||||
- Phase windows: upkeep, opponent end step, combat tricks
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:put a charge counter on Aether Vial; action:activate Aether Vial
|
||||
- Use when: Aether Vial trigger or activation is legal and hand contents are visible to the pilot.
|
||||
- Avoid when: adding a counter strands the current hand off an important creature mana value.
|
||||
- Instructions: Hold Aether Vial on two when the hand needs Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Leonin Arbiter, or Stoneforge Mystic. Move to three when Skyclave Apparition or Flickerwisp is the next disruptive play. Use opponent-end-step activations to preserve mana and surprise blockers.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Leonin Arbiter Land-Denial Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Leonin Arbiter; Ghost Quarter; Field of Ruin
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent upkeep, draw step, main phases, combat when mana is constrained
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Ghost Quarter; action:activate Field of Ruin
|
||||
- Use when: Leonin Arbiter is on battlefield and the opponent does not visibly have enough untapped mana to pay the search tax without losing the turn's key action.
|
||||
- Avoid when: activating fixes the opponent's mana, unlocks their spell, or sacrifices your own needed land drop.
|
||||
- Instructions: Pair Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin with Leonin Arbiter as mana denial, not generic land cycling. Target lands that constrain colors, creature lands, or utility lands before basic-looking redundancy.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Deterministic Ghost Quarter Search Denial
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Leonin Arbiter; Ghost Quarter
|
||||
- Phase windows: any legal activation window
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Ghost Quarter
|
||||
- Use when: Leonin Arbiter is on battlefield, the opponent has zero untapped mana, and Ghost Quarter can target an opponent land.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the only legal target is your own land or the opponent has a replacement effect or visible ability that changes the result.
|
||||
- Instructions: Activate Ghost Quarter targeting the opponent land selected by the legal action when the search payment is visibly unavailable.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: low
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Stoneforge Mystic Search Choice
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: selection
|
||||
- Cards: Stoneforge Mystic; Kaldra Compleat; Batterskull; Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
- Phase windows: Stoneforge Mystic enters-the-battlefield trigger, sideboard games
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:search; action:choose Kaldra Compleat; action:choose Batterskull; action:choose Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
- Use when: Stoneforge Mystic search is legal and equipment choices are available from the registered deck after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Avoid when: legality text does not expose the equipment names.
|
||||
- Instructions: Choose Kaldra Compleat for fastest closing pressure, Batterskull when lifelink and stabilizing body matter, and Sword of Fire and Ice when it is sideboarded and protection or attrition damage is more important than raw size.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Stoneforge Mystic Put-Into-Play Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; mana
|
||||
- Cards: Stoneforge Mystic; Kaldra Compleat; Batterskull; Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent end step, own main phase, combat setup
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Stoneforge Mystic
|
||||
- Use when: Stoneforge Mystic can put an equipment from hand onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the equipment is not in hand, Stoneforge Mystic must block to prevent lethal, or the opponent can remove Stoneforge Mystic before activation from visible stack information.
|
||||
- Instructions: Activate at opponent end step to untap with the Germ or equipment unless immediate combat or survival requires main-phase deployment. Do not tap Stoneforge Mystic away from a required block without lethal or stabilization payoff.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Skyclave Apparition Target Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Skyclave Apparition; Flickerwisp
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phase, Aether Vial timing, Flickerwisp setup
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target Skyclave Apparition; action:target permanent
|
||||
- Use when: Skyclave Apparition target choice is legal for an opponent nonland nontoken permanent within its visible restriction.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the target is replaceable and a more dangerous engine, blocker, or lethal enabler is visible.
|
||||
- Instructions: Spend Skyclave Apparition on threats that change combat, card flow, mana, or lock escape. Account for the token created if Skyclave Apparition leaves before choosing a low-impact permanent.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Solitude Commitment Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Solitude
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent combat, end step, own main phase, stack windows with flash
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Solitude; action:evoke Solitude; action:target creature
|
||||
- Use when: a visible creature threatens lethal, breaks the tax plan, or invalidates combat.
|
||||
- Avoid when: exiling a white card would remove the only tax piece, protection piece, or Stoneforge Mystic payoff needed to win.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use Solitude as survival removal first and tempo removal second. Remember the controller gains life equal to the exiled creature's power, so do not fire it on a large creature if the life gain prevents your near-term clock without solving a crisis.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Flickerwisp Target Selection
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: selection; priority; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Flickerwisp; Stoneforge Mystic; Skyclave Apparition; Aether Vial; Kaldra Compleat; Batterskull; Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phase, end step with Aether Vial, combat disruption
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target Flickerwisp; action:target permanent
|
||||
- Use when: Flickerwisp enters and multiple legal target permanents exist.
|
||||
- Avoid when: exiling your own permanent loses an attached equipment, removes a needed blocker through combat, or gives the opponent a better Skyclave Apparition token exchange.
|
||||
- Instructions: Prefer targets that reuse Stoneforge Mystic, reset or delay an opposing permanent, open a combat step, or create a clean end-step return. Route ambiguous target pairs through light-model.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Giver of Runes Protection Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; combat; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Giver of Runes; Stoneforge Mystic; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Leonin Arbiter; Skyclave Apparition; Flickerwisp
|
||||
- Phase windows: removal response, combat declare blockers, damage prevention setup
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Giver of Runes; action:target another target creature
|
||||
- Use when: Giver of Runes can protect another target creature from a visible colored or colorless source, blocker, or removal spell.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the threatened creature is not another creature you control or protection would make your own Aura/equipment action illegal.
|
||||
- Instructions: Protect the creature that preserves the lock, the Stoneforge Mystic engine, or lethal combat. Do not spend Giver of Runes on Esper Sentinel if Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Leonin Arbiter is the actual bottleneck.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Combat Role Assignment
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: combat
|
||||
- Cards: Giver of Runes; Flickerwisp; Kaldra Compleat; Batterskull; Sword of Fire and Ice; Skyclave Apparition; Solitude
|
||||
- Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:attack; action:block
|
||||
- Use when: combat choices affect lethal race, equipment pressure, or required blockers.
|
||||
- Avoid when: exactly one legal combat action exists and no tactical choice remains.
|
||||
- Instructions: Attack when tax pressure must become a clock, especially with Kaldra Compleat or protected evasive damage. Hold back creatures that are required to prevent visible lethal. Trade bodies when equipment, Flickerwisp, or Solitude leaves you ahead afterward.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Esper Sentinel Tax Pressure
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; combat
|
||||
- Cards: Esper Sentinel; Giver of Runes; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
|
||||
- Phase windows: early turns, opponent noncreature spell turns, combat pump-equipment context
|
||||
- Runtime cues: trigger:Esper Sentinel; action:attack Esper Sentinel
|
||||
- Use when: Esper Sentinel changes opponent sequencing or draw pressure.
|
||||
- Avoid when: protecting or attacking with Esper Sentinel exposes a higher-impact tax creature or loses a needed blocker.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat Esper Sentinel as card-flow pressure, not the whole lock. Increase its relevance with combat damage when safe, but preserve Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Leonin Arbiter first when the opponent's plan depends on noncreature spells or searching.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: low
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Eiganjo Channel Removal
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; mana
|
||||
- Cards: Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
|
||||
- Phase windows: combat, end step, main phase when channel is legal
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:channel Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire; action:target attacking creature; action:target blocking creature
|
||||
- Use when: Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire can remove or shrink a combat problem while preserving spell slots.
|
||||
- Avoid when: using it as a spell leaves too few lands to cast white interaction or deploy equipment.
|
||||
- Instructions: Value Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as both white mana and channel interaction. Channel it for combat-critical attacking or blocking creatures, especially when conventional removal is absent or taxed.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Card-Draw Land Cash-In
|
||||
- Priority: Low
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Horizon Canopy; Silent Clearing
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent end step, flood states, late game
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Horizon Canopy; action:activate Silent Clearing
|
||||
- Use when: extra lands exceed current mana needs and life payment is visible as nonlethal.
|
||||
- Avoid when: life total is under pressure, white mana is required this turn cycle, or sacrificing the land blocks Stoneforge Mystic, Solitude, or sideboard interaction.
|
||||
- Instructions: Cash in Horizon Canopy or Silent Clearing after deploying the tax engine or when drawing is more valuable than another land. Preserve them as white sources in opening and midgame development.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: low
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Sideboard Hate Matching
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard; pregame
|
||||
- Cards: Sanctifier en-Vec; Rest in Peace; Drannith Magistrate; March of Otherworldly Light; Path to Exile; Sword of Fire and Ice; Pithing Needle; Kataki, War's Wage; Burrenton Forge-Tender
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding, pregame after known opponent cards
|
||||
- Runtime cues: sideboard; opponent_visible_cards; match_history
|
||||
- Use when: boarding after seeing opponent colors, card types, graveyard use, activated abilities, artifacts, or red damage pressure.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the hate card attacks no visible resource or dilutes creature count below Aether Vial and equipment needs.
|
||||
- Instructions: Add Rest in Peace or Sanctifier en-Vec for graveyard dependence, Drannith Magistrate for cast-from-outside-hand plans, Kataki, War's Wage for artifact boards, Pithing Needle for named activated abilities, and removal when creature pressure demands it.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Path And March Removal Use
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Path to Exile; March of Otherworldly Light; Leonin Arbiter
|
||||
- Phase windows: combat, end step, main phase, stack windows when legal
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Path to Exile; action:cast March of Otherworldly Light; action:target creature; action:target artifact; action:target enchantment
|
||||
- Use when: sideboard removal is available and a visible permanent threatens lethal, engine snowball, or combat lock.
|
||||
- Avoid when: Path to Exile gives the opponent a land through an avoidable window, or March of Otherworldly Light requires exiling a card more important than the target.
|
||||
- Instructions: Pair Path to Exile with Leonin Arbiter when possible. Use March of Otherworldly Light for targets its legal action text can actually hit, preserving white cards unless the target is decisive.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Artifact-Hate Self-Check
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Kataki, War's Wage; Aether Vial; Kaldra Compleat; Batterskull; Sword of Fire and Ice
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding, main phase deployment, upkeep tax resolution
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Kataki, War's Wage; trigger:Kataki, War's Wage
|
||||
- Use when: opponent artifact density is visible and Kataki, War's Wage is in the post-board plan.
|
||||
- Avoid when: your own Aether Vial, Kaldra Compleat, Batterskull, or Sword of Fire and Ice is the only path to winning and the opponent has few artifacts.
|
||||
- Instructions: Cast Kataki, War's Wage when its tax hurts the opponent more than your equipment and Aether Vial. Plan upkeep payments before committing multiple artifacts.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: medium
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1/metadata.json
Normal file
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"W"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_death_and_taxes_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_death_and_taxes",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Death And Taxes",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
44
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
44
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_draw_go_control
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: WU
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, draw-go, instant-speed interaction, planeswalker timing
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Modern legality and end-step priority behavior.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Solitude
|
||||
2 Snapcaster Mage
|
||||
2 The Wandering Emperor
|
||||
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
|
||||
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
|
||||
4 Counterspell
|
||||
3 Force of Negation
|
||||
2 Spell Pierce
|
||||
2 Archmage's Charm
|
||||
2 Memory Deluge
|
||||
4 Prismatic Ending
|
||||
4 March of Otherworldly Light
|
||||
2 Supreme Verdict
|
||||
1 Dress Down
|
||||
1 Shark Typhoon
|
||||
4 Flooded Strand
|
||||
2 Polluted Delta
|
||||
2 Scalding Tarn
|
||||
2 Hallowed Fountain
|
||||
2 Meticulous Archive
|
||||
2 Celestial Colonnade
|
||||
2 Hall of Storm Giants
|
||||
2 Field of Ruin
|
||||
2 Island
|
||||
2 Plains
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
2 Rest in Peace
|
||||
2 Dovin's Veto
|
||||
2 Mystical Dispute
|
||||
2 Chalice of the Void
|
||||
2 Dress Down
|
||||
1 Supreme Verdict
|
||||
1 Engineered Explosives
|
||||
1 Stony Silence
|
||||
1 Hallowed Moonlight
|
||||
1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
1053
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1/guide.md
Normal file
1053
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1/metadata.json
Normal file
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_draw_go_control/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"W",
|
||||
"U"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_draw_go_control.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_draw_go_control_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_draw_go_control",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Draw Go Control",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_dredge
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: UBRG
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, dredge, graveyard triggers, replacement effects
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Modern legality and repeated dredge prompt behavior.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Stinkweed Imp
|
||||
4 Golgari Thug
|
||||
4 Narcomoeba
|
||||
4 Prized Amalgam
|
||||
4 Bloodghast
|
||||
3 Silversmote Ghoul
|
||||
2 Ox of Agonas
|
||||
4 Creeping Chill
|
||||
4 Cathartic Reunion
|
||||
4 Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
4 Life from the Loam
|
||||
2 Conflagrate
|
||||
1 Darkblast
|
||||
4 Copperline Gorge
|
||||
4 Spirebluff Canal
|
||||
3 Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
2 Stomping Ground
|
||||
2 Steam Vents
|
||||
1 Mountain
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Nature's Claim
|
||||
3 Thoughtseize
|
||||
2 Ancient Grudge
|
||||
2 Lightning Axe
|
||||
2 Leyline of the Void
|
||||
1 Darkblast
|
||||
1 Blast Zone
|
||||
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/first_principles.md
Normal file
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/first_principles.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
992
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/guide.md
Normal file
992
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/guide.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,992 @@
|
||||
# Strategy Specifications
|
||||
## Deck Name And Archetype
|
||||
|
||||
- Strategy identity: `Dredge` is a Modern 1v1 graveyard-engine deck registered as `edge_1v1_dredge`, using dredge replacement choices, graveyard-triggered creatures, landfall recursion, flashback-style graveyard access, and draw-discard setup spells to convert library cards into battlefield pressure and direct life-total swings. The deck is UBRG by registered colors, but its practical mana priorities are red and green first, with blue enabling Otherworldly Gaze and graveyard flashback access from Steam Vents.
|
||||
|
||||
- Registration validation: the submitted list is exactly 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, matching the active Modern deck-count contract. The registered main deck contains 42 nonland cards and 18 lands: 4 Stinkweed Imp, 4 Golgari Thug, 4 Narcomoeba, 4 Prized Amalgam, 4 Bloodghast, 3 Silversmote Ghoul, 2 Ox of Agonas, 4 Creeping Chill, 4 Cathartic Reunion, 4 Otherworldly Gaze, 4 Life from the Loam, 2 Conflagrate, 1 Darkblast, 4 Copperline Gorge, 4 Spirebluff Canal, 3 Bloodstained Mire, 2 Stomping Ground, 2 Steam Vents, and 1 Mountain. The sideboard is exactly 3 Nature's Claim, 3 Thoughtseize, 2 Ancient Grudge, 2 Lightning Axe, 2 Leyline of the Void, 1 Darkblast, 1 Blast Zone, and 1 Boseiju, Who Endures.
|
||||
|
||||
- Format status: the active validation contract says this deck passes Modern validation, so Veles should treat the list as registered and playable unless a later card-reference or rules-engine check reports a current legality conflict. The unresolved support note remains important: repeated dredge prompt behavior must be validated at runtime, because this strategy depends on choosing dredge replacements instead of normal draws in the correct order and with the correct source card.
|
||||
|
||||
- Stock status: this is a stock-inspired Dredge shell with edge-case testing emphasis, not a generic metagame stock list. The core engine of Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Bloodghast, Creeping Chill, Cathartic Reunion, Life from the Loam, Conflagrate, and Ox of Agonas is recognizable Dredge structure, while Otherworldly Gaze and Silversmote Ghoul make the registered version especially sensitive to graveyard sequencing, third-life-gain timing, and exact trigger handling.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mechanic tags: use `dredge replacement`, `graveyard triggers`, `landfall recursion`, `replacement choice ordering`, `edge-case`, and `draft-only` as the tactical indexing tags. The `draft-only` tag should not make the pilot play experimentally inside a real game; it means this strategy specification is an edge-case seed that needs proof before showcase use.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana concern: the deck has no black-producing land registered except Bloodstained Mire fetching Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, or Mountain does not directly provide black, so black cards such as Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Bloodghast, Thoughtseize, Leyline of the Void, and Darkblast must be evaluated through actual rules-engine payment options rather than assumed castability. Veles must not infer missing black sources, and should treat many black cards as primarily graveyard-engine cards unless legal mana actions prove they can be cast.
|
||||
|
||||
- Role concern: the main deck is not trying to play a normal fair curve. Early decisions should prioritize putting dredge cards and recursive threats into the graveyard, choosing replacement dredges once an engine exists, and using land drops to return Bloodghast while enabling Prized Amalgam triggers through Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, and Silversmote Ghoul.
|
||||
|
||||
- Opponent information status: no opponent deck, matchup, revealed hand, battlefield, or metagame sample is supplied in this batch. All opponent-facing tactical claims must therefore stay archetype-conditional until runtime public information, sideboard context, or visible legal actions identify the opposing plan.
|
||||
|
||||
## Thesis
|
||||
|
||||
This exact Dredge list assembles a graveyard engine, not a normal battlefield curve. The priority is to place Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, Silversmote Ghoul, Conflagrate, and Ox of Agonas into the zones where their graveyard text or graveyard-adjacent function matters, then convert draw steps and draw-discard spells into repeated dredge choices, recursive bodies, life-total pressure, and a late Conflagrate or Ox of Agonas reload.
|
||||
|
||||
The deck wins by making the graveyard function as its hand. Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, Silversmote Ghoul, and Prized Amalgam create board presence without being cast in the ordinary way; Creeping Chill and Conflagrate convert graveyard volume into life-total swings; Ox of Agonas and Life from the Loam help rebuild when the first wave stalls. Veles should value legal dredge replacement choices and graveyard setup over preserving normal card quantity in hand once a dredger or payoff is active.
|
||||
|
||||
The deck is not trying to cast every registered spell on curve. Because the registered lands are Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, Bloodstained Mire, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, and Mountain, Veles must not assume black mana is available for Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Bloodghast, Darkblast, Thoughtseize, or Leyline of the Void unless the rules engine exposes an actual legal payment path. These black cards are still central to the strategy, but many games use them as dredge cards, graveyard cards, or sideboard constraints rather than reliable early castables.
|
||||
|
||||
The main tactical priority is enabling the first dredge chain. Early hands and early turns should favor Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, and Life from the Loam when they can put dredgers, recursive threats, or payoff cards into the graveyard, while preserving enough mana and cards to continue after disruption. Normal draw is acceptable only when no useful dredge replacement is available, when the deck needs a specific visible answer, or when the rules engine does not expose a safe dredge choice.
|
||||
|
||||
## Role Package
|
||||
|
||||
- Threats: Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, and Ox of Agonas are the bodies that pressure life totals or unlock recursive pressure. Narcomoeba and Bloodghast are especially important because their battlefield entries can support Prized Amalgam timing when the engine reports the relevant triggers.
|
||||
|
||||
- Payoffs: Creeping Chill, Prized Amalgam, Conflagrate, Ox of Agonas, and Silversmote Ghoul are the cards that turn milling and dredging into damage, board presence, or reloads. Conflagrate should be treated as a resource-conversion payoff, not casual removal, because hand size, red mana, graveyard access, and lethal math change its value sharply.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engines: Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, Cathartic Reunion, and Otherworldly Gaze are the engine core. Stinkweed Imp and Golgari Thug provide dredge replacement options; Life from the Loam rebuilds land flow and supports repeated land drops; Cathartic Reunion and Otherworldly Gaze are the primary ways to start or smooth the graveyard plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity: Cathartic Reunion is the highest-impact legal setup spell when the deck can pay its costs and the discard advances dredge or recursive threats. Otherworldly Gaze is lower-commitment selection that can stock the graveyard and later provide additional graveyard access if the rules engine exposes it. Ox of Agonas is the heavier reload once graveyard size and legal access support it.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction: Darkblast, Conflagrate, Lightning Axe, Ancient Grudge, Nature's Claim, Blast Zone, and Boseiju, Who Endures are the registered interactive tools. Main-deck interaction is narrow and resource-sensitive, so Veles should not spend it merely because a target exists; it should preserve interaction for blockers, hate permanents, lethal races, or threats that stop graveyard pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protection: Thoughtseize, Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Blast Zone, Boseiju, Who Endures, and Leyline of the Void form the sideboard protection and counter-pressure module. Thoughtseize protects setup from known disruption if legally castable; Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Blast Zone, and Boseiju, Who Endures answer hate or key permanents through different legal windows; Leyline of the Void changes graveyard mirrors when present at the correct pregame or opening-hand timing.
|
||||
|
||||
- Recursion: Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Life from the Loam, Otherworldly Gaze, Conflagrate, Ancient Grudge, and Ox of Agonas are the recurring-resource package when their exact card-reference conditions are available. Veles should prefer sequencing that makes land drops, life-gain events, graveyard cast/access permissions, and delayed triggers resolve in productive order.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana: Copperline Gorge and Stomping Ground support the red-green setup plan, Spirebluff Canal and Steam Vents support red-blue access for Otherworldly Gaze lines, Bloodstained Mire finds the registered fetchable lands as exposed by the engine, and Mountain is the basic red source. Mana decisions should prioritize red for Cathartic Reunion and Conflagrate, green for Life from the Loam and Nature's Claim, and blue only when Otherworldly Gaze or sideboard context makes it necessary.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard modules: Nature's Claim and Ancient Grudge address artifact or enchantment-style pressure according to their exact legal target text; Thoughtseize is disruption when black mana is real; Lightning Axe adds creature interaction with discard synergy; Leyline of the Void is graveyard hate; Darkblast increases repeatable small-creature interaction; Blast Zone and Boseiju, Who Endures add land-slot interaction that must be sequenced around tempo and color needs.
|
||||
|
||||
## Primary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard-board avalanche is the default win path. Set up by putting Stinkweed Imp or Golgari Thug into the graveyard with Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam sequencing, or natural discard when the engine exposes it; execute by replacing draws with dredge, letting Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul enter through legal triggers, then attacking in waves. Prioritize this path when the opponent is not showing graveyard shutdown, when land drops can recur Bloodghast, or when a first Narcomoeba or Bloodghast trigger can start Prized Amalgam pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Creeping Chill reach is the fastest stabilizing pressure line. Set up by maximizing library-to-graveyard movement through Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Otherworldly Gaze, and draw-discard effects; execute only through the trigger or legal choice the rules engine presents, using the life swing to race and to support Silversmote Ghoul recursion if that trigger is available. Prioritize this line when behind on life, racing creature damage, or needing noncombat damage because blockers make attacks poor.
|
||||
|
||||
- Conflagrate endgame is the main deterministic burn finish. Set up by preserving red mana, Life from the Loam land recursion, and enough hand material; execute when graveyard access, flashback or cast permissions, target legality, and damage assignment are visible. Prioritize Conflagrate when combat is stalled, when the opponent is within exact lethal range, or when a blocker or threat must die before recursive attackers can connect. Do not spend Conflagrate casually if it would empty the hand before a later lethal conversion.
|
||||
|
||||
- Ox of Agonas reload is the primary recovery win path after the first graveyard wave is answered. Set up by filling the graveyard naturally through dredge and spell use; execute only when the engine exposes a legal cast or graveyard access line and the new cards or discard will restart dredge, Bloodghast landfall, Prized Amalgam entries, or Conflagrate fuel. Prioritize Ox of Agonas when low on cards, after graveyard pressure has stalled, or when a second burst is more valuable than holding a weak hand.
|
||||
|
||||
## Secondary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- Stinkweed Imp and Golgari Thug can win through ordinary combat when recursion has been disrupted. Prioritize this backup only when the graveyard engine is slowed, the battlefield is stable, and casting or attacking with these creatures is legal and does not sacrifice a better dredge replacement plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bloodghast plus land drops can generate repeated fallback pressure. Use Life from the Loam to recover Bloodstained Mire, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, or Mountain as legal land resources, then sequence land drops to return Bloodghast when the engine exposes that trigger. This line matters most after removal-heavy games, when one or two recursive attackers can pressure planeswalkers or life totals without overcommitting cards from hand.
|
||||
|
||||
- Narcomoeba into Prized Amalgam is the cleanest low-mana battlefield rebuild. When Narcomoeba enters from the graveyard engine and Prized Amalgam triggers are visible, preserve attack timing and do not trade off free bodies unless the trade prevents lethal damage or removes a blocker needed for a near-term kill.
|
||||
|
||||
- Darkblast and Conflagrate can turn stalled boards into attack steps. Use Darkblast as repeatable small-creature interaction only when its legal target matters to combat or survival; use Conflagrate on creatures when clearing blockers creates more damage than saving it for face, or when survival requires removing a threat.
|
||||
|
||||
## Emergency Lines
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on life, favor Creeping Chill triggers, Silversmote Ghoul recursion if legally exposed, and defensive Stinkweed Imp lines over slow value. Do not shock with Stomping Ground or Steam Vents unless the mana enables an immediate stabilizing play, lethal setup, or hate answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on board, prioritize legal interaction that changes combat. Darkblast handles small targets when the engine exposes them; Conflagrate can clear one or more blockers or attackers if hand size and red mana support it; Lightning Axe from the sideboard is a discard-synergy answer when legally castable after sideboarding.
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on cards, turn Life from the Loam and Ox of Agonas into recovery engines instead of chasing normal draws. Dredge is still preferred when it produces active resources, but draw normally if no dredger, payoff, or legal graveyard access is available and the hand needs a specific answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on mana, use Life from the Loam and Bloodstained Mire carefully to rebuild land drops and colors. Prioritize red for Cathartic Reunion and Conflagrate, green for Life from the Loam or Nature's Claim after sideboarding, and blue only when Otherworldly Gaze access is the relevant engine line.
|
||||
|
||||
- When graveyard recursion is attacked or removed, switch to castable threats, land-based recursion, and sideboard answers. Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Blast Zone, and Boseiju, Who Endures should be aimed at visible hate or key permanents only when their exact legal target text and timing are available.
|
||||
|
||||
- When primary win conditions are gone, preserve every remaining recursive body and every point of damage. Attack with Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, and Ox of Agonas only when trades advance lethal, prevent lethal, or protect a future Conflagrate finish.
|
||||
|
||||
## Resource Model
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard is the primary resource, and normal cards in hand are often converted into graveyard volume. Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, dredge replacements from Stinkweed Imp and Golgari Thug, and Life from the Loam should be evaluated by how many Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Creeping Chill, Ox of Agonas, and Conflagrate lines they unlock, not by normal card-count parity.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hand is fuel, not a treasury. Discard dredgers, lands for Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, or excess copies when the legal action advances the graveyard engine; preserve Conflagrate fuel, castable enablers, and sideboard answers when the opponent is presenting hate or immediate lethal pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Life total is a racing buffer created mostly by Creeping Chill and, when legally exposed, Silversmote Ghoul recursion. Spend life on Stomping Ground or Steam Vents only when untapped mana immediately enables Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam, Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Lightning Axe, or a lethal/survival Conflagrate line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana is a burst-enabler, not the main scaling engine. The deck wants one or two early colored sources to start self-mill/discard, then uses dredge, triggers, landfall, and graveyard casting to convert small mana inputs into board and damage. Do not delay engine starts for perfect mana unless the hand cannot legally function.
|
||||
|
||||
- Board presence is recursive pressure. Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul are acceptable to trade only when the trade prevents lethal damage, opens a near-term lethal attack, or protects a stronger graveyard trigger chain; free creatures are still finite when graveyard hate is visible.
|
||||
|
||||
- Exile is mostly a spent-resource zone. Cards exiled to pay Ox of Agonas escape-like access, opposing graveyard hate, or other engine costs should be treated as no longer available for dredge recursion, Prized Amalgam triggering, Life from the Loam loops, or Conflagrate flashback fuel unless the rules engine exposes a legal return path.
|
||||
|
||||
- Lands are both mana and repeatable triggers. Bloodstained Mire, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, and Mountain can support Bloodghast landfall; Life from the Loam can turn lands in graveyard into repeated land drops and Conflagrate fuel. Fetch lands are especially valuable when a delayed landfall trigger is stronger than immediate fixing.
|
||||
|
||||
- Information is public-board driven. Because this deck often operates from graveyard and replacement choices, choose dredge, draw, discard, and landfall timing from visible legal prompts, revealed graveyard contents, known hate permanents, open mana, attack clocks, and sideboard cards seen so far; do not assume hidden interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard bullets convert narrow mana into specific answers. Nature's Claim needs green and a legal artifact or enchantment target; Ancient Grudge needs red for the front side and green for graveyard access if exposed; Lightning Axe needs red and a legal creature target; Thoughtseize and Leyline of the Void require black mana when not using any legal opening-hand special action, so treat them as validation-sensitive with this registered mana base.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mana Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- Keep hands that cast an enabler and support a dredge plan. A strong keep usually has red for Cathartic Reunion or blue for Otherworldly Gaze, plus Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, or a graveyard payoff that becomes live after self-mill. A hand with only recursive creatures and no way to move cards to graveyard is usually too slow.
|
||||
|
||||
- Prioritize red first in most game-one hands. Red casts Cathartic Reunion and Conflagrate, supports Ox of Agonas access when legal, and casts sideboard Lightning Axe or Ancient Grudge after boarding. Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, Bloodstained Mire fetching a Mountain land, and Mountain are the key red paths.
|
||||
|
||||
- Prioritize green when Life from the Loam or sideboard answers are the hand's engine. Green casts Life from the Loam and Nature's Claim, and it supports Ancient Grudge graveyard access if the rules engine exposes it. Copperline Gorge and Stomping Ground are the reliable listed green sources; Bloodstained Mire can find Stomping Ground when fetching is legal.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use blue when Otherworldly Gaze is the best starter. Spirebluff Canal and Steam Vents are the listed blue sources, with Bloodstained Mire able to find Steam Vents when the legal fetch action is available. Do not overvalue blue if the hand already has Cathartic Reunion plus dredger and needs green or red more.
|
||||
|
||||
- Treat black spells as mana-base warnings. Darkblast, Thoughtseize, and non-opening-hand Leyline of the Void need black mana by their costs, but the registered lands shown here do not provide a reliable black source. Cast them only if runtime card/reference data or sideboarded land choices expose an actual legal black payment; otherwise evaluate them as discard, dredge, opening-hand, or unsupported resources according to the prompt.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequence Bloodstained Mire for both fixing and Bloodghast timing. Fetch before the main engine spell when the color is required immediately; hold the fetch when Bloodghast is in graveyard or likely to enter graveyard before the next landfall trigger matters. If life is pressured, prefer fetching Mountain when red is enough.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play lands before draw effects when landfall or mana is needed immediately. Hold the land until after dredge or Otherworldly Gaze-style setup when Bloodghast may enter the graveyard first and the land drop can create a same-turn return. With Life from the Loam, preserve land drops for post-dredge recursion whenever the engine can expose multiple lands.
|
||||
|
||||
- Manage Stomping Ground and Steam Vents life payments by urgency. Enter untapped only for an immediate engine spell, hate answer, lethal setup, or survival play; otherwise conserve life so Creeping Chill gains and recursive blockers can swing the race.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard lands change sequencing. Blast Zone is interaction and a land drop, but it may not supply colored mana for core starts; Boseiju, Who Endures is a green land and a land-slot answer when its channel-like access is legally exposed. Do not keep a hand relying on Blast Zone alone to cast colored enablers.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mulligan Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: keep a hand with two lands, Cathartic Reunion, Stinkweed Imp or Golgari Thug, and at least one graveyard payoff such as Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, or Narcomoeba. This hand has a castable turn-two engine, a real dredge replacement, and discard material that improves once it is in the graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: keep one-land hands only when the land casts Otherworldly Gaze or Cathartic Reunion, the hand has Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, or Life from the Loam, and the draw/dredge path can reasonably find land two. Spirebluff Canal plus Otherworldly Gaze plus Stinkweed Imp is a better one-lander than Copperline Gorge with no blue spell or no dredger.
|
||||
|
||||
- Medium keep: keep hands with Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam, and lands when they can start self-mill on turn one and convert early dredges into land drops, Bloodghast triggers, or Conflagrate fuel. These hands are slower than Cathartic Reunion hands, so value them higher on the play against slower opponents and lower on the draw against fast pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Medium keep: keep Cathartic Reunion hands without a dredger only when they contain multiple graveyard payoffs and another setup card such as Otherworldly Gaze or Life from the Loam. The hand must still have discard cards that are actively better in the graveyard; do not keep it just because Cathartic Reunion is castable.
|
||||
|
||||
- Risky keep: keep Ox of Agonas or Conflagrate-heavy hands only when the hand also contains a real early enabler and enough material to stock the graveyard. Ox of Agonas is not an early plan by itself, and Conflagrate without Life from the Loam or spare cards is usually not enough pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no land, hands with lands but no Otherworldly Gaze, Cathartic Reunion, Life from the Loam, Stinkweed Imp, or Golgari Thug access, and hands full of Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Bloodghast, Creeping Chill, and Silversmote Ghoul with no way to move cards into the graveyard. Recursive cards stranded in hand are not a functional engine.
|
||||
|
||||
- Automatic ship: mulligan hands relying on Darkblast, Thoughtseize, or Leyline of the Void as castable black spells unless the rules engine exposes legal black mana or a legal opening-hand special action for Leyline of the Void. This registered mana base should not be assumed to cast black costs from hand.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup-dependent keep: against artifact or enchantment hate after sideboarding, keep Nature's Claim or Ancient Grudge hands only when their required mana is present and the rest of the hand still starts the dredge engine. Do not keep a pure answer hand that cannot pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, prefer explosive Cathartic Reunion or Otherworldly Gaze starts over answer-heavy hands; on the draw, raise the value of Lightning Axe, Darkblast, Thoughtseize if legally castable, and fast Creeping Chill pressure against creature or combo starts. The extra card on the draw does not rescue hands without an engine.
|
||||
|
||||
- Trap hand: do not keep multiple Bloodghast plus Prized Amalgam plus lands with no discard, self-mill, or dredge card. The hand looks synergistic but functions like a slow creature deck and fails if the opponent develops normally or presents graveyard hate.
|
||||
|
||||
## Turn Arc
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1 preferred play: cast Otherworldly Gaze when blue mana is available and the hand needs to put Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, or Life from the Loam into the graveyard. Play Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, Bloodstained Mire, or Mountain according to the spell actually being cast, not according to abstract color balance.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1 deviation: hold Bloodstained Mire when mana is already available and Bloodghast may enter the graveyard before the next landfall trigger. Fetch immediately only when the color is needed for Otherworldly Gaze now, Cathartic Reunion next turn, or a sideboard answer that cannot wait.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2 preferred play: cast Cathartic Reunion with Stinkweed Imp or Golgari Thug plus a graveyard payoff or spare land as discard material. If replacement prompts appear, prefer dredging Stinkweed Imp before lower-output choices when the plan is to maximize graveyard volume, but use Life from the Loam when land recovery, Bloodghast triggers, or Conflagrate fuel matters more.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2 deviation: cast Life from the Loam when the graveyard already contains lands or Bloodstained Mire lines can enable repeated land drops. Cast Darkblast or Lightning Axe only when there is a legal creature target and the removal changes survival, tempo, or hate pressure; do not spend the turn on unsupported interaction while the engine is idle.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3 preferred play: convert dredged cards into battlefield pressure. Make a land drop after Bloodghast is in the graveyard when possible, allow Narcomoeba and Creeping Chill triggers to resolve according to legal prompts, and plan Prized Amalgam timing around creatures entering from the graveyard or other legally exposed trigger conditions.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3 deviation: use Conflagrate only when it removes key blockers, prevents lethal pressure, or sets up a near-term kill with spare hand cards and Life from the Loam. Avoid firing Conflagrate face for small nonlethal damage if it consumes cards needed for dredge recovery, sideboard answers, or later lethal.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5 preferred play: loop Life from the Loam with land drops to recur Bloodghast, refill Conflagrate, and keep dredge chains moving. Use Ox of Agonas only when the graveyard cost/access is legally exposed and the exiled cards are less valuable than the fresh draw/discard burst.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5 deviation: against visible graveyard hate, prioritize Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Boseiju, Who Endures, or Blast Zone lines when legal before committing additional dredge resources. If hate is already active, preserve castable cards and lands so the deck can rebuild after the answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late-game preferred play: turn Life from the Loam plus Conflagrate into a deterministic endgame when enough cards and mana are available. Repeated dredge should be chosen only when library size, visible pressure, and available payoffs make the replacement better than drawing a fresh card.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late-game deviation: hard-cast recursive creatures only when the graveyard engine is blocked, pressure is needed through hate, or the rules engine offers no stronger graveyard action. Stinkweed Imp and Golgari Thug can matter as bodies, but the deck usually wins by converting graveyard volume into Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Creeping Chill, Ox of Agonas, and Conflagrate pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
## Card Roles
|
||||
|
||||
Stinkweed Imp and Golgari Thug are the engine’s highest-priority dredgers, not normal creatures first. Put them into the graveyard with Cathartic Reunion or Otherworldly Gaze, choose their dredge replacement when graveyard volume is better than an unknown draw, and hard-cast them mainly when combat defense or a post-hate rebuild matters.
|
||||
|
||||
Cathartic Reunion is the explosive conversion spell. Cast it when discarding Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Narcomoeba, Creeping Chill, or spare lands advances the graveyard; do not cast it into a stack-only counterspell if waiting keeps the engine intact.
|
||||
|
||||
Otherworldly Gaze is the safest early setup card and later a graveyard spell when flashback is legal. Use it to place dredgers and payoffs into the graveyard; avoid treating surveil-like selection as card advantage unless metadata confirms the exact rules text and legal flashback action.
|
||||
|
||||
Life from the Loam turns dredge into mana, landfall, and Conflagrate fuel. Prioritize it when Bloodghast is in the graveyard, lands are available to return, Bloodstained Mire can create repeated landfall, or Conflagrate needs hand volume.
|
||||
|
||||
Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul are the recursive pressure package. Do not spend resources to cast them from hand unless the graveyard engine is suppressed; their primary job is to enter from graveyard or library-triggered lines and convert dredge into battlefield pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
Creeping Chill and Conflagrate are reach. Creeping Chill is strongest when milled naturally; Conflagrate should be saved for lethal, key creature removal, or stabilizing interaction rather than small face damage that empties the hand.
|
||||
|
||||
Ox of Agonas is the recovery burst. Escape or otherwise access it only when legal action text permits and the graveyard cards being exiled are less important than a fresh draw/discard chain.
|
||||
|
||||
Darkblast is tactical creature interaction plus a small dredge option. Use it against legal small creature targets or repeatable pressure only when the kill matters; do not let low dredge volume replace a needed Stinkweed Imp or Golgari Thug dredge without a reason.
|
||||
|
||||
### Card Hover Notes
|
||||
|
||||
#### Stinkweed Imp
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core dredge piece.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; engine fuel/material; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Put `Stinkweed Imp` into the graveyard early so draw steps, `Cathartic Reunion`, and `Ox of Agonas` can use Dredge 5 to mill toward `Narcomoeba`, `Creeping Chill`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Silversmote Ghoul`, `Conflagrate`, and more dredgers.
|
||||
- Timing: Prefer discard or surveil-to-graveyard before the first big draw event; hard-cast for `{2}{B}` only if a legal black payment exists and the 1/2 flying deathtouch-style blocker matters more than Dredge 5.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Replaces a draw by milling five cards and returning `Stinkweed Imp` from graveyard to hand; on battlefield, flying plus combat-damage destruction can trade up against creature pressure.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Cathartic Reunion` creates three draw-replacement chances; `Otherworldly Gaze` can place it in graveyard; `Ox of Agonas` draw three can chain dredges; `Prized Amalgam` benefits from the creatures milled by those dredges.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Golgari Thug` mills four; `Life from the Loam` and `Darkblast` dredge three but serve land-recursion or removal roles.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not draw normally during an engine turn when Dredge 5 is clearly better; do not cast it from hand just because it is legal if the deck needs graveyard volume.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Against fast creature decks, casting it is reasonable when it blocks a relevant attacker; against graveyard hate, preserve it in hand only if the graveyard is about to be exiled.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If `Stinkweed Imp` is in graveyard and you do not urgently need a specific answer from the library, choose its dredge prompt first.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Golgari Thug
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core dredge piece.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; engine fuel/material; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Act as the second large dredger, giving the deck enough replacement effects after `Stinkweed Imp` to keep milling into `Narcomoeba`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Creeping Chill`, and `Life from the Loam`.
|
||||
- Timing: Put it into graveyard early with `Cathartic Reunion` or `Otherworldly Gaze`; cast for `{1}{B}` only if legal black mana exists and the 1/1 body or death trigger matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Dredge 4 replaces a draw by milling four and returning `Golgari Thug`; when it dies, its controller puts target creature card from their graveyard on top of their library, which can recover `Ox of Agonas`, `Prized Amalgam`, or `Stinkweed Imp` but can also disrupt a desired dredge draw.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Cathartic Reunion`, `Otherworldly Gaze`, and `Ox of Agonas` convert its graveyard position into repeated dredges; `Narcomoeba` and `Creeping Chill` reward library-to-graveyard movement.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Stinkweed Imp` is the higher-volume dredger; `Life from the Loam` is the land-loop dredger; `Darkblast` is the removal dredger.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not let the death trigger put a low-value creature on top when the next draw should be dredged or when a natural draw is needed for `Nature's Claim`, `Lightning Axe`, or land.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Better as a dredger than a fair creature unless graveyard hate forces battlefield play.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Choose `Golgari Thug` dredge when `Stinkweed Imp` is unavailable or when four cards of milling is enough and the hand still needs engine continuity.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Narcomoeba
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core recursive payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; threat/clock; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Reward dredge and surveil by entering the battlefield when put into your graveyard from your library, giving free flying pressure and triggering `Prized Amalgam` returns.
|
||||
- Timing: Its best timing is from library-to-graveyard movement during `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, `Darkblast`, or `Otherworldly Gaze`; cast for `{1}{U}` only when graveyard access is blocked and blue mana is legal.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes no mana when milled from the library and accepted; outputs a 1/1 flying creature that can chip damage, block small flyers, or enable `Prized Amalgam` at the next end step.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, and `Darkblast` mill it; `Otherworldly Gaze` can put it from library into graveyard; `Prized Amalgam` uses the resulting battlefield entry.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Bloodghast` and `Silversmote Ghoul` are other free-entry creatures, but `Narcomoeba` is the only one in this list that triggers directly from being milled from library.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not keep it on top with `Otherworldly Gaze` unless a natural draw and cast is genuinely better; do not decline its trigger without a clear reason.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Valuable against planeswalkers and slow decks as evasive pressure; expendable as a blocker when survival matters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: When the engine offers the `Narcomoeba` trigger from milling, accept it unless accepting would create an explicit rules-engine problem.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Prized Amalgam
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core recursive threat.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Turn `Narcomoeba`, `Bloodghast`, and `Silversmote Ghoul` entries into repeated 3/3 tapped battlefield returns, making every successful graveyard wave larger.
|
||||
- Timing: Prioritize moving it to the graveyard before landfall, `Narcomoeba`, or `Silversmote Ghoul` return events; hard-cast for `{1}{U}{B}` only if legal mana exists and the graveyard plan is suppressed.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Consumes graveyard setup and a qualifying creature entry from graveyard or a creature cast from graveyard; outputs a tapped 3/3 at the beginning of the next end step.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Narcomoeba` enters from library-mill triggers; `Bloodghast` returns from landfall; `Silversmote Ghoul` returns after a 3-plus-life-gain turn, usually from `Creeping Chill`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Bloodghast` is faster recurring pressure; `Silversmote Ghoul` is lifegain-gated pressure; `Ox of Agonas` is a larger reload body rather than a repeated free return.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not count it as an immediate blocker because it returns tapped at the next end step; do not strand it in hand when `Cathartic Reunion` can discard it profitably.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Excellent against removal-heavy decks; weaker while graveyard hate prevents returns, so answer hate with `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, or `Blast Zone`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Put `Prized Amalgam` in the graveyard first, then make `Narcomoeba`, `Bloodghast`, or `Silversmote Ghoul` enter.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Bloodghast
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core landfall recursion threat.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; threat/clock; recursion.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Convert every land drop into recurring pressure and a `Prized Amalgam` trigger while ignoring most one-for-one creature removal.
|
||||
- Timing: Try to place `Bloodghast` in the graveyard before playing `Copperline Gorge`, `Spirebluff Canal`, `Bloodstained Mire`, `Stomping Ground`, `Steam Vents`, or `Mountain`; hold `Bloodstained Mire` when possible so one land can enable mana now and a later landfall window.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Landfall returns it from graveyard to battlefield; it cannot block; it has haste only while an opponent has 10 or less life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Life from the Loam` returns lands for repeated landfall; `Bloodstained Mire` can create a land entry and later fetch another; `Prized Amalgam` triggers from the return.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Narcomoeba` is free when milled; `Silversmote Ghoul` is free after life gain; neither creates repeated landfall pressure like `Bloodghast`.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Playing a land before dredging or surveilling can miss a same-turn return; do not rely on it as a blocker because the card says it cannot block.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against control and removal-heavy decks; against burn or fast aggro, remember it does not defend your life total.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If `Bloodghast` may enter the graveyard this turn, wait to play the land until after the mill or discard if mana allows.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Silversmote Ghoul
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 3 copies, role-player recursive payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; lifegain/stabilization; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Turn `Creeping Chill` life gain into another free tapped body and a `Prized Amalgam` trigger, while offering a later sacrifice-for-card line when black mana is legal.
|
||||
- Timing: Best in graveyard before the end step of a turn where you gained 3 or more life; hand-cast for `{2}{B}` only if legal black mana exists and a 3/1 body matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: At your end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, returns from graveyard tapped; `{1}{B}, Sacrifice this creature: Draw a card` consumes black mana and the creature to produce one draw.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Creeping Chill` is the main 3-life enabler; `Prized Amalgam` triggers from the return; `Cathartic Reunion` and `Otherworldly Gaze` put it into graveyard.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Bloodghast` returns from landfall without life gain; `Narcomoeba` enters from being milled; `Silversmote Ghoul` is the life-gain-gated version.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not assume any small life gain qualifies unless the total gained this turn is 3 or more; do not sacrifice it when it is the only `Prized Amalgam` enabler on the current turn.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Stronger in racing matchups where `Creeping Chill` swings life totals; weaker against graveyard exile.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: After a `Creeping Chill` trigger, accept the end-step `Silversmote Ghoul` return if it is in your graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ox of Agonas
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, core recovery/reload slot.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; discard outlet; card selection; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Rebuild after the first dredge wave by discarding the current hand, drawing three, and creating more dredge-replacement chances from a stocked graveyard.
|
||||
- Timing: Normal cast for `{3}{R}{R}` is a slow backup; escape is the main use once the graveyard has at least eight expendable other cards and `{R}{R}` is available.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Enters and discards your hand, then draws three; escape costs `{R}{R}` and exiles eight other cards from your graveyard; escaped `Ox of Agonas` enters with a +1/+1 counter.
|
||||
- Mode map: Normal cast uses five mana including two red for a 4/2 reload; escape casts it from graveyard for `{R}{R}` plus exiling eight other graveyard cards and usually creates a 5/3 reload; either line is bad if discarding the hand or exiling graveyard cards removes the next `Conflagrate`, `Life from the Loam`, `Bloodghast`, or dredger plan.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, and `Darkblast` can replace the three draws; `Conflagrate` likes the extra hand material; `Cathartic Reunion` can discard `Ox of Agonas`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Cathartic Reunion` is the cheaper draw-three setup; `Life from the Loam` is the slower hand-refill engine.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Escaping too early can exile the only dredger, `Prized Amalgam`, `Bloodghast`, or `Conflagrate` fuel.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Excellent after removal or discard; risky into visible graveyard hate or when mana must answer hate with `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge`, or `Boseiju, Who Endures`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Escape `Ox of Agonas` only when you still keep a working dredge or pressure plan after exiling eight other cards.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Creeping Chill
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core reach and lifegain payoff.
|
||||
- Role type: reach/finisher; lifegain/stabilization; mechanic payoff.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Convert dredge and surveil into 3 damage to each opponent and 3 life for you, while also enabling `Silversmote Ghoul` end-step returns.
|
||||
- Timing: Best when put into your graveyard from your library by `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, `Darkblast`, or `Otherworldly Gaze`; casting the sorcery for `{3}{B}` requires legal black mana and is rarely the primary plan.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: From library to graveyard, you may exile it; if you do, it deals 3 damage to each opponent and you gain 3 life. Hard-cast mode also deals 3 to each opponent and gains 3 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Silversmote Ghoul` checks the 3-plus life gain at end step; `Narcomoeba`, `Bloodghast`, and `Prized Amalgam` turn the life swing into a race advantage.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Conflagrate` is targeted scalable reach; `Creeping Chill` is automatic opponent-wide reach when milled.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not plan lethal from a `Creeping Chill` still in hand unless casting is legal; do not decline the mill trigger without a specific reason.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: High priority against burn, aggro, and stalled boards because it changes both life totals without needing combat.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: When `Creeping Chill` is milled from the library, choose to exile it for the 3 damage and 3 life unless the engine shows a rare downside.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Cathartic Reunion
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core discard/draw enabler.
|
||||
- Role type: discard outlet; mechanic enabler; card selection.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Turn two discard cards into three draw events that can each become dredge replacements, making it the deck's most explosive setup spell when paired with `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, or `Darkblast`.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast early with `{1}{R}` when the additional-cost discards improve the graveyard; delay if the only discards are required lands or the opponent clearly represents a spell-on-the-stack answer that would strand the engine.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: As an additional cost to cast, discard two cards; on resolution, draw three cards. Those draws can be replaced by legal dredge prompts.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Discard `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, `Darkblast`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Creeping Chill`, `Ox of Agonas`, or excess lands when that advances the engine.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Otherworldly Gaze` is safer and cheaper setup; `Ox of Agonas` is a later reload that also discards and draws three.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not cast with no useful discard payload; if the spell is countered, the discarded cards stay discarded because they were an additional cost.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Premium against slow decks; against tempo or control, consider `Thoughtseize` postboard before committing if legal black mana exists.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Cast `Cathartic Reunion` when you can discard at least one dredger or graveyard payoff and still have enough mana/lands to continue.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core setup and smoothing spell.
|
||||
- Role type: card selection; mechanic enabler; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Use surveil 3 to put dredgers and graveyard payoffs into the graveyard while arranging only the cards you truly want to draw on top.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast for `{U}` on turn one when it sets up a dredger, or at opponent's end step when immediate main-phase setup is not needed; flashback for `{1}{U}` when the graveyard copy is worth the mana and exile.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Looks at the top three cards, puts any number into your graveyard, and leaves the rest on top in any order; flashback casts it from graveyard for `{1}{U}`, then exiles it.
|
||||
- Mode map: Hand-cast `Otherworldly Gaze` is cheap early setup; flashback is a later second surveil from graveyard; putting all three cards on top is correct only when those exact cards are better than milling toward `Narcomoeba`, `Creeping Chill`, `Bloodghast`, or dredgers.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Put `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, `Darkblast`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Silversmote Ghoul`, `Creeping Chill`, and `Ox of Agonas` into graveyard when useful.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Cathartic Reunion` is higher explosive output but costs red mana and two discards; `Life from the Loam` is land-focused graveyard velocity.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not call surveil a draw; it does not add a card to hand.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Good against stack interaction because it costs one mana; weaker when mana must stay up for `Nature's Claim` or `Ancient Grudge`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Mill cards that work from graveyard; keep only lands, enablers, or answers you need to naturally draw.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Life from the Loam
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core land-recursion dredge engine.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; recursion; mana/fixing/ramp; engine piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Return up to three land cards from graveyard to hand to fuel land drops, `Bloodghast` landfall, and `Conflagrate` flashback while also providing Dredge 3.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast for `{1}{G}` when lands are already in graveyard or when `Bloodghast`/`Conflagrate` needs hand material; dredge it when land recursion is more important than raw milling from `Stinkweed Imp` or `Golgari Thug`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Targets up to three land cards in your graveyard and returns them to hand; Dredge 3 replaces a draw by milling three and returning `Life from the Loam`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Returns `Bloodstained Mire`, `Copperline Gorge`, `Spirebluff Canal`, `Stomping Ground`, `Steam Vents`, `Mountain`, `Blast Zone`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` if those lands are in graveyard; `Bloodghast` and `Conflagrate` are the main payoffs.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Stinkweed Imp` and `Golgari Thug` dredge more cards; `Life from the Loam` is the only main-deck land-recursion card.
|
||||
- Failure modes: It does not search the library; do not cast it with zero useful land targets unless triggering a specific spell-cast need matters.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against removal and discard; important after fetch lands or against longer games where hand size feeds `Conflagrate`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Life from the Loam` when you can return lands or need landfall; otherwise prefer higher dredge volume.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Conflagrate
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, core reach/removal finisher.
|
||||
- Role type: reach/finisher; interaction-removal; engine payoff.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Convert red mana and hand size, especially lands returned by `Life from the Loam`, into lethal damage or a decisive creature clear.
|
||||
- Timing: Save for lethal, survival, or clearing blockers that unlock more damage; small nonlethal face damage is usually wrong if it empties the hand before a larger flashback turn.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Normal cast costs `{X}{X}{R}` and deals X damage divided as you choose among any number of targets; flashback costs `{R}{R}` plus discarding X cards, then exiles `Conflagrate` after it resolves from graveyard.
|
||||
- Mode map: Normal cast is mana-intensive damage from hand; flashback is the main graveyard finisher that consumes cards in hand as the X resource; choosing too many targets with low X can fail to kill anything meaningful.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Life from the Loam` returns `Bloodstained Mire`, `Copperline Gorge`, `Spirebluff Canal`, `Stomping Ground`, `Steam Vents`, `Mountain`, `Blast Zone`, or `Boseiju, Who Endures` to build hand size; `Cathartic Reunion` can discard `Conflagrate`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Creeping Chill` is free non-targeted reach when milled; `Lightning Axe` is sideboard creature-only removal.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not discard the only answer to graveyard hate or the only land needed for `{R}{R}` flashback unless lethal or survival is certain.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Better against stalled boards, planeswalkers, and creature races; preserve exact target legality and damage assignment.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Conflagrate` for lethal or must-kill creatures, not casual chip damage.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Darkblast
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, and sideboard, 1 copy; removal/dredge flex slot.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; mechanic enabler; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Kill or weaken a small target creature while providing Dredge 3 for repeatable graveyard velocity.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast for `{B}` only when legal black mana exists and `-1/-1 until end of turn` changes combat, removes a key creature, or prevents damage; dredge it when repeated small-creature control is worth lower mill volume.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Targets one creature and gives it -1/-1 until end of turn; Dredge 3 replaces a draw by milling three and returning `Darkblast`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Stinkweed Imp` and `Golgari Thug` are higher-volume dredgers; `Lightning Axe` handles larger creatures; `Conflagrate` can clear multiple targets if hand size supports it.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Lightning Axe` deals 5 damage to target creature; `Conflagrate` divides X damage among targets; `Darkblast` is the repeatable small-target option.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not spend draw steps dredging `Darkblast` when the game needs `Nature's Claim`, `Thoughtseize`, `Lightning Axe`, a land, or a bigger dredger; remember -1/-1 is not damage.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring in the sideboard copy against low-toughness creatures, mana creatures, and combat math; poor against large threats and noncreature combo.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Darkblast` only if a one-toughness shrink/kill matters or if no better dredge card is available.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Copperline Gorge
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide early red for `Cathartic Reunion`, `Conflagrate`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Lightning Axe`, or green for `Life from the Loam`, `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge` flashback, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` channel costs.
|
||||
- Timing: Best in the first three land drops because it enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands; later it may cost tempo.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Taps for `{R}` or `{G}`; its untapped condition depends on how many other lands you control as it enters.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Enables `Cathartic Reunion` plus `Life from the Loam` starts; postboard it supports `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Lightning Axe`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Stomping Ground` also provides red/green and has Mountain Forest types; `Spirebluff Canal` provides blue/red; `Boseiju, Who Endures` provides only green.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not cast `Otherworldly Gaze`; do not keep a hand needing blue with only `Copperline Gorge` as colored mana.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Against fast pressure, value its painless early mana over shocking `Stomping Ground` or `Steam Vents`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Play `Copperline Gorge` early when it casts `Cathartic Reunion` or `Life from the Loam`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Spirebluff Canal
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide blue for `Otherworldly Gaze` and red for `Cathartic Reunion`, `Conflagrate`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Lightning Axe` from one early land.
|
||||
- Timing: Strong on turns one through three because it enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands; play it before later land drops when blue setup matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Taps for `{U}` or `{R}` and gives no green for `Life from the Loam` or `Nature's Claim`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Enables turn-one `Otherworldly Gaze` and turn-two `Cathartic Reunion`; supports `Steam Vents` blue/red redundancy.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Steam Vents` also provides blue/red and is fetchable with `Bloodstained Mire`; `Copperline Gorge` provides red/green instead.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not keep a hand needing green for `Life from the Loam` or `Nature's Claim` if `Spirebluff Canal` is the only mana source.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Painless blue/red matters against burn and aggro; late tapped entry can delay an urgent `Conflagrate`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Spirebluff Canal` for early `Otherworldly Gaze`; find green elsewhere when `Life from the Loam` is the plan.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 3 copies, core fetch land and landfall resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; tutor/search; mechanic enabler.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Search for registered Mountain-type targets while creating landfall timing for `Bloodghast` and stocking land cards for `Life from the Loam`.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch immediately when red, green, or blue access is needed for `Cathartic Reunion`, `Life from the Loam`, `Otherworldly Gaze`, or postboard answers; hold when `Bloodghast` may enter the graveyard before the landfall trigger.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: `{T}`, pay 1 life, sacrifice it: search your library for a Swamp or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. In this registered list, the actual targets are `Stomping Ground`, `Steam Vents`, and `Mountain`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Bloodghast` uses the land entering; `Life from the Loam` can return `Bloodstained Mire`; `Conflagrate` can use returned lands as flashback discard fuel.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Stomping Ground` and `Steam Vents` are fetchable shock lands; `Mountain` is the basic fetchable red source.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not claim it finds black mana in this list; no registered Swamp-producing target appears in the decklist.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Pay attention to life against burn; fetching `Mountain` avoids shock-land life loss when red is enough.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If `Bloodghast` is likely to be in the graveyard this turn, hold `Bloodstained Mire` unless you need mana right now.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Stomping Ground
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, core fetchable red/green mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide red for `Cathartic Reunion`, `Conflagrate`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Lightning Axe`, and green for `Life from the Loam`, `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge` flashback, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` channel costs.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch or play untapped only when paying 2 life enables an immediate engine spell, interaction spell, or lethal/survival line; otherwise let it enter tapped.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Land — Mountain Forest with `{T}: Add {R} or {G}`; as it enters, you may pay 2 life, and if you do not, it enters tapped.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Bloodstained Mire` can search it because it is a Mountain; `Life from the Loam` can return it from graveyard; `Bloodghast` triggers from its entry.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Copperline Gorge` is painless red/green early but not fetchable; `Steam Vents` is fetchable blue/red.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Paying 2 life without a same-turn payoff can lose races; fetching it when blue `Otherworldly Gaze` is required may be wrong.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Important postboard for `Nature's Claim` and `Ancient Grudge` flashback against artifact/enchantment hate.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Choose `Stomping Ground` when green matters; shock it only for an immediate spell.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Steam Vents
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, core fetchable blue/red mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide blue for `Otherworldly Gaze` and red for `Cathartic Reunion`, `Conflagrate`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Lightning Axe`.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch or play untapped when blue setup or red engine mana is needed now; otherwise preserve life by letting it enter tapped.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Land — Island Mountain with `{T}: Add {U} or {R}`; as it enters, you may pay 2 life, and if you do not, it enters tapped.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Bloodstained Mire` can search it because it is a Mountain; `Otherworldly Gaze` and `Cathartic Reunion` both use its colors; `Bloodghast` triggers from its entry.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Spirebluff Canal` is painless blue/red early but not fetchable; `Stomping Ground` is fetchable red/green.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not provide green for `Life from the Loam`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Ancient Grudge` flashback; do not fetch it when green is the missing color.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Against aggro and burn, the 2 life payment needs a concrete spell payoff.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Steam Vents` for `Otherworldly Gaze` starts or red spell access, not for green sideboard plans.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Mountain
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, strategically important basic mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide painless, fetchable red for `Cathartic Reunion`, `Conflagrate`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Lightning Axe` while reducing reliance on shock-land life payments.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch with `Bloodstained Mire` when red is enough and green or blue is not needed immediately; draw/play it early when the hand already has `Otherworldly Gaze` or `Life from the Loam` covered by other lands.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Basic Land — Mountain with `{T}: Add {R}`; entering the battlefield can trigger `Bloodghast`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Bloodstained Mire` can search it; `Life from the Loam` can return it from graveyard; `Conflagrate` needs red mana and can use extra lands in hand for flashback discard.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Stomping Ground` and `Steam Vents` are fetchable Mountain shock lands with extra colors; `Mountain` is the painless basic.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not cast `Otherworldly Gaze`, `Life from the Loam`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Ancient Grudge` flashback by itself.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Stronger against burn, aggressive decks, and nonbasic pressure when red alone is sufficient.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Fetch `Mountain` when you only need red and life total matters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Nature's Claim
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 3 copies, core anti-hate bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet; hate piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Destroy a target artifact or enchantment that blocks `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Creeping Chill`, `Ox of Agonas`, or `Conflagrate` from functioning.
|
||||
- Timing: Hold for a real hate permanent unless using it now unlocks an engine turn; giving that permanent's controller 4 life matters when `Creeping Chill` and `Conflagrate` are setting up lethal.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{G}` at instant speed; destroys target artifact or enchantment; that permanent's controller gains 4 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Copperline Gorge`, `Stomping Ground`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` provide green; `Bloodstained Mire` can find `Stomping Ground`; `Thoughtseize` can remove hate before it resolves.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Ancient Grudge` destroys artifacts only and has flashback `{G}`; `Boseiju, Who Endures` channels against artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls; `Blast Zone` can destroy same-mana-value nonland permanents.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not target a harmless artifact or enchantment while a stronger hate card is likely; do not forget the 4 life can move the opponent out of `Conflagrate` range.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring in against artifact or enchantment graveyard hate, lock pieces, and race-defining permanents.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Nature's Claim` on the permanent stopping your graveyard plan, not on the first legal target.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Thoughtseize
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 3 copies, disruption bullet with mana-base risk.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-discard; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Proactively remove a nonland card from the opponent's hand that would stop `Cathartic Reunion`, exile the graveyard, win before dredge pressure, or answer the first recursive wave.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast before committing a fragile setup turn if legal black mana exists; avoid against burn or fast damage unless the chosen card prevents more than 2 life worth of damage or disruption.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{B}` as a sorcery; target player reveals their hand, you choose a nonland card from it, that player discards that card, and you lose 2 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Protects `Cathartic Reunion`, `Otherworldly Gaze`, `Life from the Loam`, `Ox of Agonas`, and `Conflagrate` turns by removing exact visible disruption; pairs with `Nature's Claim` when both hand and battlefield hate matter.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct main-deck discard peer; closest role overlap is `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, and `Blast Zone` answering resolved hate instead of cards in hand.
|
||||
- Failure modes: The registered main mana base has no listed black-producing land, so do not assume it is castable unless the rules engine exposes legal black payment.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Best against combo, control, and known hate; risky against burn and creature decks where 2 life is a real cost.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Cast `Thoughtseize` only when black payment is legal and you can take a card that matters to the next two turns.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ancient Grudge
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, artifact-hate bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet; modal utility.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Answer artifact graveyard hate, artifact creatures, artifact mana, or artifact engines while offering a second artifact answer from the graveyard.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast the front side for `{1}{R}` when a target artifact matters now; flash back for `{G}` when green mana is available and a second artifact target is worth exiling `Ancient Grudge` afterward.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Destroys target artifact; flashback `{G}` lets you cast it from graveyard, then exile it.
|
||||
- Mode map: Hand-cast `Ancient Grudge` is a red instant artifact answer; flashback `Ancient Grudge` is a green graveyard-cast artifact answer; neither mode can destroy a nonartifact enchantment.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Copperline Gorge` and `Stomping Ground` can pay both red and green across turns; `Spirebluff Canal`, `Steam Vents`, and `Mountain` pay front side red only; `Nature's Claim` covers artifact or enchantment targets.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Nature's Claim` hits artifacts and enchantments but gives 4 life; `Boseiju, Who Endures` hits artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls; `Blast Zone` handles mana-value clusters.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not board it as enchantment hate unless the enchantment is also an artifact; do not mill it expecting flashback if green mana is unavailable.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: High value against artifact graveyard hate and artifact-heavy decks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Ancient Grudge` only on artifacts; save the flashback for a second artifact that matters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Lightning Axe
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, creature-removal and discard-outlet bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; discard outlet; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Kill a target creature with 5 damage while turning a discard cost into upside by pitching `Stinkweed Imp`, `Golgari Thug`, `Life from the Loam`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Silversmote Ghoul`, `Creeping Chill`, or `Ox of Agonas`.
|
||||
- Timing: Use when the creature threatens lethal, blocks a decisive attack, enables the opponent's combo, or invalidates the dredge race; avoid spending it on low-impact creatures while the engine is not set up.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{R}` at instant speed; as an additional cost, discard a card or pay `{5}`; deals 5 damage to target creature.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Copperline Gorge`, `Spirebluff Canal`, `Stomping Ground`, `Steam Vents`, and `Mountain` provide red; discarded dredgers set up later draw replacements; discarded `Bloodghast` or `Prized Amalgam` can become pressure.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Darkblast` handles one-toughness creatures with dredge; `Conflagrate` can divide scalable damage; `Lightning Axe` is the registered large-creature answer.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not aim it at players, planeswalkers, artifacts, or enchantments; do not discard the only anti-hate card if the creature is not urgent.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring in against large attackers, fast creature-combo threats, or single-threat decks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If you cast `Lightning Axe`, discard a dredger or graveyard payoff when legal unless preserving that card is clearly necessary.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Leyline of the Void
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, graveyard-hate bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Stop opposing graveyard engines by replacing any card that would go to an opponent's graveyard from anywhere with exile instead.
|
||||
- Timing: Best in opening hand because you may begin the game with it on the battlefield; later casting for `{2}{B}{B}` is unreliable with this registered mana base unless legal black payment is exposed.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Opening-hand special action can put it directly onto the battlefield; its replacement effect exiles opponent cards that would go to graveyard from anywhere.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Thoughtseize` can remove an opposing answer or enabler; `Lightning Axe` can answer creatures that still matter through graveyard denial.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct main-deck graveyard-hate peer; closest role overlap is `Thoughtseize` disrupting graveyard enablers before they happen.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not keep a nonfunctional hand solely because a later-drawn `Leyline of the Void` might matter; it does not stop a spell already cast after costs are paid.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring in against opposing Dredge, reanimation, escape, flashback, delve, or other graveyard-dependent decks when the hate effect is worth the slot.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Put it onto the battlefield from opening hand when offered against a graveyard deck; do not assume you can cast it later.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Blast Zone
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 1 copy, utility land interaction bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-sweeper; sideboard bullet; mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provide a slow land-based answer to clusters of nonland permanents with the same mana value, especially hate permanents that `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge`, or `Boseiju, Who Endures` cannot conveniently answer.
|
||||
- Timing: Play when colorless mana or delayed interaction is acceptable; avoid as an early land if it prevents `Otherworldly Gaze`, `Cathartic Reunion`, `Life from the Loam`, or `Nature's Claim`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Enters with a charge counter; taps for `{C}`; `{X}{X}, {T}` adds X charge counters; `{3}, {T}, sacrifice it` destroys each nonland permanent with mana value equal to its charge counters.
|
||||
- Mode map: Mana ability supplies colorless mana; charge-counter activation changes the eventual mana-value target; sacrifice activation is the actual sweeper and can hit your own `Narcomoeba`, `Bloodghast`, `Prized Amalgam`, `Leyline of the Void`, or other registered permanents if their mana value matches.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Life from the Loam` can return `Blast Zone`; `Nature's Claim`, `Ancient Grudge`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` are faster targeted alternatives.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Boseiju, Who Endures` is a one-card channel answer; `Nature's Claim` and `Ancient Grudge` are cheaper but narrower by target class.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not call it colored mana; do not activate without checking collateral damage to your board.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Good against clustered low-mana-value permanents and some hate pieces; slow against fast combo or immediate lethal pressure.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use `Blast Zone` as delayed interaction, not as your only early mana source for colored spells.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 1 copy, utility green land and channel interaction bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; interaction-removal; sideboard bullet; modal utility.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Either provide green mana for `Life from the Loam`, `Nature's Claim`, and `Ancient Grudge` flashback, or channel from hand to destroy a target artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls.
|
||||
- Timing: Play as a land when green mana is required and interaction is less important; hold for channel when an opposing artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land is stopping the graveyard engine or creating a losing board state.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: As a legendary land, taps for `{G}`; channel costs `{1}{G}` and discards `Boseiju, Who Endures` to destroy target artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls. That player may search for a land card with a basic land type, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. The channel ability costs `{1}` less for each legendary creature you control; this deck has no registered legendary creature.
|
||||
- Mode map: Land mode is green mana and landfall for `Bloodghast`; channel mode is uncountered-by-normal-spell interaction from hand that consumes the land card and may give the opponent a land.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Life from the Loam` can return it after channel or milling; `Nature's Claim` covers artifacts/enchantments; `Ancient Grudge` covers artifacts; `Blast Zone` covers mana-value clusters.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Nature's Claim` is cheaper but gives 4 life; `Ancient Grudge` has artifact-only flashback; `Blast Zone` is slower and broader by mana value.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not count it as red, blue, or black mana; do not channel it at a basic land or a permanent outside artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring in against graveyard-hate artifacts/enchantments, key nonbasic lands, or permanent engines where giving the opponent a basic-type land is acceptable.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If you need green now, play it; if a legal artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land is stopping Dredge, consider channel instead.
|
||||
|
||||
## Interaction Priorities
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: answer visible graveyard hate before spending premium engine turns, using Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Boseiju, Who Endures, or Blast Zone only when the rules engine exposes a legal target/action and the hate piece actually constrains dredge, graveyard triggers, Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Ox of Agonas, Conflagrate, or Creeping Chill. Do not fire interaction at generic artifacts or enchantments when the graveyard engine is already operating through them.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: use Thoughtseize after sideboard to clear a revealed hate card, combo piece, or stack interaction before a major Cathartic Reunion, Ox of Agonas, or Conflagrate commitment. If the opponent's revealed hand contains no card that changes the next engine turn or survival window, preserve mana and life instead of treating Thoughtseize as mandatory disruption.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: use Lightning Axe on creatures that stop survival, invalidate attacks, or threaten to end the game before dredge triggers stabilize. Its discard/payment text must come from legal action output; when a discard choice is required or offered, prefer moving Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Ox of Agonas, or Conflagrate to the graveyard only when that exact choice is legal and the resulting graveyard role matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: use Darkblast for small legal creature targets when the kill opens attacks, prevents a meaningful damage race, or adds repeatable dredge velocity. Do not spend a draw step repeatedly dredging Darkblast over Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, or Life from the Loam when the target is low-impact and the deck needs volume.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: use Conflagrate as a finishing or stabilizing resource, not as casual chip damage. Flashback should convert extra lands, redundant dredgers, and stranded cards into lethal damage, planeswalker pressure, or critical creature removal only when the legal target set and payment choices are visible; avoid nonlethal face damage that empties the hand needed for a later kill.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: let Creeping Chill resolve as free reach and life-buffer when milled; do not make lines that require drawing or casting it unless the rules engine explicitly offers such a legal action and no graveyard plan is available. Creeping Chill changes races most when it stacks with Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Narcomoeba, and Silversmote Ghoul pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bait: expose lower-value setup before the turn that must resolve, especially Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam, or a smaller dredge action, when doing so can draw out interaction before Cathartic Reunion, Ox of Agonas, or Conflagrate. Do not bait with the only discard outlet, only green source, only red source, or only graveyard-hate answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- Ignore: do not remove creatures that are irrelevant to lethal math, blocking, graveyard hate, or a combo clock. Dredge wins by resource asymmetry; spending Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Lightning Axe, Darkblast, or Conflagrate on low-impact targets often gives up the graveyard engine's inevitability.
|
||||
|
||||
- Exile plan: Leyline of the Void is for opposing graveyard engines when the pregame or cast action is legal; it does not answer a spell already cast from a graveyard after costs are paid. Preserve the distinction between preventing future graveyard use and interacting with something already on the stack.
|
||||
|
||||
- Counter/bounce plan: this registered list has no counterspell or bounce card. If a counter or bounce action appears through an outside effect, treat it as a rules-engine-provided exception and reason from the visible legal action text, not from the deck plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype shift: against fast creature decks, prioritize Lightning Axe, Darkblast, Creeping Chill life swings, and blocking math over maximum dredge greed. Against slower interactive decks, prioritize resilient sequencing, baiting, Life from the Loam resource loops, and holding Conflagrate until it represents a decisive board clear or kill. Against graveyard mirrors or graveyard-reliant decks, Leyline of the Void changes the plan from pure speed to protected asymmetry.
|
||||
|
||||
## Combat And Trading Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Attack first with recursive bodies when trades are acceptable: Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul are pressure pieces that can often be worth more attacking than blocking. Prefer attacks that maintain a recurring clock while keeping enough life buffer from Creeping Chill and Silversmote Ghoul returns to survive the crackback.
|
||||
|
||||
- Preserve Stinkweed Imp when its deathtouch-style combat role or dredge value matters; trade it only when the blocker/attacker meaningfully changes survival or opens the graveyard engine. If the deck needs dredge volume next draw step, avoid chump attacks or blocks that remove Stinkweed Imp from the zone where its replacement effect can be used, unless the legal game state makes the trade necessary.
|
||||
|
||||
- Treat Golgari Thug primarily as dredge infrastructure and secondary board material. Do not trade it away just to exchange with a small creature when the next draw replacement is more valuable, but accept a trade if it protects life total, enables graveyard recursion choices, or buys the turn needed for Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, or Creeping Chill to swing the race.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use Bloodghast as a recurring attacker, not a default blocker. Sequence Bloodstained Mire and other land drops so Bloodghast can return after being milled or traded, and avoid sacrificing a fetch land before Bloodghast reaches the graveyard unless immediate mana or color access is required.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use Prized Amalgam as the main battlefield snowball after Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, or Silversmote Ghoul creates the return condition. Attack with Prized Amalgam when the opponent cannot profitably race; hold it back only when blocking prevents lethal or protects a higher-value follow-up turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use Silversmote Ghoul as pressure and recovery only when its life-gain condition and timing are actually satisfied by visible game events such as Creeping Chill or other legal life-gain outcomes. Do not assume it returns from the graveyard without the required trigger/window.
|
||||
|
||||
- Do not overvalue Narcomoeba as a standalone creature. Its best combat job is enabling Prized Amalgam and adding evasive chip pressure; trade it defensively when survival matters, but avoid losing it for negligible damage if it is the only return trigger path for Prized Amalgam this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Life total thresholds matter more than normal because fetch lands, shock lands, Thoughtseize, and opponent pressure can shrink the Creeping Chill buffer. Pay life for Stomping Ground or Steam Vents only when the immediate spell or interaction window changes the game, and respect spots where blocking with a recursive creature is better than preserving every attacker.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against creature races, block to preserve the turn cycle where dredge triggers and Creeping Chill can reverse the race. Against control or combo, attack aggressively with recursive bodies and avoid unnecessary blocks unless the opponent's battlefield clock is visibly lethal. Against graveyard hate decks, combat is secondary until the hate permanent is answered or a non-graveyard pressure line is already on board.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protection is resource-based, not spell-based: this list does not contain registered commander protection, hexproof, indestructible, or counter backup. Protect the engine by sequencing threats across zones, keeping landfall available for Bloodghast, preserving interaction for hate, and not committing all discard outlets or all Conflagrate fuel into one fragile window.
|
||||
|
||||
## Selection And Tutor Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Select for graveyard velocity first when the hand already has mana and a discard outlet. Otherworldly Gaze should put dredgers, Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, and excess recursive material into the graveyard while keeping only cards that immediately unlock mana, Cathartic Reunion, Life from the Loam, interaction, or a lethal Conflagrate line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Treat Otherworldly Gaze as pseudo-selection, not card advantage. It looks at the top three cards, moves any number to the graveyard, and leaves the rest on top in an order; keep a top card only when the next draw should actually be a natural draw or when no dredge card is available to replace that draw.
|
||||
|
||||
- Choose dredge replacement effects by role, not by habit. Prefer Stinkweed Imp when maximum milling is needed, Golgari Thug when a smaller dredge plus creature recursion texture matters, Life from the Loam when land drops, Bloodghast triggers, Conflagrate fuel, or future mana are needed, and Darkblast when repeated small-creature control is more important than raw graveyard volume.
|
||||
|
||||
- Do not replace every draw automatically when hand resources are missing. Take a natural draw when the deck needs a land, Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Nature's Claim, Thoughtseize, Lightning Axe, Ancient Grudge, or another specific castable card more than it needs additional graveyard volume.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequence Cathartic Reunion after deciding whether the discarded cards are acceptable costs. Discard dredgers, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, redundant lands, or flashback/escape resources; avoid discarding the only red source, only blue source, only green source, only answer to visible graveyard hate, or only payoff unless the legal line still functions if Cathartic Reunion is countered.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use Life from the Loam as targeted land recursion, not a generic tutor. Return exact visible land cards from the graveyard when they produce needed colors, replay Bloodstained Mire for Bloodghast landfall, rebuild after discard, or stock Conflagrate flashback; do not claim it finds lands from the library.
|
||||
|
||||
- Time Bloodstained Mire around Bloodghast and color needs. If Bloodghast is already in the graveyard or likely to enter it before the next land drop, hold Bloodstained Mire when possible so the land entry and later sacrificed fetch land can create multiple landfall windows; sacrifice it immediately only when mana, color fixing, or life-total math demands it.
|
||||
|
||||
- Map Bloodstained Mire searches to this registered list only. It can find Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, or Mountain from the deck as legal Mountain-type targets; do not plan for unregistered Swamp, Blood Crypt, basic Forest, or basic Island access.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bottom or mill stranded cast-only cards when graveyard access is better. Creeping Chill is strongest when milled, Narcomoeba matters when milled, Prized Amalgam and Bloodghast prefer graveyard setup, and Ox of Agonas often wants a stocked graveyard before escape; keep them on top only when the hand or board makes casting/holding them materially better.
|
||||
|
||||
- Preserve Conflagrate math before selecting draw replacements. If flashback lethal or a board clear is near, Life from the Loam for lands and natural draws that increase hand size may matter more than another large dredge.
|
||||
|
||||
## Priority And Stack Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Use instant-speed Otherworldly Gaze at the opponent's end step unless an immediate graveyard trigger, blocker, or draw-step setup is required. Casting it before the draw step can set up a known top card or graveyard dredger, but do not spend blue mana before seeing whether the opponent commits graveyard hate or lethal pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Resolve dredge choices as replacement decisions tied to actual draws. Cathartic Reunion and Ox of Agonas can create multiple draw events, but each replacement choice must follow the rules engine prompt; do not assume every draw becomes the same dredge card if the prompt ordering or available graveyard cards changes.
|
||||
|
||||
- Let Narcomoeba and Creeping Chill triggers resolve when milled unless the engine presents a legal optional choice with a clear reason to decline. Narcomoeba enables Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill creates reach and life gain, and both are central to the deck's non-mana pressure plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Track Prized Amalgam timing precisely. It returns only after the required creature-return condition is met and at the appropriate delayed-trigger window; do not attack, block, sacrifice, or count it as available before the rules engine places it onto the battlefield.
|
||||
|
||||
- Track Silversmote Ghoul timing from actual life gain. Creeping Chill can enable the required life-gain condition, but the return still depends on the visible trigger/window; do not assume Silversmote Ghoul appears immediately or without the engine offering the legal event.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hold priority-sensitive graveyard hate answers for hate that matters. Nature's Claim should answer a visible artifact or enchantment graveyard-hate permanent when legal; Ancient Grudge answers artifacts, including from the graveyard by flashback if the cost is payable; Boseiju, Who Endures and Blast Zone require their own visible activation windows and legal targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use Thoughtseize before committing a fragile graveyard turn when the matchup or visible hand information suggests interaction. Thoughtseize costs life and is not a graveyard engine card, so avoid firing it after the opponent's relevant spell has already resolved unless removing a future hate piece or combo card changes the next turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use Lightning Axe and Darkblast at the window that changes combat or survival. Lightning Axe requires its additional discard or alternate payment as shown by legal actions; Darkblast can be cast and later dredged, so value repeated use against small creatures over one-shot damage when the matchup is about battlefield containment.
|
||||
|
||||
- Flash back Conflagrate only with exact visible damage, discard, and target math. It is a decisive stack action for lethal, planeswalker removal, or a needed board clear; avoid passing through a nonlethal flashback line that discards the lands or spells needed for a larger Life from the Loam turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Escape Ox of Agonas only after checking graveyard fuel and replacement order. Exiling eight other cards can remove Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, flashback cards, or dredgers that the current plan still needs, so commit only when the hand reset or body is worth that graveyard cost.
|
||||
|
||||
- Respond to graveyard hate before it resolves when the legal answer exists. Once an effect has exiled the graveyard, later Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, or Boseiju, Who Endures may remove the source but will not undo the completed exile unless the rules engine shows a specific effect saying otherwise.
|
||||
|
||||
## Sideboard Map
|
||||
|
||||
- Role rule: keep the graveyard engine dense unless a visible hate card, faster combo clock, or creature battlefield forces interaction. This deck wins by replacing draws with dredge, recurring Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul, and converting stocked graveyards into Creeping Chill, Conflagrate, and Ox of Agonas turns; sideboard cards are tools to clear barriers, not a reason to become a fair midrange deck.
|
||||
|
||||
- Nature's Claim comes in against artifact or enchantment hate that prevents graveyard access, shuts off graveyard triggers, or races through a permanent engine. It is best when the opponent presents visible noncreature permanents the deck must answer before a Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, or dredge chain. It is weak against creature-only pressure, spell-based combo, and matchups where giving the opponent 4 life changes Conflagrate or Creeping Chill lethal math.
|
||||
|
||||
- Thoughtseize comes in when the opponent's best cards are stack interaction, graveyard hate, combo pieces, or sweepers that must be removed before committing a fragile dredge turn. Cast it before Cathartic Reunion when the hand can still function after spending one mana and 2 life. It is poor against very aggressive damage decks when the life loss materially shortens the race or when the opponent mostly topdecks redundant battlefield threats.
|
||||
|
||||
- Ancient Grudge comes in against artifact graveyard hate, artifact mana, artifact creatures, or artifact engines. Its first cast and flashback can create two answer windows, so value it when green and red mana are realistic from Copperline Gorge, Stomping Ground, Bloodstained Mire into Stomping Ground, or red sources plus future green. It is bad against enchantment hate, nonartifact creature pressure, and hands that cannot reasonably access green for flashback.
|
||||
|
||||
- Lightning Axe comes in when large creatures, fast creature-combo threats, or must-kill attackers decide survival. It also converts dredgers, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, or excess lands into a removal cost, so it can support the graveyard plan while answering the board. It is weak against decks with few creature targets, small recursive creatures where Darkblast is better, and hands where discarding the wrong card would collapse mana or engine access.
|
||||
|
||||
- Leyline of the Void comes in against opposing graveyard decks that are faster, more explosive, or better at using the graveyard than this deck can race. It is strongest in opening hands because it starts on the battlefield if present at game start. It is much worse when drawn later, and it does not help cast Cathartic Reunion, Life from the Loam, Conflagrate, or Ox of Agonas, so avoid overloading on it when the matchup is only lightly graveyard-adjacent.
|
||||
|
||||
- Darkblast comes in against decks built around small creatures, mana creatures, low-toughness utility creatures, and repeatable combat chip damage. Its dredge access means it can keep returning while fueling Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Bloodghast, Creeping Chill, and Conflagrate. It is poor against large creatures, noncreature combo, and boards where one point of damage cannot change combat or survival.
|
||||
|
||||
- Blast Zone comes in as a slower, colorless answer to clustered cheap permanents, especially permanent hate that shares a mana value with other relevant targets. Treat it as a land-slot sideboard card with activation timing, charge-counter, and mana constraints; it is not a fast colored source and can slow Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Nature's Claim, and Ancient Grudge turns. It is bad when the deck must race immediately or when its activation would also remove too many of this deck's relevant permanents.
|
||||
|
||||
- Boseiju, Who Endures comes in when the opponent relies on an artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land that blocks the engine or creates a losing board state. Channeling it from hand is interaction that also preserves spell-density through dredge-heavy games, but it gives the opponent a land if the effect resolves as expected. It is weaker when the opponent's pressure is mostly creatures or spells on the stack, and it should not be counted as a red, blue, or black source.
|
||||
|
||||
Anti-Graveyard Hate Permanent Plan
|
||||
Side in: 3 Nature's Claim; 2 Ancient Grudge; 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
Cut: 1 Darkblast; 1 Silversmote Ghoul; 1 Conflagrate; 1 Ox of Agonas; 2 Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
|
||||
- Plan use: choose this plan against opponents expected to present artifact or enchantment hate that stops graveyard use or graveyard triggers. Nature's Claim handles artifact or enchantment hate, Ancient Grudge handles artifact hate with flashback pressure, and Boseiju, Who Endures gives an additional answer to artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land problems. The reductions lower narrow creature removal and some slower payoff density while keeping all four Cathartic Reunion, all four Life from the Loam, and the main dredger core intact.
|
||||
|
||||
Creature Pressure Containment Plan
|
||||
Side in: 2 Lightning Axe; 1 Darkblast; 1 Blast Zone
|
||||
Cut: 1 Ox of Agonas; 1 Silversmote Ghoul; 1 Conflagrate; 1 Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
|
||||
- Plan use: choose this plan against creature decks where survival before the recursive engine takes over is the main problem. Lightning Axe answers larger attackers while discarding engine cards, Darkblast controls repeated small threats, and Blast Zone can reset clusters of cheap permanents. Preserve Stinkweed Imp because it is both a dredger and a defensive creature; avoid reducing too many Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, or Prized Amalgam copies because those are the battlefield recovery engine.
|
||||
|
||||
Registered Spell Combo Or Fragile-Hate Plan
|
||||
Side in: 3 Thoughtseize; 3 Nature's Claim
|
||||
Cut: 1 Darkblast; 2 Silversmote Ghoul; 1 Conflagrate; 1 Ox of Agonas; 1 Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
|
||||
- Plan use: choose this registered plan when the opponent has high-impact noncreature spells plus artifact or enchantment hate. Thoughtseize clears the path before a risky Cathartic Reunion or removes a combo piece, while Nature's Claim answers resolved permanent hate. The reductions come from slower payoff and narrow removal slots, not from the core dredge count.
|
||||
|
||||
Graveyard Mirror Plan
|
||||
Side in: 2 Leyline of the Void; 3 Thoughtseize; 2 Lightning Axe
|
||||
Cut: 1 Darkblast; 2 Conflagrate; 1 Ox of Agonas; 1 Silversmote Ghoul; 2 Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
|
||||
- Plan use: choose this plan when the opponent also depends heavily on graveyard setup and the race can hinge on opening disruption. Leyline of the Void is high-impact from the opening hand, Thoughtseize can remove the opponent's enabler or answer, and Lightning Axe handles creatures that slip through. Do not keep weak hands only because Leyline of the Void appears later in the library; the deck still needs lands, discard outlets, and dredgers.
|
||||
|
||||
- Add role cards: against artifact-heavy decks, emphasize Ancient Grudge, Nature's Claim, and Boseiju, Who Endures by exact target class. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Darkblast against artifact permanents with no low-toughness creatures, and some slower Silversmote Ghoul or Ox of Agonas texture when graveyard hate must be answered immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
- Add role cards: against enchantment-based hate, emphasize Nature's Claim and Boseiju, Who Endures. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Ancient Grudge because it cannot answer nonartifact enchantments, plus narrow creature removal when creatures are not the pressure point.
|
||||
|
||||
- Add role cards: against fast creature battlefields, emphasize Lightning Axe, Darkblast, and Blast Zone. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest graveyard payoffs when the first three turns are about staying alive, while keeping enough dredgers and discard outlets to rebuild.
|
||||
|
||||
- Add role cards: against spell-combo and control shells, emphasize Thoughtseize and only the permanent answers that match visible or expected hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Darkblast and excess creature-removal texture when the opponent's key decisions happen on the stack or in hand.
|
||||
|
||||
- Add role cards: against opposing graveyard engines, emphasize Leyline of the Void and Thoughtseize first, then Lightning Axe only if creature threats matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: graveyard-costly or slow payoff cards when the game is decided before Ox of Agonas escape or large Conflagrate setup becomes realistic.
|
||||
|
||||
## Matchup Guidance
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro: prioritize survival while keeping one engine path active. Keep hands with a land, a discard outlet such as Cathartic Reunion or Otherworldly Gaze, and a dredger such as Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, or Darkblast; reject hands that only present slow graveyard payoffs with no way to start dredging. Creeping Chill, Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul are the stabilizing race package, so dredge replacement choices are usually better than natural draws once a dredger is in the graveyard. Add role cards: Lightning Axe, Darkblast, and Blast Zone when opposing creatures are the clock. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest Ox of Agonas and Conflagrate texture when the first three turns are about not dying.
|
||||
|
||||
- Control: pressure life total from zones that tax one-for-one answers. Favor early graveyard setup over exposing single creatures from hand, because Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, and Silversmote Ghoul make removal-heavy control answer recurring material instead of one permanent. Cathartic Reunion is high upside but risky into open interaction; use Thoughtseize post-board when the legal action can clear a counterspell or graveyard hate before committing. Life from the Loam plus Bloodstained Mire can keep landfall pressure flowing, and Conflagrate can convert large hands into a finishing line if the engine has already supplied enough resources. Add role cards: Thoughtseize, Nature's Claim, and Boseiju, Who Endures when control shows permanent hate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Darkblast when there are no low-toughness targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Combo: race only when the engine is already fast; otherwise disrupt the critical turn. Mulligan toward a real enabler plus dredger, because slow hands full of recursive threats but no graveyard access usually fail before Bloodghast or Prized Amalgam matter. Thoughtseize is the cleanest sideboard pressure on a spell-combo hand, while Nature's Claim or Boseiju, Who Endures matters only if the opponent's combo or anti-graveyard plan uses an artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land target. Do not spend early turns casting low-impact creatures from hand unless the rules engine offers no credible graveyard setup. Add role cards: Thoughtseize, with Nature's Claim or Boseiju, Who Endures only against matching permanent classes. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Darkblast and other creature-only interaction unless the combo uses creatures that must be removed.
|
||||
|
||||
- Tempo: make them answer engines instead of isolated threats. Tempo decks often punish tapped-out Cathartic Reunion turns, so prefer sequencing that leaves the engine with redundancy: an Otherworldly Gaze setup, a dredger already in the graveyard, or Bloodghast landfall ready from a fetch land. Stinkweed Imp can be a meaningful defensive body when attacking is not required, but its dredge access is often more important than trading. Use Lightning Axe post-board only when a single creature is applying enough pressure to justify the discard and mana. Add role cards: Thoughtseize against stack-heavy tempo, Lightning Axe against creature-led tempo, and Nature's Claim only when visible permanent hate appears. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Conflagrate when hand size will stay small under pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Midrange: overload removal and discard with redundant graveyard threats. Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Creeping Chill, and Ox of Agonas all matter because midrange usually wins by trading resources and then stabilizing with a board. Preserve dredgers in graveyard when possible; repeatedly replacing draws with Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, or Life from the Loam can turn ordinary draw steps into multiple battlefield triggers. Conflagrate is valuable when the game stalls and hand resources accumulate, but do not fire it for low impact if the opponent still has a creature that must be answered later. Add role cards: Thoughtseize for key hate or payoff checks, Lightning Axe for large creatures, and Nature's Claim when artifact or enchantment hate is shown. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow Darkblast only when it has no targets.
|
||||
|
||||
- Big mana: race quickly and use disruption on the payoff turn or hate permanent. Slow recursive inevitability is less reliable because big mana can go over repeated Bloodghast and Prized Amalgam pressure. Favor hands with Cathartic Reunion or Otherworldly Gaze plus a dredger, and use Life from the Loam mainly to keep land drops and Bloodghast recursion moving rather than to play a long fair game. Thoughtseize should take the card that makes the opponent's next decisive turn possible when visible hand information permits. Boseiju, Who Endures and Nature's Claim matter only against legal artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land targets offered by the game state. Add role cards: Thoughtseize and Boseiju, Who Endures when targets or hand pressure align. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Darkblast and Lightning Axe unless creature pressure is actually present.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard decks: identify whether you are racing, disrupting, or both before replacing every draw with dredge. Leyline of the Void is strongest from the opening hand; later copies should not justify keeping nonfunctional hands. Thoughtseize can take an enabler or answer, while Lightning Axe is only for creature threats that survive graveyard disruption. Your own engine still needs a discard outlet and dredger, so do not over-sideboard into cards that do not advance Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, Silversmote Ghoul, or Conflagrate. Add role cards: Leyline of the Void, Thoughtseize, and Lightning Axe only when creatures matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Ox of Agonas or excess Conflagrate setup when the mirror is decided before large graveyard-resource turns.
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact/enchantment decks: answer hate before committing fragile graveyard resources when the permanent stops triggers or graveyard access. Nature's Claim handles artifact or enchantment permanents; Ancient Grudge handles artifacts and can provide repeated artifact interaction when its flashback is accessible; Boseiju, Who Endures can answer an artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land from hand if the legal channel action is available. Do not claim Ancient Grudge answers enchantments that are not artifacts. Blast Zone can answer clustered permanents but is slow and can disrupt this deck's own mana curve. Add role cards: Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Boseiju, Who Endures, and Blast Zone when mana value clustering matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Darkblast and some slower payoff density when permanent hate must be cleared immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
- Go-wide decks: value repeatable small-creature control and race swings. Darkblast is important when one damage changes attacks, blocks, or utility-creature survival; dredging it can keep feeding the graveyard while controlling repeated low-toughness threats. Blast Zone can reset groups of cheap permanents, but use it only when its counters, activation mana, and collateral damage are acceptable from the visible board. Creeping Chill and Silversmote Ghoul help recover life total while Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, and Prized Amalgam rebuild blockers or attackers. Add role cards: Darkblast, Lightning Axe for larger must-kill attackers, and Blast Zone. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower Ox of Agonas when immediate board containment is required.
|
||||
|
||||
- Single-threat decks: answer the threat if it races the graveyard clock, otherwise ignore it and build lethal pressure. Lightning Axe is the cleanest sideboard card for a large creature while also discarding a dredger or payoff, but the discard cost must advance the engine or preserve survival. Stinkweed Imp can block some creature plans if cast legally, yet dredging Stinkweed Imp may be stronger when it produces multiple recursive triggers. Conflagrate can finish a damaged creature or player, but do not spend it into a low-impact exchange if the deck needs it as reach. Add role cards: Lightning Axe, Thoughtseize for protected threats, and Darkblast only for one-toughness or damage-relevant targets. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Blast Zone unless the threat's mana value and timing make it realistic.
|
||||
|
||||
- Burn: protect life total without losing the engine. Creeping Chill is one of the most important dredge hits, and Silversmote Ghoul can matter when life gain has occurred, so early dredge density often beats natural drawing unless a sideboard card is urgently needed. Nature's Claim can gain life by targeting one of your own legal artifact or enchantment permanents only if such a target exists; this registered main deck has no main-deck artifact or enchantment to assume. Thoughtseize costs life and should be used only when taking a card prevents more damage than it costs. Add role cards: Lightning Axe for creature pressure and Nature's Claim only when opposing artifact or enchantment targets are relevant. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Thoughtseize when the life payment is worse than the disruption.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal-heavy decks: make removal inefficient by prioritizing recursive threats and graveyard draw engines. Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, and Ox of Agonas are better than single creature deployment because they force the opponent to answer graveyard movement, landfall, and repeated board returns. Life from the Loam helps recover lands for Bloodghast and Conflagrate, especially when Bloodstained Mire can create landfall at a useful time. Do not overvalue casting Narcomoeba or Bloodghast from hand when dredging can place multiple threats and Creeping Chill into the graveyard. Add role cards: Thoughtseize for exile effects or hate, Nature's Claim for artifact/enchantment hate, and Boseiju, Who Endures for matching permanent targets. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature removal that does not answer the opponent's actual plan.
|
||||
|
||||
## Specific Matchup Notes
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only: revealed cards override assumptions. Treat these notes as matchup defaults until the opponent shows exact cards, then prioritize the legal object that stops the current Dredge engine: graveyard hate, faster lethal pressure, or stack/hand disruption on Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam, Ox of Agonas, or Conflagrate.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against graveyard-hate decks: clear the hate before committing the engine if the permanent stops dredge payoffs or graveyard access. Add role cards: Nature's Claim for artifact or enchantment hate, Ancient Grudge for artifact hate, Boseiju, Who Endures for artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land targets, and Thoughtseize when a key hate card or answer can be taken from hand. Priority targets are the visible hate permanent first, then the card that prevents the next Cathartic Reunion or Life from the Loam turn from functioning.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against fast creature decks: race with Creeping Chill and recursive bodies, but do not ignore a lethal attacker. Add role cards: Lightning Axe for large attackers, Darkblast for one-toughness creatures or combat math, and Blast Zone when visible mana-value clustering makes activation realistic. Priority targets are creatures that end the game before Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Narcomoeba, or Silversmote Ghoul can stabilize.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against burn or direct-damage pressure: preserve life while dredging toward Creeping Chill. Thoughtseize is risky because the life payment must prevent more damage than it costs. Nature's Claim is not a free life-gain plan in game one because the registered main deck has no artifact or enchantment to target; use it postboard only when a legal artifact or enchantment target exists.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against removal-heavy midrange: make removal inefficient by recurring threats rather than casting fragile bodies from hand. Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Ox of Agonas, Life from the Loam, and Bloodstained Mire create repeated pressure that can outlast one-for-one removal. Thoughtseize should focus on exile effects, sweepers, or hate rather than ordinary creature removal when the visible hand supports that choice.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against big mana or combo: speed matters more than incremental value. Favor hands that start dredging early with Cathartic Reunion or Otherworldly Gaze plus Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, or Darkblast. Add role cards: Thoughtseize for the payoff or enabler, Boseiju, Who Endures for relevant nonbasic land or permanent targets, and Nature's Claim only when artifact or enchantment targets are shown.
|
||||
|
||||
## Risk Summary
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana risk: Copperline Gorge and Spirebluff Canal support early red and blue starts, but the deck has only one Mountain and must fetch shock lands carefully with Bloodstained Mire. Do not assume black mana is available for hard-casting Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Bloodghast, Silversmote Ghoul, or Darkblast unless the actual land mix provides it.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup risk: graveyard hate can turn a functional hand into a slow pile. Sideboard answers must line up with the actual hate type: Nature's Claim for artifacts or enchantments, Ancient Grudge for artifacts, Boseiju, Who Endures for artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land targets, and Thoughtseize before the permanent resolves.
|
||||
|
||||
- Draw risk: replacing draws with dredge is usually central, but not automatic. Natural draw matters when searching for Nature's Claim, Thoughtseize, Lightning Axe, a land, or a discard outlet is more urgent than filling the graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
- Over-sideboarding risk: too many reactive cards reduce dredger, discard, and payoff density. Keep enough Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, Silversmote Ghoul, Ox of Agonas, and Conflagrate to actually win.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard risk: Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Creeping Chill, Life from the Loam, Ox of Agonas, and Conflagrate all depend on graveyard access or graveyard movement. If an effect changes that access, pause before dredging or escaping into a known failure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sweeper/removal risk: sweepers are less punishing when landfall and end-step returns are held. Sequence Bloodstained Mire, Life from the Loam, and Bloodghast so a post-sweeper land drop can rebuild pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer risk: Conflagrate and Creeping Chill are reach, not disposable resources. Avoid spending Conflagrate into low-impact creature damage when the visible game points toward a hand-fueled lethal turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction risk: Lightning Axe and Cathartic Reunion require discards, so the discard must advance the engine or preserve survival. Do not discard the only relevant answer when the opponent's revealed plan requires it.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequencing risk: Prized Amalgam returns on the next end step after the correct trigger condition, so plan landfall, Narcomoeba triggers, Bloodghast returns, and Ox of Agonas escape around end-step timing rather than assuming immediate attackers or blockers.
|
||||
|
||||
## Test Feedback Checklist
|
||||
|
||||
- Deciding factor: identify the first turn where the match became advantaged or lost. Was the swing caused by graveyard access, a failed Cathartic Reunion or Otherworldly Gaze setup, missed landfall for Bloodghast, delayed Prized Amalgam returns, opponent graveyard hate, or a race where Creeping Chill and Conflagrate reach mattered?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligans: record whether the kept hand had an engine card, a dredge card, and functional mana. Did hands without Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, Darkblast, Cathartic Reunion, or Otherworldly Gaze still produce graveyard velocity, or did they become slow creature hands?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana: verify whether Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, Bloodstained Mire, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, and Mountain produced the colors required by the actual hand. Note every game where Bloodstained Mire needed a specific shock land, where one Mountain constrained later turns, or where sideboard cards strained the mana.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity: measure whether dredge replacement choices advanced the deck faster than natural draws. Flag turns where the pilot dredged while needing Nature's Claim, Thoughtseize, Lightning Axe, a land, or a specific interaction spell from the library.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engine execution: check whether Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Silversmote Ghoul, Creeping Chill, Ox of Agonas, Life from the Loam, and Conflagrate were used according to visible timing. Record missed end-step Prized Amalgam returns, missed Bloodghast landfall, incorrect dredge ordering, or escape decisions that consumed needed graveyard resources.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal and interaction: ask whether Darkblast, Lightning Axe, Ancient Grudge, Nature's Claim, Boseiju, Who Endures, Blast Zone, and Thoughtseize answered the card that actually threatened the Dredge engine or lethal race. Flag interaction spent on low-impact targets while a graveyard hate permanent, lethal attacker, or combo piece remained visible.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard performance: record each postboard card drawn, cast, discarded, dredged, or stranded. Did Nature's Claim line up with artifact or enchantment hate, Ancient Grudge with artifacts, Leyline of the Void with graveyard opponents, Thoughtseize with key hand disruption, Lightning Axe with creature pressure, Blast Zone with clustered mana values, and Boseiju, Who Endures with artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land targets?
|
||||
|
||||
- Closing: identify whether the deck closed through attackers, Creeping Chill drains, Conflagrate, Ox of Agonas reloads, or repeated Bloodghast and Prized Amalgam pressure. Flag games where Conflagrate was spent early and later unavailable for lethal reach.
|
||||
|
||||
- Role accuracy: ask whether the pilot correctly chose beatdown, engine, control, or anti-hate posture after sideboarding. A game lost with reactive cards stranded may indicate overreacting; a game lost to a known hate card may indicate underreacting.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mistakes and stranded cards: list every card stuck in hand for more than two turns and why. Separate mana failures, missing discard outlets, graveyard shutdown, wrong dredge choices, and legal-action limitations from ordinary variance.
|
||||
|
||||
- Overperformers and underperformers: record which exact cards carried the match and which did not contribute. Pay special attention to Silversmote Ghoul, Ox of Agonas, Conflagrate, Darkblast, Life from the Loam, and the sideboard one-of lands.
|
||||
|
||||
## First Tuning Questions
|
||||
|
||||
- Dredger density: are 4 Stinkweed Imp, 4 Golgari Thug, 4 Life from the Loam, and 1 Darkblast enough to make opening engines consistent, or do games without early dredge sources fail too often?
|
||||
|
||||
- Discard outlet density: are 4 Cathartic Reunion and 4 Otherworldly Gaze enough to start the graveyard plan under interaction, or does the deck need more ways to place Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Life from the Loam, Darkblast, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Creeping Chill, or Ox of Agonas into the graveyard?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana structure: does the current Copperline Gorge, Spirebluff Canal, Bloodstained Mire, Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, and Mountain package cast red and blue setup spells while still supporting green Life from the Loam and postboard Nature's Claim or Boseiju, Who Endures?
|
||||
|
||||
- Black access: are hard-cast Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Bloodghast, Silversmote Ghoul, Darkblast, Thoughtseize, and Leyline of the Void realistically castable when drawn, or should the plan assume those cards mostly function through graveyard movement, opening-hand presence, or sideboard-specific matchups?
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro plan: do Lightning Axe, Darkblast, Creeping Chill, Bloodghast, Narcomoeba, Prized Amalgam, and Silversmote Ghoul stabilize fast creature matchups, or is the deck losing before recursive pressure matters?
|
||||
|
||||
- Control plan: do Thoughtseize, Life from the Loam, Ox of Agonas, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, and Conflagrate provide enough resilience against removal, counters, and sweepers, or are key engines being stopped too easily?
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard-hate plan: are 3 Nature's Claim, 2 Ancient Grudge, 1 Boseiju, Who Endures, 1 Blast Zone, and 3 Thoughtseize the right anti-hate mix, or are specific permanent types still beating the deck after sideboarding?
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer balance: are 4 Creeping Chill, 2 Conflagrate, 2 Ox of Agonas, and recursive attackers enough to finish games, or does the deck often build a graveyard without converting it into lethal pressure?
|
||||
|
||||
- Role conflict: do sideboard cards reduce the density of dredge cards, discard outlets, and graveyard payoffs too much? Track whether postboard hands become fair interaction hands that cannot exploit Stinkweed Imp, Golgari Thug, Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, and Creeping Chill.
|
||||
|
||||
- One-of utility slots: does main-deck Darkblast plus sideboard Darkblast matter often enough, and do Blast Zone and Boseiju, Who Endures justify sideboard space despite entering as lands rather than dredge engine pieces?
|
||||
|
||||
## Veles Tactical Policy
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Mulligan For Engine Access
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: mulligan
|
||||
Cards: Cathartic Reunion; Otherworldly Gaze; Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Darkblast
|
||||
Phase windows: opening hand; pregame
|
||||
Runtime cues: opening-hand review; mulligan choice
|
||||
Use when: the hand has legal mana plus either a setup spell and dredge card, or Otherworldly Gaze with a dredger to stock the graveyard.
|
||||
Avoid when: the hand is only recursive threats without a way to move cards into the graveyard, or cannot cast red or blue setup spells.
|
||||
Instructions: prefer hands that start dredging by turn two over fair creature hands. Treat Cathartic Reunion plus dredger as premium, and treat Otherworldly Gaze plus dredger as keepable if mana works.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Early Setup Spell Commitment
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: selection; mana
|
||||
Cards: Cathartic Reunion; Otherworldly Gaze; Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Darkblast
|
||||
Phase windows: turn one through turn three main phase; end step for Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:cast Cathartic Reunion; action:cast Otherworldly Gaze
|
||||
Use when: a visible setup spell can place a dredger or recursive payoff into the graveyard and the mana source remains legal.
|
||||
Avoid when: casting Cathartic Reunion would discard the only engine pieces into known stack interaction that can counter the spell, or when mana must remain for sideboard interaction against visible hate.
|
||||
Instructions: start the graveyard plan before deploying slow fair bodies. Use Otherworldly Gaze at end step when no main-phase landfall, discard, or interaction reason requires earlier casting.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Cathartic Reunion Discard Payload
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: selection
|
||||
Cards: Cathartic Reunion; Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Darkblast; Bloodghast; Prized Amalgam; Ox of Agonas; Creeping Chill
|
||||
Phase windows: main phase while casting Cathartic Reunion
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:discard Cathartic Reunion
|
||||
Use when: the legal discard choice includes dredgers or graveyard payoffs and Cathartic Reunion is already selected to cast.
|
||||
Avoid when: the discard choice would remove all lands from hand before a needed landfall turn, or would discard the only sideboard answer to a visible permanent hate card.
|
||||
Instructions: discard at least one dredger when available. Add Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Ox of Agonas, or Creeping Chill over castable interaction unless that interaction answers a visible immediate threat.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Dredge Replacement Ordering
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: selection
|
||||
Cards: Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Darkblast
|
||||
Phase windows: draw step; draw effects; recurring draw prompts
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:dredge Stinkweed Imp; action:dredge Golgari Thug; action:dredge Life from the Loam; action:dredge Darkblast
|
||||
Use when: a legal draw-replacement prompt offers a registered dredge card in the graveyard.
|
||||
Avoid when: the library is low enough that dredging risks losing before the next required draw, or when a specific non-graveyard sideboard card must be drawn to answer visible hate.
|
||||
Instructions: prioritize Stinkweed Imp for maximum graveyard velocity, then Golgari Thug, then Life from the Loam when lands or landfall matter, then Darkblast when removal or repeat dredge is relevant.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Deterministic Dredge Clickthrough After Selection
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: selection
|
||||
Cards: Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Darkblast
|
||||
Phase windows: draw step; draw effects
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:dredge
|
||||
Use when: exactly one legal action contains a dredge replacement for the card already selected by policy or model, and no other draw-replacement action is present.
|
||||
Avoid when: multiple dredge cards are legal, the prompt contains replacement-order choices, or the library-size warning is visible.
|
||||
Instructions: choose the single visible dredge action and preserve fail-closed behavior if the legal action text is ambiguous.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Landfall Recursion Sequencing
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: mana; priority
|
||||
Cards: Bloodghast; Prized Amalgam; Life from the Loam; Bloodstained Mire; Copperline Gorge; Spirebluff Canal; Stomping Ground; Steam Vents; Mountain
|
||||
Phase windows: main phase; land play; fetch activation
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:play land; action:activate Bloodstained Mire
|
||||
Use when: Bloodghast is in the graveyard and a land play or Bloodstained Mire activation can create landfall this turn.
|
||||
Avoid when: holding the land is required to trigger Bloodghast after removal or to cast a sideboard answer next turn against visible hate.
|
||||
Instructions: sequence landfall before combat when returning Bloodghast changes attacks or enables Prized Amalgam end-step return. Use Life from the Loam to reload lands when the graveyard engine needs repeated landfall.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Prized Amalgam Return Awareness
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: priority; combat
|
||||
Cards: Narcomoeba; Bloodghast; Prized Amalgam; Silversmote Ghoul
|
||||
Phase windows: end step; combat planning
|
||||
Runtime cues: trigger:Prized Amalgam; action:return Prized Amalgam
|
||||
Use when: Narcomoeba, Bloodghast, or another creature entering from graveyard/library creates a visible Prized Amalgam delayed return.
|
||||
Avoid when: the rules engine does not expose the trigger or legal return action; do not invent a return.
|
||||
Instructions: plan combat and blocks around Prized Amalgam returning tapped at the engine-provided time. Do not count it as an immediate blocker before the legal return resolves.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Creeping Chill Trigger Handling
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: priority
|
||||
Cards: Creeping Chill; Silversmote Ghoul
|
||||
Phase windows: graveyard movement; triggered ability resolution
|
||||
Runtime cues: trigger:Creeping Chill; action:resolve Creeping Chill
|
||||
Use when: the engine reports Creeping Chill moved from library to graveyard and exposes its trigger.
|
||||
Avoid when: Creeping Chill is drawn, discarded from hand, or already in graveyard without a legal trigger.
|
||||
Instructions: resolve legal Creeping Chill triggers because life swing advances the race and can enable Silversmote Ghoul return. Do not assume manual targeting or casting unless the engine exposes it.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Silversmote Ghoul Return Check
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: priority
|
||||
Cards: Silversmote Ghoul; Creeping Chill
|
||||
Phase windows: end step after life gain
|
||||
Runtime cues: trigger:Silversmote Ghoul; action:return Silversmote Ghoul
|
||||
Use when: the engine exposes a legal Silversmote Ghoul return after the deck gained 3 or more life this turn.
|
||||
Avoid when: no life-gain threshold is visible, or returning it would conflict with a mandatory engine prompt.
|
||||
Instructions: return Silversmote Ghoul when legal. Treat Creeping Chill as the main deck-specific enabler and wait for the actual trigger instead of assuming the end-step action exists.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Ox Of Agonas Escape Gate
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: selection; mana
|
||||
Cards: Ox of Agonas; Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Bloodghast; Prized Amalgam; Conflagrate
|
||||
Phase windows: main phase
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:escape Ox of Agonas; action:cast Ox of Agonas
|
||||
Use when: Ox of Agonas is legal from graveyard and hand quality or graveyard velocity is more important than preserving the exact graveyard cards visible for recursion.
|
||||
Avoid when: escaping would exile the only dredger, remove needed Bloodghast or Prized Amalgam pressure, or spend mana needed for Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Lightning Axe, or Thoughtseize against an immediate visible threat.
|
||||
Instructions: use Ox of Agonas as a reload, not as a reflex. Preserve at least one dredge plan when possible.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Conflagrate Lethal And Stabilization Gate
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
Cards: Conflagrate; Life from the Loam
|
||||
Phase windows: main phase; flashback timing if legal
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:cast Conflagrate; action:target Conflagrate
|
||||
Use when: Conflagrate can produce lethal damage, remove a creature that prevents survival, or convert excess Life from the Loam lands into a decisive board swing.
|
||||
Avoid when: spending hand size now leaves no closing line and the target is not pressuring life total, engine access, or survival.
|
||||
Instructions: route damage allocation through light-model unless the engine exposes a single lethal target/action. Count visible life totals, prevention, and available discard resources.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Darkblast Removal And Dredge Loop
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
Cards: Darkblast
|
||||
Phase windows: upkeep; draw step replacement; combat; main phase
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:cast Darkblast; action:dredge Darkblast
|
||||
Use when: Darkblast can legally kill or shrink an opposing creature according to engine output, or can be dredged to maintain the engine.
|
||||
Avoid when: casting it only marks damage without changing combat, survival, or a key creature, or when dredging it misses a required sideboard answer draw.
|
||||
Instructions: use Darkblast as repeatable small-creature interaction and a low-volume dredger. Respect the engine's legal timing and continuous-effect output.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Combat With Recursive Pressure
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: combat
|
||||
Cards: Narcomoeba; Bloodghast; Prized Amalgam; Silversmote Ghoul; Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Ox of Agonas
|
||||
Phase windows: declare attackers; declare blockers
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:attack; action:block
|
||||
Use when: recursive creatures can pressure life totals without giving up the only blocker needed to survive the next visible attack.
|
||||
Avoid when: attacking taps the only creature that prevents lethal, or blocking sacrifices the only engine creature while life total is not under pressure.
|
||||
Instructions: attack aggressively with Bloodghast, Prized Amalgam, Narcomoeba, and Silversmote Ghoul when recursion or life race favors pressure. Use Stinkweed Imp defensively when its combat role matters.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Graveyard Hate Permanent Response
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: interaction; sideboard
|
||||
Cards: Nature's Claim; Ancient Grudge; Boseiju, Who Endures; Blast Zone; Thoughtseize
|
||||
Phase windows: precombat main phase; opponent end step; stack or priority windows when legal
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:cast Nature's Claim; action:cast Ancient Grudge; action:channel Boseiju, Who Endures; action:activate Blast Zone; action:cast Thoughtseize
|
||||
Use when: a visible artifact, enchantment, nonbasic land, or hand card threatens graveyard access and the registered answer legally applies.
|
||||
Avoid when: the target type is not legal for the chosen card, or the answer should be saved for a visible higher-impact hate card.
|
||||
Instructions: answer graveyard hate before committing more dredge resources. Use Thoughtseize proactively when a known hand-disruption window exists.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Lightning Axe Creature Emergency
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
Cards: Lightning Axe; Stinkweed Imp; Golgari Thug; Life from the Loam; Bloodghast; Prized Amalgam
|
||||
Phase windows: combat; main phase; priority windows
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:cast Lightning Axe; action:discard Lightning Axe
|
||||
Use when: Lightning Axe can legally remove a creature that threatens lethal, blocks the graveyard attack plan, or must die before combat.
|
||||
Avoid when: discarding the only dredger or only anti-hate answer costs the game plan more than the creature matters.
|
||||
Instructions: prefer discarding dredgers or graveyard payoffs to pay Lightning Axe when legal. Do not aim it at noncreature permanents.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Sideboard Anti-Hate Configuration
|
||||
Priority: High
|
||||
Decision families: sideboard
|
||||
Cards: Nature's Claim; Ancient Grudge; Boseiju, Who Endures; Blast Zone; Thoughtseize; Cathartic Reunion; Otherworldly Gaze; Silversmote Ghoul; Darkblast
|
||||
Phase windows: sideboarding
|
||||
Runtime cues: sideboard plan; opponent revealed graveyard hate; opponent archetype known
|
||||
Use when: the opponent is likely to present artifact, enchantment, nonbasic land, or hand-based disruption against the graveyard.
|
||||
Avoid when: adding answers removes too many setup spells, dredgers, or payoffs and creates a fair hand without a graveyard engine.
|
||||
Instructions: add only answer cards matching expected hate. Lower emphasis on slower or matchup-weak main-deck cards before touching core dredgers and setup density.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Leyline Mirror And Graveyard Opponent Plan
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: pregame; sideboard
|
||||
Cards: Leyline of the Void; Thoughtseize; Nature's Claim; Ancient Grudge
|
||||
Phase windows: sideboarding; opening hand pregame
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:begin with Leyline of the Void; opening hand contains Leyline of the Void
|
||||
Use when: the opponent's deck visibly relies on graveyard cards and Leyline of the Void is in the opening hand after sideboarding.
|
||||
Avoid when: Leyline of the Void is drawn later with no castable black mana or when the opponent is not graveyard-dependent.
|
||||
Instructions: keep Leyline hands only when the remaining hand can still execute mana and engine development. Do not dilute Dredge into a hand that only contains hate.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Mana Fetch And Shock Selection
|
||||
Priority: Medium
|
||||
Decision families: mana
|
||||
Cards: Bloodstained Mire; Stomping Ground; Steam Vents; Mountain; Copperline Gorge; Spirebluff Canal; Boseiju, Who Endures; Blast Zone
|
||||
Phase windows: land play; fetch activation; sideboard games
|
||||
Runtime cues: action:activate Bloodstained Mire; action:play Copperline Gorge; action:play Spirebluff Canal; action:play Boseiju, Who Endures; action:play Blast Zone
|
||||
Use when: choosing land sequencing for Cathartic Reunion, Otherworldly Gaze, Life from the Loam, Nature's Claim, Ancient Grudge, Lightning Axe, Thoughtseize, or Conflagrate.
|
||||
Avoid when: a tapped or colorless land prevents a required same-turn setup or interaction spell.
|
||||
Instructions: prioritize red and blue setup early, then green for Life from the Loam and Nature's Claim. Treat Blast Zone and Boseiju, Who Endures as utility lands with opportunity cost, not free color fixing.
|
||||
Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
No-API allowed: no
|
||||
Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
38
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/metadata.json
Normal file
38
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"R",
|
||||
"G"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_dredge.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_dredge_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_dredge",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Dredge",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/reflection.md
Normal file
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_dredge/1/reflection.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_hardened_scales
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: G
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, counters, modular, artifact sacrifice, replacement effects
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Modern legality and counter replacement/trigger ordering in Forge.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Walking Ballista
|
||||
4 Arcbound Ravager
|
||||
4 Arcbound Worker
|
||||
4 Hangarback Walker
|
||||
4 Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
|
||||
4 Hardened Scales
|
||||
3 The Ozolith
|
||||
3 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
|
||||
4 Ancient Stirrings
|
||||
2 Welding Jar
|
||||
2 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
|
||||
2 Patchwork Automaton
|
||||
4 Urza's Saga
|
||||
4 Inkmoth Nexus
|
||||
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
|
||||
4 Llanowar Reborn
|
||||
2 Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
2 Forest
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Dismember
|
||||
3 Nature's Claim
|
||||
2 Tamiyo's Safekeeping
|
||||
2 Pithing Needle
|
||||
2 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Haywire Mite
|
||||
1 Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
1 The Stone Brain
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
959
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1/guide.md
Normal file
959
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1/guide.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,959 @@
|
||||
# Strategy Specifications
|
||||
## Deck Name And Archetype
|
||||
|
||||
- Deck name: Hardened Scales.
|
||||
- Strategy id: `edge_1v1_hardened_scales`.
|
||||
- Format: Modern.
|
||||
- Registered colors: green, with artifact-heavy threats and lands that create non-green tactical pressure through `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Arcbound Ravager`, modular counters, and Saga tokens.
|
||||
- Current count validation: 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards; this satisfies the supplied Modern deck construction contract of at least 60 main-deck cards and at most 15 sideboard cards.
|
||||
- Format-aware validation status: passes under the supplied active validation result. External legality, banlist freshness, and exact runtime text support should still be treated as validation concerns if Veles lacks current card-reference metadata.
|
||||
|
||||
Hardened Scales is a proactive Modern artifact-counter deck built around replacement effects, modular movement, artifact sacrifice, and creature-land combat. The core plan is to put extra +1/+1 counters onto cheap artifacts and artifact creatures with `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Llanowar Reborn`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, then convert those counters into lethal combat, poison, or direct damage through `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and `The Ozolith`.
|
||||
|
||||
The archetype status is hybrid-stock: the registered shell is recognizably Modern Hardened Scales, but this exact version is marked as edge-case and draft-only for Veles because it stresses counter replacement, modular trigger ordering, artifact sacrifice, activated abilities, and creature-land timing. A decision agent must avoid treating this as ordinary green aggro; the deck’s strongest turns often require sequencing multiple replacement and triggered effects before combat or before a sacrifice chain.
|
||||
|
||||
The registered tags are `counter replacement`, `modular`, `artifact sacrifice`, `creature-land combat`, `trigger ordering`, `edge-case`, and `draft-only`. Runtime policy should use those tags as a warning that apparently simple choices can be strategically dense: sacrificing an artifact to `Arcbound Ravager`, moving counters with modular, banking counters with `The Ozolith`, activating `Inkmoth Nexus`, or assigning counters to `Walking Ballista` can change the game outcome immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
The main-deck role structure is compact and synergy-dependent. `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `The Ozolith`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, and `Llanowar Reborn` are counter amplification and counter-storage infrastructure. `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` are board material, payoff, or conversion pieces. `Ancient Stirrings` and `Urza's Saga` provide selection and repeatable artifact access. `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, and `Forest` define the mana and utility-land constraints.
|
||||
|
||||
The sideboard is tactical rather than transformational. `Dismember` covers creature interaction; `Nature's Claim` and `Haywire Mite` cover artifact/enchantment pressure; `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` protects key permanents; `Pithing Needle` handles activated-ability targets; `Grafdigger's Cage` and `Tormod's Crypt` are graveyard or library-cast pressure tools; `The Stone Brain` is a named-card disruption plan. Sideboarding must preserve enough artifacts, counter engines, and threat density for the deck to still function.
|
||||
|
||||
Legality and support concerns are real for runtime validation. The supplied contract says the list passes Modern validation, but Veles should still validate current Modern legality, exact Oracle text, replacement-effect stacking, modular trigger ownership, `The Ozolith` trigger handling, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` counter modification, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` activation timing, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` granted-ability behavior, `Urza's Saga` chapter handling, and `Inkmoth Nexus` animation/combat timing in Forge before accepting playtest proof.
|
||||
|
||||
Opponent information status: no opponent deck, matchup, known hand, battlefield, or metagame context is supplied in this batch. All guidance must therefore be written from registered-deck structure plus visible runtime state, not from assumed opposing cards. When matchup examples are later needed, opponent-only cards must stay in prose or be prefixed as `opponent:` in policy card fields.
|
||||
|
||||
## Thesis
|
||||
|
||||
Hardened Scales assembles a counter-amplified artifact battlefield, then converts stored +1/+1 counters into lethal combat, poison, or damage before the opponent can make normal one-for-one interaction matter. The priority is to establish at least one counter multiplier or counter bank with `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `The Ozolith`, `Llanowar Reborn`, or `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, then place counters on artifact bodies that can be sacrificed, animated, or converted into damage through `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and modular triggers.
|
||||
|
||||
The deck wins by making small permanents scale beyond their printed size, not by curving out as ordinary green aggro. `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Hangarback Walker`, Saga tokens from `Urza's Saga`, and `Inkmoth Nexus` are acceptable early pressure only when they also preserve a counter-growth line, artifact count, or future sacrifice chain. Do not spend key artifacts casually if the visible board suggests a later `Arcbound Ravager` transfer, `The Ozolith` pickup, `Walking Ballista` kill, or `Inkmoth Nexus` poison line.
|
||||
|
||||
The deck is not trying to play a long attrition game with abundant removal, broad card draw, or generic midrange exchanges. `Ancient Stirrings` and `Urza's Saga` are selection engines that find the correct artifact, land, or pressure piece for the visible state; they do not replace the need to keep enough battlefield material. Sideboard interaction should be used to clear hate, stop a decisive opposing permanent, or protect the engine, while preserving the artifact density and counter infrastructure needed to end the game.
|
||||
|
||||
The agent should prioritize legal visible-line execution over speculative hidden-information plays. Runtime decisions must respect replacement effects, modular trigger ownership, sacrifice timing, `Inkmoth Nexus` animation windows, `Walking Ballista` counter math, and exact rules-engine legal actions. If Forge or card metadata does not expose exact text for a counter, trigger, activated ability, or replacement interaction, treat the line as a validation concern and avoid inventing legality.
|
||||
|
||||
## Role Package
|
||||
|
||||
- Threats: `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and Saga tokens from `Urza's Saga` are the main battlefield threats. Prioritize threats that either enter with counters, receive counters efficiently, carry modular value, or can become lethal after counter movement.
|
||||
|
||||
- Payoffs: `Walking Ballista` converts counters into damage, `Inkmoth Nexus` converts counters into poison pressure, `Arcbound Ravager` converts artifacts into burst counters, and `Hangarback Walker` converts counters and death into additional artifact bodies. `The Ozolith` is a payoff-bank because it preserves counters after creatures leave the battlefield and can turn a future creature-land or artifact body into a sudden kill.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engines: `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `The Ozolith`, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`, and `Urza's Saga` are the engine layer. Keep engine pieces when they multiply multiple future counters; avoid exposing a single engine to removal when the hand cannot convert it into pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity: `Ancient Stirrings` is the main selection spell and should look for the missing piece in the current visible plan: counter engine, artifact threat, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, or protection-adjacent artifact. `Urza's Saga` is also velocity because its chapter progression creates bodies and can find registered low-cost artifacts when legal actions expose that search.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction: Main-deck interaction is narrow and mostly permanent-based: `Boseiju, Who Endures` answers certain opposing permanents when the rules engine offers the channel line, while `Walking Ballista` can remove creatures or finish players if counters are available. Sideboard interaction expands through `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protection: `Welding Jar` protects artifact permanents from some destruction patterns when legal, and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` is the sideboard protection module for key permanents. Protection should be held for `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `The Ozolith`, `Hardened Scales`, a lethal `Inkmoth Nexus`, or a decisive Saga token when that permanent anchors the visible win.
|
||||
|
||||
- Recursion and preservation: This list has no true creature-recursion plan. Treat `The Ozolith` as counter preservation, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` as graveyard-to-battlefield ability/counter infrastructure when supported by exact metadata, and `Hangarback Walker` as material replacement after death, not as recursion.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana: `Forest`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` form a utility-heavy mana base. Sequence lands so green mana is available for `Hardened Scales` and `Ancient Stirrings`, while preserving `Inkmoth Nexus` and `Urza's Saga` as threats rather than spending them as ordinary colorless sources when a near-term combat kill is visible.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard modules: `Dismember` handles creature pressure, `Nature's Claim` and `Haywire Mite` handle artifact/enchantment problems, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` protects important permanents, `Pithing Needle` attacks activated abilities, `Grafdigger's Cage` and `Tormod's Crypt` attack graveyard or library-cast plans, and `The Stone Brain` attacks a known named-card dependency.
|
||||
|
||||
## Primary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- `Arcbound Ravager` counter-transfer kill is the default explosive win when the battlefield has artifact material and a legal counter carrier. Set up `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, or `Llanowar Reborn` before committing sacrifices when possible; execute by sacrificing expendable artifacts only after the rules engine exposes legal `Arcbound Ravager` activations and a visible lethal or near-lethal carrier exists. Prioritize this line when the opponent is tapped low, when removal is pointed at a modular creature, when `The Ozolith` can preserve counters through death, or when waiting exposes the board to sweepers or exile. Disruption to respect: instant-speed removal on the intended carrier, graveyard-independent exile, effects that stop activated abilities, and combat math where a large non-evasive creature is still blockable.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Inkmoth Nexus` poison is the cleanest shortcut against high life totals or stalled ground boards. Set up by preserving an untapped `Inkmoth Nexus`, green/counter engines, and transfer material from `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `The Ozolith`, or `Llanowar Reborn`; execute only after animation is legal and after confirming the infect creature can connect or survive the visible interaction window. Prioritize this line when normal damage is too slow, blockers are absent or irrelevant, or one large counter move produces lethal poison. Disruption to respect: removal after animation, forced sacrifice, flying/reach blockers when visible, and spending `Inkmoth Nexus` as mana before the kill window.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Walking Ballista` damage is the main noncombat finish and creature-control payoff. Set up with counter multipliers, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Ravager` transfers, `Llanowar Reborn`, or enough mana to cast/activate it at a meaningful size; execute by using legal damage activations only when they produce lethal, remove a decisive creature, or preserve survival. Prioritize this line when combat is locked, life totals are low, or the opponent threatens to remove the counter bank. Disruption to respect: removal before counters convert to damage, prevention/protection effects visible to the engine, and wasting counters on nonessential targets when poison or combat is already lethal.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Urza's Saga` construct pressure wins games where the opponent cannot break up artifact density. Set up by making artifact permanents, protecting key artifacts with `Welding Jar` when legal, and using the Saga search chapter for the exact registered artifact the engine offers that completes the visible plan. Prioritize this line when `Hardened Scales` is absent but artifact count is high, when `Ancient Stirrings` finds `Urza's Saga`, or when the opponent is trading one-for-one with modular threats. Disruption to respect: land destruction, artifact hate, and over-sacrificing artifacts to `Arcbound Ravager` before construct combat matters.
|
||||
|
||||
## Secondary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- `Hangarback Walker` plus counter engines is the best grindy backup when the opponent can answer one large body. Grow it with `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Llanowar Reborn`, and legal activations, then let death replace material with artifact creature pressure only when that exchange is favorable or unavoidable. Prioritize it against removal-heavy boards and when `The Ozolith` can bank counters after death.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Patchwork Automaton` and `Arcbound Worker` create fair pressure while feeding the artifact and counter plan. Use them to start damage early, hold counters, and make later `Arcbound Ravager` or `The Ozolith` lines stronger; do not throw them into trades if their counters or artifact bodies are needed for a near-term lethal chain.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` is a win-condition enhancer rather than a standalone plan. Use it when its visible replacement or modular-related text is supported by card metadata and legal actions; if metadata is missing or the rules engine does not expose the relevant trigger/replacement choice clearly, treat exact counter math as a validation concern and avoid assuming extra counters beyond engine output.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` is a secondary engine only when graveyards and card-reference metadata expose a legal, useful ability/counter interaction. Prioritize it when it turns dead creatures into battlefield functionality or counter growth; deprioritize it when the graveyard is empty, opposing graveyard hate is active, or exact ability access is uncertain.
|
||||
|
||||
## Emergency Lines
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on life, stop treating every counter as a future combo resource and use `Walking Ballista`, `Dismember` after sideboard, or large blockers to prevent immediate lethal. Preserve `Inkmoth Nexus` as a surprise blocker or poison pivot only if the rules engine confirms legal animation and combat timing.
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on board, rebuild around material-preserving permanents instead of all-in sacrifice. Favor `Hangarback Walker`, `Urza's Saga`, `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Worker`, and `Patchwork Automaton`; use `Ancient Stirrings` to find the missing threat, land, or artifact engine rather than a redundant multiplier with no body.
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on cards, make every permanent serve two jobs. Prefer `Urza's Saga` for tokens plus search, `Hangarback Walker` for replacement bodies, `The Ozolith` for counter preservation, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` only if visible graveyard text makes it functional.
|
||||
|
||||
- When behind on mana, prioritize green access for `Hardened Scales` and `Ancient Stirrings`, then preserve utility lands that are also win conditions. Do not spend `Boseiju, Who Endures` or animate `Inkmoth Nexus` casually if doing so prevents the next critical spell or lethal setup.
|
||||
|
||||
- When engines are removed, pivot to honest artifact combat and Saga pressure. `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Arcbound Worker`, and `Inkmoth Nexus` still win without `Hardened Scales`, but require tighter timing and less speculative sacrificing.
|
||||
|
||||
- When a primary win condition is removed, bank or reassign counters through legal modular triggers and `The Ozolith` whenever possible. If both counter banking and poison are unavailable, use `Walking Ballista` as removal first, then finish through construct or artifact-creature combat.
|
||||
|
||||
## Resource Model
|
||||
|
||||
- Board material is the primary resource, because nearly every artifact creature can become damage, counters, construct size, sacrifice fuel, or future `The Ozolith` inventory. Preserve `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Walking Ballista`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` as movable material until a visible combat, removal, or lethal window justifies conversion.
|
||||
|
||||
- Counters are stored value, not decoration. `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Llanowar Reborn`, modular bodies, `The Ozolith`, and `Walking Ballista` all turn small board pieces into compressed damage; avoid moving or spending counters unless the legal result wins, prevents lethal, beats removal, or creates a stronger protected carrier.
|
||||
|
||||
- Life is a spendable buffer only after combat math is checked. Game 1 has little direct life payment, but post-board `Dismember` may trade life for tempo; use that exchange when the target prevents lethal, blocks an `Inkmoth Nexus` kill, or breaks a faster opposing engine. `Nature's Claim` may raise a player's life total, so treat it as interaction first and as a liability when poison is not the active plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Hand cards are sequencing capital. `Ancient Stirrings` converts one green mana into selection for lands, artifacts, or engine pieces exposed by legal card text; deploy it early when land drops or engines are missing, but hold it when a known top-card or post-Saga board state makes the selection better.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana converts directly into counters and threat activation. Spending mana on `Hangarback Walker`, `Walking Ballista`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Urza's Saga`, and `Inkmoth Nexus` can be stronger than casting another permanent; before tapping out, compare immediate board growth against holding interaction, protection, or animation.
|
||||
|
||||
- Lands are not interchangeable. `Urza's Saga` is a threat and search engine, `Inkmoth Nexus` is a mana source and poison carrier, `Llanowar Reborn` is tapped counter setup, `Boseiju, Who Endures` is green mana and conditional interaction, `Grove of the Burnwillows` fixes green while giving the opponent life when tapped for colored mana, and `Forest` is the clean untapped green source.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sacrifice fodder is a tactical resource with timing risk. Feed `Arcbound Ravager` only when the visible stack, combat step, or lethal math rewards it; sacrificing `Urza's Saga` constructs, `Welding Jar`, or mana lands too early can shrink later attacks, remove protection, or strand activations.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyards and exile are conditional engines. `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` matters only when card-reference metadata and visible graveyards expose useful legal ability access; post-board `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain` turn opposing graveyard, library, or combo resources into denied options. Do not assume hidden-library contents beyond rules-engine output.
|
||||
|
||||
- Information is a resource because this deck has many irreversible conversions. Use revealed hands, known removal, tapped mana, graveyard contents, Saga chapter timing, poison totals, and visible blockers before committing `Arcbound Ravager` sacrifices, `Walking Ballista` counters, `Inkmoth Nexus` animation, or `Boseiju, Who Endures` channel lines.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard bullets convert narrow matchup pressure into time. `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, `The Stone Brain`, `Haywire Mite`, `Nature's Claim`, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, and `Dismember` should buy the turn needed for counters or poison to end the game, not replace the core proactive plan.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mana Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- Prioritize green access in almost every opener. `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Boseiju, Who Endures` channel lines, `Nature's Claim`, and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` all depend on green mana; a hand with only `Inkmoth Nexus` and `Urza's Saga` must already contain castable artifacts and a credible plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Treat `Forest` as the cleanest turn-one green source. `Grove of the Burnwillows` also supplies green, but its life-gain drawback matters when normal damage is the plan; when poison through `Inkmoth Nexus` is the plan, the opponent gaining life is often less important than casting `Hardened Scales` or `Ancient Stirrings` on time.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequence tapped and utility lands around first-spell requirements. `Llanowar Reborn` entering tapped can support later counter development, but it cannot cast turn-one `Hardened Scales` or `Ancient Stirrings`; keep it in openers when another untapped source covers the first play or when the hand is artifact-heavy and slower by design.
|
||||
|
||||
- Preserve `Inkmoth Nexus` until its role is known. Use it as mana when developing `Arcbound Ravager`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Walking Ballista`, or `The Ozolith` is more important than poison; hold it untapped when a near-term infect attack, surprise block, or counter-transfer kill is visible.
|
||||
|
||||
- Plan `Urza's Saga` before playing it. It can dominate games through constructs and a later search, but it also occupies a land drop and eventually leaves the battlefield; avoid relying on it as the only continuing mana source unless the hand can operate after it expires.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play lands before draw or selection when the extra mana changes legal actions this turn. Play the land first if casting `Ancient Stirrings`, activating `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, animating `Inkmoth Nexus`, or holding `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` depends on it; wait until after `Ancient Stirrings` when the hand has enough mana and the land choice should be informed by the revealed options.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligan mana-light hands that cannot cast green setup or meaningful artifacts. Keep one-land hands mainly when the land is an untapped green source plus `Ancient Stirrings`, or when `Urza's Saga` plus cheap artifacts creates a complete pressure plan; ship hands that need both a second land and a specific engine to function.
|
||||
|
||||
- Post-board mana must respect sideboard colors and costs. `Dismember` can often be cast without black mana through its payment option if legal, but life cost must be checked; `Nature's Claim` and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` require green; `Haywire Mite`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain` are artifacts but may still compete with activation mana and Saga timing.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mulligan Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: `Forest` or `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager` or `Walking Ballista`, and any second land is a keep because it starts the counter engine and has a clear turn-two threat. Add `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, or `Urza's Saga` and the hand can win through removal or combat stalls.
|
||||
|
||||
- Strong keep: `Urza's Saga`, untapped green source, `Ancient Stirrings`, and at least one cheap artifact creature is a keep because Saga creates pressure while Stirrings finds the missing engine, land, or artifact. Do not keep this shape if `Urza's Saga` is the only land and the hand cannot operate after Saga sacrifices itself.
|
||||
|
||||
- Medium keep: `Inkmoth Nexus`, green source, `Hardened Scales`, and `The Ozolith` or `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` is keepable when the matchup cannot punish a setup turn immediately. Prefer this on the play; on the draw, require `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Welding Jar`, or `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` post-board to avoid falling behind.
|
||||
|
||||
- Risky keep: one land plus `Ancient Stirrings` is acceptable only when that land casts `Ancient Stirrings` and the rest of the hand has castable payoff if a land is found. One `Llanowar Reborn` as the only land is not this hand because it enters tapped and cannot cast the turn-one selection spell.
|
||||
|
||||
- Automatic ship: any seven-card hand with no land is a mulligan, and any hand with only `Inkmoth Nexus` plus green one-mana spells is a mulligan because it cannot cast `Hardened Scales` or `Ancient Stirrings`. Also ship hands with multiple `The Ozolith` and `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` but no creature, no `Urza's Saga`, and no `Ancient Stirrings`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup-dependent keep: slow hands with `Welding Jar`, `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Ravager`, and a green source are better into visible removal-heavy decks than into fast combo or linear creature pressure. Post-board, a hand with `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, `The Stone Brain`, `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Haywire Mite` is keepable only when the specific sideboard card answers the opponent's revealed or expected axis and the hand still has a clock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, keep proactive `Hardened Scales` or `Urza's Saga` hands with less interaction because first pressure matters. On the draw, favor `Walking Ballista`, `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, `Welding Jar`, or faster `Inkmoth Nexus` math when the opponent can deploy blockers, removal, or a faster engine before your second turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Trap hand: double `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, and no green source looks powerful but often fails to cast the deck's best setup cards. Trap hand: `Hardened Scales`, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, and lands but no creature or `Ancient Stirrings` because the counters have no carrier.
|
||||
|
||||
## Turn Arc
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1: cast `Hardened Scales` when green mana is available and at least one counter carrier or selection path exists. Cast `Ancient Stirrings` instead when land count, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, or missing engine access matters more than a blind enchantment start.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 1 deviation: play `Llanowar Reborn` first when the hand has no turn-one green spell or when grafting a later `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, or `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` is the hand's real setup. Do not treat `Llanowar Reborn` as support for a same-turn one-mana play.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2: deploy `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, or `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` according to the visible pressure. Prefer a creature plus counter engine when removal is not forcing protection; prefer `Welding Jar` or held `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` post-board when the only threat must survive.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 2 deviation: play `Urza's Saga` when it will create a construct on turn three and the hand can still cast spells after Saga leaves. Delay Saga if losing the land later strands `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Inkmoth Nexus` activation, or `Walking Ballista` counters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3: choose between board widening and commitment. Make a Saga construct, cast the missing engine from hand, or start assembling `Arcbound Ravager` plus `The Ozolith` plus `Inkmoth Nexus` only when visible mana, blockers, and removal make the line safe enough.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turn 3 deviation: keep `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt` online when the opponent's next turn can invalidate the board. Use `Ancient Stirrings` before committing if it can find the land, artifact, or threat that changes the turn's legal plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5: convert stored counters into lethal damage, poison, or resilient board presence. Animate `Inkmoth Nexus` only when poison pressure, modular transfer, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, or `Arcbound Ravager` math justifies exposing the land.
|
||||
|
||||
- Turns 4-5 deviation: sacrifice artifacts to `Arcbound Ravager` only for lethal, survival, removal response, or a clearly stronger carrier. Preserve `Urza's Saga` constructs, mana lands, and `Welding Jar` when the game is not decided by the current stack or combat step.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late game: treat every counter movement as a lethal or recovery puzzle. `Walking Ballista` can end games by combat size or counter removal, `Hangarback Walker` can rebuild after death, `The Ozolith` can reload the next carrier, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` should be used only when visible graveyard and card-reference metadata confirm useful legal abilities.
|
||||
|
||||
- Late-game deviation: against removal or stalled boards, wait until the opponent taps low or a protection piece is available before committing all counters to one permanent. Against combo or inevitability, accept higher exposure when the current turn is the last realistic attack window.
|
||||
|
||||
## Card Roles
|
||||
|
||||
- `Hardened Scales` and `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` are the counter-replacement core; lead on them when the hand already has a carrier, but do not keep hands where they are the only action. Validate replacement ordering in Forge whenever `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, modular, and both Ozolith cards overlap.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Arcbound Ravager` is the conversion engine, not a routine sacrifice outlet. Sacrifice artifacts for lethal, survival, removal response, or a clearly better counter carrier; preserve mana, `Welding Jar`, and `Urza's Saga` constructs when the current turn is not decisive.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and animated `Inkmoth Nexus` are the main counter carriers. Put counters on the carrier that converts into damage, poison, modular transfer, or resilience through the visible interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- `The Ozolith` is the insurance and burst card. Animate `Inkmoth Nexus` before beginning combat if it must receive Ozolith counters, and avoid moving all counters onto one creature when visible exile, bounce, or lethal crackback punishes the commitment.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Ancient Stirrings` fixes missing engine pieces while respecting color. It can find current-list colorless artifacts and lands such as `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, `Welding Jar`, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, and `Forest`; it cannot find `Hardened Scales` or `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard cards are role cards, not generic upgrades. `Dismember` handles creature pressure, `Nature's Claim` and `Haywire Mite` answer artifacts/enchantments with exact target limits, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` protects a permanent, `Pithing Needle` stops named non-mana activated abilities, `Grafdigger's Cage` and `Tormod's Crypt` attack graveyards, and `The Stone Brain` is for known single-card engines.
|
||||
|
||||
### Card Hover Notes
|
||||
|
||||
#### Walking Ballista
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core scalable artifact-creature payoff and counter-to-damage finisher.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; interaction-removal; reach/finisher; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: turns counters from `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `The Ozolith`, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` into damage to any target.
|
||||
- Timing: cast for X only when it enters with enough +1/+1 counters to survive and matter; X=0 dies immediately unless replacement effects visibly add counters. Remove counters for lethal, a creature blocking `Inkmoth Nexus`, or an attacker that creates lethal.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{X}{X}` and enters with X +1/+1 counters; `{4}` puts a +1/+1 counter on it; removing one +1/+1 counter deals 1 damage to any target.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, and `Llanowar Reborn` increase or move counters onto it.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Inkmoth Nexus` for counter-to-kill conversion and `Dismember` for creature removal after sideboard.
|
||||
- Failure modes: spending counters on low-value targets can lose the real kill; damage marks creatures but does not shrink power or toughness.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: target the opponent only when visible counters reach lethal; otherwise prioritize creatures that stop poison, enable lethal attacks, or threaten lethal.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: count lethal and survival before removing counters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Arcbound Ravager
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core artifact sacrifice engine, modular carrier, and burst counter converter.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; mechanic enabler; mechanic payoff; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: sacrifices artifacts to grow itself, then can move its counters by modular to target artifact creature such as `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, or animated `Inkmoth Nexus`.
|
||||
- Timing: activate for lethal, in response to removal, before a sweeper resolves, after blockers when counters change combat, or when sacrificing a dying artifact preserves value.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: sacrifice an artifact to put a +1/+1 counter on `Arcbound Ravager`; modular 1 means it enters with a +1/+1 counter and may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature when it dies.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `The Ozolith`, `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Welding Jar`, and Construct tokens from `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
- Role peers: no direct peer; closest role overlap is `Arcbound Worker` and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` for modular transfer.
|
||||
- Failure modes: sacrificing `Welding Jar`, Construct tokens from `Urza's Saga`, mana-critical artifacts, or the only blocker without lethal or counter-preservation value can shrink future turns.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: against removal-heavy boards, wait until the opponent taps low, `Welding Jar` or `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` is available, or `The Ozolith` can bank counters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: feed Ravager only when the sacrifice clearly creates lethal, saves counters, or prevents immediate loss.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Arcbound Worker
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; one-mana modular role player and early artifact material.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; engine fuel/material; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: supplies early artifact count, carries amplified counters, and moves its counters to a better artifact creature when it dies.
|
||||
- Timing: deploy early when it enables `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `The Ozolith`, `Patchwork Automaton`, or Construct size from `Urza's Saga`; trade or sacrifice only when its counters have a useful legal artifact-creature recipient.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: modular 1 means it enters with a +1/+1 counter and, when it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: legal high-value recipients are `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, and animated `Inkmoth Nexus`; `The Ozolith` stores counters when Worker leaves the battlefield.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` as another one-mana modular artifact creature.
|
||||
- Failure modes: dying with no legal artifact creature target can waste modular unless `The Ozolith` stores the counters; never put counters onto an opposing artifact creature.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: useful against creature pressure because blocking can preserve counters through modular or `The Ozolith`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: before trading Worker, confirm the target is an artifact creature right now; `Inkmoth Nexus` must be animated.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Hangarback Walker
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core resilient X-threat and artifact-creature counter carrier.
|
||||
- Role type: engine payoff; engine fuel/material; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: stores +1/+1 counters, rebuilds after death with flying Thopter artifact creature tokens, and supplies artifact material for `Arcbound Ravager` and Construct size from `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
- Timing: cast for X when it survives and grows; activate `{1}, {T}` on low-risk turns or end steps when it does not need to attack or block. Sacrifice it only when Thopters, counters, or lethal math justify the exchange.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{X}{X}` and enters with X +1/+1 counters; `{1}, {T}` puts a +1/+1 counter on it; death creates one 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying for each +1/+1 counter on it.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Ravager`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Walking Ballista` as another X-cost counter creature, but Hangarback rebuilds artifact bodies instead of dealing damage.
|
||||
- Failure modes: tapping before combat can remove an attacker or blocker; casting for X=0 without replacement help makes it die with no Thopters.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strongest into removal and board stalls where flying Thopters matter after death.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: grow it when safe, but keep it untapped if blocking or attacking matters this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core modular amplifier and one-mana legendary artifact creature.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; mechanic payoff; role glue; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: increases modular counters placed on your creatures, supplies its own modular body, and can destroy target artifact you control with red mana to trigger modular or `The Ozolith`.
|
||||
- Timing: deploy before modular deaths when possible; use `{R}` only for a real counter-transfer, death trigger, or lethal setup. Use `{W}` flying only when legal mana is available, most commonly if `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` permits mana to be spent as though it were any color for creature activated abilities.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: modular 1; if a modular triggered ability would put one or more +1/+1 counters on a creature you control, it puts that many plus one instead; `{R}` destroys target artifact you control; `{W}` gives Zabaz flying until end of turn.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: modular partners are `Arcbound Ravager` and `Arcbound Worker`; recipients include `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and animated `Inkmoth Nexus`; `Grove of the Burnwillows` provides red.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Arcbound Worker` for cheap modular material.
|
||||
- Failure modes: white activation is not normally available from registered lands; destroying an artifact without modular, `The Ozolith`, or lethal payoff wastes material.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: valuable when removal or combat will cause modular triggers; weaker when no artifact creature can receive counters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: treat Zabaz as modular math first, not as a generic 1-drop.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Hardened Scales
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core green counter-replacement engine.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; engine piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: adds one extra +1/+1 counter whenever one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature you control, making modular bodies, X creatures, graft, `Walking Ballista` growth, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` counters scale faster.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, or `Llanowar Reborn` graft would place counters. Do not keep hands where Scales is the only action and there is no carrier or `Ancient Stirrings`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: consumes `{G}` and produces extra +1/+1 counters only when counters are being put on your creatures.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: high-impact with `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Llanowar Reborn`, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` is the closest replacement-effect peer, but it costs `{1}{G}`, affects artifacts or creatures you control, and has activation/cycling text.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does nothing alone; multiple copies without `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Urza's Saga`, or `Ancient Stirrings` can strand the hand.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: lead on it into slower games; against fast pressure, play a body first if waiting would leave no blocker.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: play Scales before counter creatures when you can still deploy a carrier on time.
|
||||
|
||||
#### The Ozolith
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 3 copies; core counter bank and recovery artifact.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; engine payoff; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: captures counters when your creatures leave the battlefield, then moves all stored counters at beginning of combat to a target creature for burst damage, poison, or rebuilding.
|
||||
- Timing: strongest before sacrificing to `Arcbound Ravager` or exposing countered creatures to removal. If `Inkmoth Nexus` should receive counters, animate it before beginning combat so it is a creature when the trigger targets.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: when a creature you control leaves the battlefield with counters, those counters go onto `The Ozolith`; at the beginning of combat on your turn, if it has counters, you may move all counters from it onto target creature.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: counter sources and recipients include `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Walking Ballista`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and animated `Inkmoth Nexus`.
|
||||
- Role peers: no direct peer; closest role overlap is modular from `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`.
|
||||
- Failure modes: moving all counters onto one creature into visible removal can lose the bank; unanimated `Inkmoth Nexus` is not a legal creature target.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: excellent against removal and sweepers that make creatures leave; weaker when exile or bounce removes the receiving creature after counters move.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: move counters only when the target attacks, survives, blocks profitably, or wins this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 3 copies; core counter-replacement artifact, counter sink, and redraw option.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic enabler; engine piece; card selection; modal utility.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: adds one extra +1/+1 counter when counters are put on an artifact or creature you control, then provides sorcery-speed counter placement for loaded carriers.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before counter placement if mana permits; activate only in your main phase when the target will attack, block, survive removal better, or set up lethal. Cycle when redundant, uncastable, or too slow for the visible race.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}{G}`; static replacement adds one +1/+1 counter to artifacts or creatures you control; `{1}{G}, {T}` puts a +1/+1 counter on target artifact or creature you control and can be activated only as a sorcery; cycling `{2}` discards it to draw a card.
|
||||
- Mode map: battlefield engine for future counters; sorcery-speed activated growth for target `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, or animated `Inkmoth Nexus`; cycling for a new card when finding action is worth more than the engine.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: high-impact with `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, and animated `Inkmoth Nexus`.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Hardened Scales`, though this card costs more, affects artifacts, and can cycle.
|
||||
- Failure modes: activating before combat taps mana and the artifact, so do not grow a target that cannot affect combat or is likely to be removed.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: cycle more often against speed; keep as engine against removal-heavy games.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: if you have counter creatures, battlefield Spire is usually better than cycling.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ancient Stirrings
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core selection spell and functional tutor for colorless cards.
|
||||
- Role type: card selection; tutor/search; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: finds the missing colorless card among artifact threats, artifact engines, utility lands, basic `Forest`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, or `The Stone Brain` while leaving green noncolorless spells behind.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before a discretionary land drop when it may find `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Llanowar Reborn`, or `Forest`; cast early when the hand lacks a carrier, engine, or second land.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{G}`; look at the top five cards of your library; you may reveal a colorless card from among them and put it into your hand; put the rest on the bottom in any order.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: main-deck hits include `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, `Welding Jar`, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, and `Forest`; sideboard hits include `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Urza's Saga` is the closest search peer, but it only finds artifact cards with mana cost `{0}` or `{1}`.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot take `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: take `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, or `The Stone Brain` only when the opponent's route makes that card better than pressure or mana.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: choose the card that fixes the hand's missing function, not the flashiest card.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Welding Jar
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies; zero-mana artifact protection role player.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: protects decisive artifacts from destruction while increasing artifact count for Construct tokens from `Urza's Saga` and providing emergency material for `Arcbound Ravager`.
|
||||
- Timing: hold activation for a destruction event aimed at `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `The Ozolith`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, animated `Inkmoth Nexus`, or a large Construct token from `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{0}`; sacrifice `Welding Jar` to regenerate target artifact. Regeneration must be set up before destruction; it replaces destruction, taps the artifact if it is a creature, removes damage, and removes it from combat.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: protects `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Hangarback Walker`, `The Ozolith`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, animated `Inkmoth Nexus`, and Construct tokens from `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` is the sideboard protection peer, but it targets any permanent you control and gives hexproof plus indestructible.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not stop exile, sacrifice, bounce, -N/-N, counterspells, or non-destroy effects; sacrificing it to `Arcbound Ravager` removes protection.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: best against targeted destroy removal and damage-based artifact creature removal.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: save Jar for the artifact that wins or keeps you alive.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Agatha's Soul Cauldron
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies; flex engine, graveyard utility artifact, and counter source.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; mechanic enabler; hate piece; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: exiles cards from graveyards, puts a +1/+1 counter on your creature when it exiles a creature card this way, and gives activated abilities from exiled creature cards to your creatures with +1/+1 counters.
|
||||
- Timing: deploy when graveyards contain useful creature cards or when a counter on your creature matters; do not prioritize it over fast `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, or `Urza's Saga` pressure when no graveyard fuel exists.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate abilities of creatures you control; creatures you control with +1/+1 counters have activated abilities of creature cards exiled with it; `{T}` exiles target card from a graveyard, and if a creature card is exiled this way, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: ability/counter carriers include `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, and animated `Inkmoth Nexus`.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Tormod's Crypt` for graveyard exile, but Cauldron is slower and engine-focused.
|
||||
- Failure modes: noncreature exiles do not grant creature abilities; creatures without +1/+1 counters do not receive abilities from exiled creature cards.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: can disrupt individual graveyard cards, but `Grafdigger's Cage` and `Tormod's Crypt` are stronger dedicated graveyard hate after sideboard.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: tap Cauldron for a creature card when the counter or granted ability matters; otherwise keep developing pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Patchwork Automaton
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies; flex artifact threat, counter carrier, and ward-taxed pressure piece.
|
||||
- Role type: mechanic payoff; threat/clock; protection/evasion.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: grows from casting artifact spells while ward `{2}` taxes opponent-controlled spells or abilities that target it, giving the deck fair pressure that still uses counter multipliers.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before cheap artifact spells such as `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, `Welding Jar`, or `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` when possible.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{2}`; ward `{2}` counters opponent-controlled spells or abilities that target it unless that player pays `{2}`; whenever you cast an artifact spell, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: grows from main-deck artifact spells `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, `Welding Jar`, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`; sideboard artifact spells `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain` also trigger it.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Hangarback Walker` as a two-mana counter threat, but Automaton rewards casting artifacts instead of storing X counters.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Construct token creation from `Urza's Saga` is not casting an artifact spell; ward does not stop non-targeting sweepers, sacrifice effects, or spells whose controller can pay `{2}`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: better against targeted removal and slower fair games; weaker when immediate combo speed or interaction matters more.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: play Automaton before the artifact spell chain if you want its counters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core utility land, Construct engine, and narrow artifact search source.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; engine piece; tutor/search; threat/clock.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: makes Construct artifact creature tokens from artifact density, then searches the library for an artifact card with mana cost `{0}` or `{1}` and puts it onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Timing: play when the hand can still function after it sacrifices itself after chapter III. Use the chapter II Construct activation before chapter III resolves when the extra token matters and mana is available.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: chapter I grants `{T}: Add {C}`; chapter II grants `{2}, {T}: create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token that gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control`; chapter III searches for an artifact card with mana cost `{0}` or `{1}`, puts it onto the battlefield, then shuffles.
|
||||
- Mode map: chapter I is colorless mana; chapter II adds Construct-making pressure; chapter III is artifact search before the Saga is sacrificed.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: main legal search targets are `Welding Jar`, `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Worker`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`; sideboard legal search targets are `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, and `Tormod's Crypt`. Treat `Walking Ballista` and `Hangarback Walker` as legal only if the rules engine exposes them for mana cost `{0}`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Ancient Stirrings` is the closest selection peer, but Saga puts a narrow artifact directly onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Failure modes: relying on Saga as the only continuing land can strand later spells; overusing it as mana can miss Construct windows.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong into removal and attrition; search `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, or `Tormod's Crypt` only when the opponent's visible route demands that exact card.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: make Constructs before Saga goes away when board pressure matters.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Inkmoth Nexus
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core mana resource, artifact creature-land, and poison finisher.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; threat/clock; reach/finisher.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: turns stored +1/+1 counters into poison kills, especially against high life totals or stalled ground boards.
|
||||
- Timing: animate only when attacking, blocking, receiving counters, or setting up a visible kill is worth exposing a land to creature removal. Animate before beginning combat if `The Ozolith` must target it and before modular triggers need it as an artifact creature.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{C}`; `{1}` makes it a 1/1 Phyrexian Blinkmoth artifact creature with flying and infect until end of turn, and it remains a land. Infect deals damage to creatures as -1/-1 counters and to players as poison counters.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: receives counters from `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Hardened Scales`, and `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` while it is a creature.
|
||||
- Role peers: closest role overlap is `Walking Ballista` as another counter-to-kill outlet, but Nexus kills through poison rather than life total.
|
||||
- Failure modes: the Card Reference lists no pump ability beyond animation; do not spend mana expecting `{1}` to give +1/+1. Unanimated Nexus cannot receive creature-targeted counters.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: best against life gain, stalled ground boards, and opponents tapped low on instant-speed removal.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not animate randomly; animate with a poison attack, block, or counter-transfer purpose.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Grove of the Burnwillows
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; core mana resource and green/red fixing land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: supplies green for `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Nature's Claim`, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, and `Haywire Mite`, while supplying red for `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`.
|
||||
- Timing: use colored mana when casting key spells or activating Zabaz matters more than the opponent gaining 1 life; tap for `{C}` when color is not needed and damage lethal math is tight.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{C}`; taps for `{R}` or `{G}`, and each opponent gains 1 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: red enables `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` `{R}` ability; green enables `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Nature's Claim`, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, and `Haywire Mite`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Forest`, `Llanowar Reborn`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` provide green without giving life; `Inkmoth Nexus` and `Urza's Saga` provide colorless utility pressure.
|
||||
- Failure modes: opponent life gain can break exact `Walking Ballista` or combat damage kills, though it does not affect poison from `Inkmoth Nexus`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: less costly when poison is the plan; more costly in damage races or against life-total stabilization.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: use Grove for green when needed, but count the opponent's extra life before choosing a damage kill.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Llanowar Reborn
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 4 copies; tapped green mana resource and graft counter setup land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; mechanic enabler; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: provides green mana after entering tapped and uses graft 1 to move an early +1/+1 counter onto a later creature.
|
||||
- Timing: play early when you do not need untapped green that turn or when the hand plans to cast `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, or `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` later.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: enters tapped; taps for `{G}`; graft 1 means it enters with a +1/+1 counter and whenever a creature enters, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this land onto it.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: graft is best on creatures that enter later: `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`. Animated `Inkmoth Nexus` does not enter the battlefield when it animates, so do not expect graft from that animation.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Hardened Scales` and `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` amplify counters; `Forest`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` are green-source peers.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot cast turn-one `Hardened Scales` or `Ancient Stirrings`; graft is optional and should not move counters onto opposing creatures.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: tempo cost matters against fast decks; counter value matters in slower combat or Ballista games.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: play it on a setup turn, not when you need immediate green mana.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies; utility green land and conditional interaction.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; interaction-removal; modal utility.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: functions as green mana until channel is needed to answer target artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls.
|
||||
- Timing: keep as a land when mana is constrained; channel when the target blocks counters, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, or survival. Account for the opponent's possible land before using it.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: taps for `{G}`; channel costs `{1}{G}` and discards `Boseiju, Who Endures` to destroy target artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls. That player may search their library for a land card with a basic land type, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Channel costs `{1}` less for each legendary creature you control.
|
||||
- Mode map: green land when mana matters; channel interaction when the qualifying opposing artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land is worth giving a possible land.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: legendary creature cost reduction can come from `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`; green supports `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Nature's Claim`, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, and `Haywire Mite`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Nature's Claim` and `Haywire Mite` answer artifact/enchantment targets after sideboard; Boseiju uniquely hits nonbasic lands.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target creatures, planeswalkers, or basic lands; channel removes your own future green source.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong against lock pieces, artifact engines, enchantments, and dangerous nonbasic lands.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not discard Boseiju unless the target is legal and important.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Forest
|
||||
- Deck role: main deck, 2 copies; basic untapped green mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: provides clean green for the deck's best starts and post-board interaction without entering tapped or giving the opponent life.
|
||||
- Timing: prioritize in openers that need turn-one `Hardened Scales` or `Ancient Stirrings`; select with `Ancient Stirrings` when green access is the bottleneck.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: basic land with `{T}: Add {G}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: casts `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, channels `Boseiju, Who Endures`, casts `Nature's Claim`, casts `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, and activates `Haywire Mite`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Grove of the Burnwillows` also provides green but can give life; `Llanowar Reborn` provides green after entering tapped; `Boseiju, Who Endures` provides green with channel utility.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not provide artifact count, poison pressure, Saga pressure, or red for `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: valuable when nonbasic pressure, opponent life gain from `Grove of the Burnwillows`, or tapped-land tempo from `Llanowar Reborn` matters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Forest-based hands are safer because they cast the deck's green setup on time.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Dismember
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 3 copies; creature-removal bullet for race-critical threats and blockers.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: removes creatures that block `Inkmoth Nexus`, race Construct tokens from `Urza's Saga`, threaten lethal, or are too large for `Walking Ballista` to answer efficiently.
|
||||
- Timing: cast before combat when clearing a blocker enables poison or lethal combat; hold for the creature that changes the race rather than a convenience trade. Check life payment against visible attacks and damage.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: instant costing `{1}{B/P}{B/P}`; each `{B/P}` can be paid with either `{B}` or 2 life; target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: clears the path for `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Arcbound Ravager` transfers, `Walking Ballista` combat, `Hangarback Walker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, and Construct tokens from `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Walking Ballista` is the main-deck creature-control peer; `Nature's Claim`, `Haywire Mite`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` answer noncreature permanent types instead.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not hit noncreature permanents; paying 4 life can lose races; -5/-5 is not damage and does not use regeneration math the way damage or destruction does.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: board in against creature decks, creature-combo decks, and creature-land decks where the target is a creature when Dismember resolves.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: kill the creature that stops your kill or creates theirs; do not spend life on a low-impact body.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Nature's Claim
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 3 copies; efficient artifact/enchantment removal bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: destroys artifact or enchantment permanents that stop counter growth, activated abilities, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, or combat.
|
||||
- Timing: use when the target blocks a current or next-turn line; hold if the controller's 4 life would break damage lethal and the permanent is not urgent. Life gain matters much less when the active kill is poison.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: instant costing `{G}`; destroys target artifact or enchantment; that permanent's controller gains 4 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: clears hate for `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, `The Ozolith`, and `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Boseiju, Who Endures` also hits artifacts and enchantments plus nonbasic lands; `Haywire Mite` exiles only target noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target ordinary creatures, planeswalkers, or lands; controller life gain can invalidate exact Ballista or combat damage.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: board in against artifact/enchantment lock pieces, hate permanents, and opposing artifact engines.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: use Claim on the permanent stopping your win, not on a random artifact.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Tamiyo's Safekeeping
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies; protection bullet for decisive permanents.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; lifegain/stabilization; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: protects a loaded carrier, engine, utility land, or Construct token from targeted interaction and destroy-based effects while gaining 2 life.
|
||||
- Timing: cast in response to removal or before damage/destruction when the protected permanent is essential. Best targets are animated `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Hardened Scales`, `Urza's Saga`, or a large Construct token from `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: instant costing `{G}`; target permanent you control gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn; you gain 2 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: protects poison kills from `Inkmoth Nexus`, counter banks from `The Ozolith`, damage kills from `Walking Ballista`, and sacrifice math from `Arcbound Ravager`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Welding Jar` protects artifacts from destruction through regeneration; Safekeeping protects any permanent you control and adds hexproof plus indestructible.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not counter spells on the stack, does not stop sacrifice or edict effects, and may not stop non-targeting exile or bounce.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: board in against targeted removal, damage-based removal, and destroy effects aimed at one key permanent.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: save it for the permanent that wins or prevents loss this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Pithing Needle
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies; Saga-searchable activated-ability hate bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet; tutor/search target.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: shuts off activated abilities of sources with a chosen card name, except mana abilities, without targeting the permanent.
|
||||
- Timing: choose a name from visible cards, revealed information, or a known matchup need. Use `Urza's Saga` chapter III to find it when stopping an activated ability is more important than `The Ozolith`, `Welding Jar`, `Arcbound Worker`, or `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}`; as it enters, choose a card name; activated abilities of sources with the chosen name cannot be activated unless they are mana abilities.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: protects plans involving `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, and `The Ozolith` by stopping opposing activated abilities that break those plans.
|
||||
- Role peers: `The Stone Brain` also names a card, but it extracts cards from opponent zones at sorcery speed instead of stopping activated abilities.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not stop triggered abilities, static abilities, mana abilities, or spells being cast; blind names waste a tutor and artifact slot.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong against planeswalkers, creature-lands, sacrifice outlets, artifact engines, and activated combo permanents.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: name the card whose activated ability is visible and dangerous; do not guess when unsure.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 2 copies; Saga-searchable graveyard/library restriction artifact.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet; tutor/search target.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: stops creature cards in graveyards or libraries from entering the battlefield and stops players from casting spells from graveyards or libraries.
|
||||
- Timing: deploy before the opponent casts from graveyard/library or puts creatures onto the battlefield from those zones; do not wait until after costs are paid or the spell is already cast.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}`; creature cards in graveyards and libraries cannot enter the battlefield; players cannot cast spells from graveyards or libraries.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: searchable by `Urza's Saga`; buys time for `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and `Urza's Saga` pressure.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Tormod's Crypt` exiles one target player's graveyard; `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` exiles individual graveyard cards while building your engine.
|
||||
- Failure modes: does not exile graveyards, does not stop cards cast from hand, and does not stop graveyard mechanics that only count cards without casting or entering from graveyard/library.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: board in against reanimation, flashback-style casting, library-cast routes, and creature-from-library/graveyard plans when the text matches.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: play Cage early only when the opponent's route actually uses graveyard or library casting/entry.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Haywire Mite
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy; Saga-searchable artifact body and noncreature artifact/enchantment exile bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet; tutor/search target; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: gives `Urza's Saga` a searchable answer to target noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment while adding artifact count and a small body.
|
||||
- Timing: search or cast when a legal noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment must be exiled, or when holding a tutorable answer is better than immediate `Nature's Claim`. Activate once the target matters and green mana is available.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{1}`; when it dies, you gain 2 life; `{G}, sacrifice Haywire Mite: exile target noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: found by `Urza's Saga`; answers permanents that interfere with `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, or `The Ozolith`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Nature's Claim` is faster but destroys and gives 4 life; `Boseiju, Who Endures` hits artifacts, enchantments, and nonbasic lands but gives a possible land.
|
||||
- Failure modes: cannot target artifact creatures, enchantment creatures, planeswalkers, lands, or ordinary creatures; needs green mana and a sacrifice.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: strong when a single noncreature artifact/enchantment hate permanent is expected and Saga can find it.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: do not activate Mite unless the target is a noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy; Saga-searchable zero-mana graveyard hate artifact.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet; tutor/search target.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: exiles an entire target player's graveyard at the chosen window without spending mana, while adding artifact count before activation.
|
||||
- Timing: use before the opponent casts flashback/escape-like spells, pays delve-like costs, reanimates, or otherwise converts graveyard resources. Once a spell is already cast and costs are paid, exiling the graveyard usually does not undo that spell.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{0}`; `{T}, sacrifice Tormod's Crypt: exile target player's graveyard.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: found by `Urza's Saga`; buys time for `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Hardened Scales`, and `Urza's Saga` pressure.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Grafdigger's Cage` prevents specific graveyard/library casting or creature-entry routes; `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` exiles single cards while adding counters from creature cards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: firing too early lets the opponent rebuild; firing too late may not stop an already-paid graveyard spell or ability.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: board in against graveyard decks that stockpile resources or depend on a large graveyard at a key moment.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: wait until the graveyard matters, then exile it before the opponent uses it.
|
||||
|
||||
#### The Stone Brain
|
||||
- Deck role: sideboard, 1 copy; named-card extraction bullet for known low-redundancy plans.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: attacks combo cards, single-card engines, or inevitability pieces by removing up to four copies with the chosen name from target opponent's graveyard, hand, and library.
|
||||
- Timing: cast only when you know the name that matters and can spend tempo without dying. Activate at sorcery speed before the opponent's payoff turn, not after the card has already resolved.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: costs `{2}`; `{2}, {T}, exile `The Stone Brain`: choose a card name, search target opponent's graveyard, hand, and library for up to four cards with that name and exile them; that player shuffles, then draws a card for each card exiled from their hand this way. Activate only as a sorcery.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: strongest when `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, or `Urza's Saga` already supplies pressure while Stone Brain removes the opponent's key route.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Pithing Needle` also names a card but only stops non-mana activated abilities of sources with that name.
|
||||
- Failure modes: blind naming wastes mana and a card; exiling cards from hand replaces them with draws, so do not use it on a low-impact name.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: board in against known combo, big-mana payoffs, or single-card engines where one name changes the game.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: if no exact dangerous card name is known, develop your board instead.
|
||||
|
||||
## Interaction Priorities
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: protect the counter engine before answering low-impact threats. Preserve `Hardened Scales`, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Arcbound Ravager`, and an active carrier unless an opposing permanent immediately prevents lethal or creates lethal against you. Use `Welding Jar` for destroy effects on key artifacts, but do not spend it on a replaceable zero-counter creature if a later `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, construct token, or `Arcbound Ravager` will decide the game.
|
||||
|
||||
- Remove first: answer blockers or hate that stop the current kill. Use `Dismember` on creatures that block `Inkmoth Nexus`, blank construct attacks, or threaten lethal; use `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Haywire Mite` on artifact/enchantment/nonbasic-land pieces only when the exact target restriction is legal and the target blocks the chosen line. `Nature's Claim` life gain matters for damage kills but is mostly irrelevant to poison kills.
|
||||
|
||||
- Exile first: spend `Tormod's Crypt` before the opponent pays graveyard costs, not after a graveyard spell is already cast. Use `Grafdigger's Cage` preemptively against graveyard/library-entry engines, and use `The Stone Brain` only when matchup context or public information identifies a single card that matters more than developing counters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Name first: use `Pithing Needle` on visible or matchup-known activated abilities that beat your board, especially permanents that repeatedly remove artifacts, blank creature-lands, or lock combat. Do not guess blindly when the game instead offers a strong `Urza's Saga` construct or a direct hate artifact from the Saga search.
|
||||
|
||||
- Counter/discard/bounce note: this registered list has no main or sideboard counterspell, discard spell, or bounce spell. If the rules engine presents such an action from an external effect, route it through model reasoning and prioritize effects that stop lethal, remove counter-engine hate, or prevent a sweeper from invalidating committed counters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bait first: lead with expendable pressure when holding a stronger engine. `Arcbound Worker`, low-investment `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, or an early `Patchwork Automaton` can draw removal before exposing `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, or a lethal `Inkmoth Nexus`; avoid baiting with `The Ozolith` when your line depends on storing counters after sacrifice or death.
|
||||
|
||||
- Ignore first: ignore opponent life total padding when the active plan is poison through `Inkmoth Nexus`. Ignore small ground blockers if flying infect, modular transfer, or `Walking Ballista` counters already create a legal kill; answer them only when they block a construct race or force bad `Arcbound Ravager` sacrifices.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype shift: against creature decks, interaction is tempo for a single oversized carrier. Against graveyard decks, deploy `Grafdigger's Cage` or `Tormod's Crypt` before advancing marginal counters. Against artifact/enchantment hate decks, keep `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Nature's Claim`, and `Haywire Mite` for the permanent that actually stops counters, modular, Saga, or poison.
|
||||
|
||||
## Combat And Trading Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Attack when counters convert into a real clock, not just chip damage. Prioritize `Inkmoth Nexus` attacks when poison math is plausible, especially with `Hardened Scales`, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Arcbound Ravager`, or modular counters available; animate `Inkmoth Nexus` before beginning combat when it must receive counters from `The Ozolith`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Preserve carriers over bodies. A counter-loaded `Inkmoth Nexus`, construct token, `Walking Ballista`, or `Patchwork Automaton` is usually worth more than several small artifacts, so do not trade it into open blockers unless modular, `The Ozolith`, or lethal math makes the exchange favorable from visible information.
|
||||
|
||||
- Trade modular creatures when counters stay useful. `Arcbound Worker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` can trade or be sacrificed when their counters move to a better legal artifact creature or are captured by `The Ozolith`; avoid trades that strand counters with no legal recipient or expose all stored power to one removal spell.
|
||||
|
||||
- Block for survival first, then for counter transfer. Use expendable artifact creatures to absorb lethal attacks when modular or `The Ozolith` preserves material, but keep `Arcbound Ravager` alive when it is the only sacrifice outlet enabling instant-speed counter movement or lethal `Walking Ballista` damage.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protect the lethal carrier, not the prettiest permanent. `Welding Jar` and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` should save the permanent that carries lethal poison, lethal damage, or the only engine that beats visible interaction. `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` targets a permanent you control and does not solve sacrifice, bounce, counterspells, or non-targeting exile.
|
||||
|
||||
- Respect life thresholds when paying life. `Dismember` can cost life through Phyrexian mana; do not pay life when the payment puts you dead to visible attacks or known public damage. When at a stable life total, spend life to clear a blocker or attacker that prevents the next-turn kill.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use `Walking Ballista` counters deliberately. Aim damage at creatures when clearing blockers or preventing lethal matters more than face damage; aim at the opponent only when visible counters and remaining attacks produce lethal. Do not remove counters casually if those counters are needed for survival, modular pressure, or `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` lines supported by visible graveyard/card text.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype shift: against removal-heavy decks, diversify counters across persistent artifacts and `The Ozolith` instead of making one fragile creature. Against racing decks, block earlier and value `Hangarback Walker` bodies. Against combo or control, pressure with the fastest Saga, poison, or Ballista clock and avoid unnecessary trades that slow the kill.
|
||||
|
||||
## Selection And Tutor Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Use `Ancient Stirrings` to find the missing colorless engine piece, carrier, or land before committing the turn. It can reveal colorless cards such as `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Walking Ballista`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`, `Patchwork Automaton`, `Welding Jar`, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, and `Forest`; it does not find colored noncolorless spells such as `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Rank `Ancient Stirrings` hits by the current bottleneck. Take `Hardened Scales` support indirectly by finding `The Ozolith`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, or `Inkmoth Nexus`; take `Urza's Saga` when the hand needs an artifact tutor and construct clock; take `Boseiju, Who Endures` only when a legal artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic-land answer is more important than another counter source.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bottom cards from `Ancient Stirrings` to preserve the next turns, not to chase hidden certainty. Keep redundant legends lower when one `The Ozolith` or one `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` is already active, but value a second copy if the opponent is showing removal or the first copy is likely to be answered.
|
||||
|
||||
- Treat `Urza's Saga` Chapter III as a narrow artifact search, not a general tutor. Clean registered targets with mana cost `{0}` or `{1}` include `Welding Jar`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, and post-board `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, or `Tormod's Crypt`; do not assume `Walking Ballista` or `Hangarback Walker` are legal Saga targets unless the rules engine exposes them in the legal action set.
|
||||
|
||||
- Choose `Urza's Saga` targets for the live battlefield. Get `The Ozolith` when sacrifice/death counters are coming, `Welding Jar` when one artifact carrier must survive destruction, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` when modular amplification or a body matters, `Pithing Needle` when a named activated ability is the problem, and graveyard hate only when the graveyard matchup is already identified.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequence land drops around selection. Cast `Ancient Stirrings` before making a discretionary land drop when it may find `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, or a green source; play `Inkmoth Nexus` at least a turn before it must attack; play `Llanowar Reborn` early only when its enters-tapped cost will not block turn-one `Ancient Stirrings` or `Hardened Scales`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` cycling only when the card is redundant, uncastable, or too slow. Its battlefield replacement and sorcery-speed counter ability are usually stronger than a blind redraw when the deck already has a carrier.
|
||||
|
||||
## Priority And Stack Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Respect replacement effects before stack tricks. `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, and applicable `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` text change counters as they are placed; they are not spells to respond to, so follow the rules-engine counter prompts and record missing card-reference metadata if Forge cannot validate ordering.
|
||||
|
||||
- Animate `Inkmoth Nexus` before beginning combat when `The Ozolith` must move counters onto it. `The Ozolith` targets at the beginning of combat, so an unanimated `Inkmoth Nexus` is only a land and cannot receive that combat trigger.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use `Urza's Saga` Chapter III priority before the Saga leaves. If the Chapter III trigger is on the stack and mana is available, make a construct before the search resolves when the construct body matters more than using the land for mana.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sacrifice with `Arcbound Ravager` before the relevant event resolves. Move counters in response to removal, after blockers but before combat damage, or before a sweeper resolves; do not wait until after combat damage because damage no longer uses the stack.
|
||||
|
||||
- Target modular transfers only to legal artifact creatures. If the intended recipient is `Inkmoth Nexus`, it must already be animated when the modular trigger needs a target; if no good artifact creature exists, value `The Ozolith` as the counter bank instead.
|
||||
|
||||
- Fire `Walking Ballista` counters only when the damage changes the game. Shoot creatures to clear blockers or stop lethal, shoot the opponent only when visible math reaches lethal, and keep counters when they are needed for `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`, modular pressure, or survival.
|
||||
|
||||
- Activate `Hangarback Walker` at low-risk windows. End-step counter growth is preferred when it was not needed to block; tapping it before combat is a mistake if the body must attack, block, or carry counters that turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Use protection in response to the exact threat. `Welding Jar` creates a regeneration shield for a target artifact against destruction, not exile, sacrifice, bounce, or counterspells; `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` protects a permanent you control from targeted removal and destruction for the turn, but it does not undo non-targeting effects.
|
||||
|
||||
- Channel `Boseiju, Who Endures` only when its target restriction is met. It can answer an artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls, and the opponent may receive a land search; avoid giving that resource unless the permanent blocks lethal, counters, Saga, poison, or survival.
|
||||
|
||||
- Decline harmful optional counter movement. `Llanowar Reborn` graft should not move counters onto opposing creatures, and `The Ozolith` should not move all stored counters onto a carrier that is about to be removed when waiting is legal and safer.
|
||||
|
||||
## Sideboard Map
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard principle: keep the counter engine intact unless the opposing deck demands a narrow answer. `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `The Ozolith`, and `Urza's Saga` are the deck's pressure and conversion core; sideboarding should change the interaction shell, protection density, or artifact tutor package without making hands unable to grow counters.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Dismember` comes in against creature decks where one opposing creature changes combat, blocks poison, races constructs, or enables a creature-combo line. It is strongest when killing a blocker lets `Inkmoth Nexus` or a modular carrier connect, when an opposing threat is larger than `Walking Ballista` can answer efficiently, or when instant-speed removal breaks up a visible attack or activation turn. It is bad when the life payment materially loses the race, when the opponent has few creatures, or when the main issue is a noncreature permanent.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Nature's Claim` comes in against artifact and enchantment permanents that stop counters, combat, graveyard use, or Saga pressure. Treat the opponent's 4 life as a real cost but not a reason to refuse the spell when the target prevents lethal poison, locks combat, invalidates `Walking Ballista`, or threatens a faster kill. It is weak against decks with few legal artifact/enchantment targets, and it becomes riskier when the plan is purely damage-based rather than poison or overwhelming counters.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` comes in when the opponent's primary interaction is targeted removal, destroy effects, or damage-based answers to a single loaded permanent. Use it to preserve a counter carrier, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `The Ozolith`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `Urza's Saga`, or animated `Inkmoth Nexus` when the rules engine exposes a legal target. It is bad against edicts, exile without targeting, sacrifice, counterspells, hand disruption, and sweepers that do not care about hexproof or indestructible.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Pithing Needle` comes in against activated abilities from planeswalkers, creature-lands, artifact engines, sacrifice outlets, and combo permanents. It is especially valuable because `Urza's Saga` can search it when the matchup requires a named-answer artifact. It is bad when the opposing threats are mostly spells, triggered abilities, static abilities, or unknown names; do not name blindly unless the legal game state or known deck context makes one activated ability the clear problem.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Grafdigger's Cage` comes in against graveyard-cast, library-cast, or creature-entering-from-library/graveyard plans when its text matches the opposing route. Prefer it when it slows the opponent without blocking your own main counter engine. It is bad when the opponent only uses the graveyard as a resource count, when exile-based graveyard hate is needed immediately, or when the opponent can ignore the restriction and win through board combat.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Haywire Mite` comes in when a searchable artifact body with an exile answer to a noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment is better than a one-shot spell. It is strong with `Urza's Saga` because it can be found as a small artifact target, then held until the permanent matters. It is bad against creature-heavy boards, against targets it cannot legally exile, or when the extra mana and activation window are too slow.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Tormod's Crypt` comes in when immediate graveyard exile is more important than a static restriction. It is best against decks that commit many cards to the graveyard before a payoff and against lines where the pilot can wait until the opponent invests resources. It is bad when a single graveyard card must be stopped before costs are paid, when the opponent can rebuild easily, or when `Grafdigger's Cage` more directly blocks the route.
|
||||
|
||||
- `The Stone Brain` comes in against low-redundancy combo, single-card engines, or decks where removing all copies of one named nonland card changes the matchup. It is a slower plan, so use it when the deck can survive long enough or when `Arcbound Ravager`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and `Urza's Saga` already supply pressure. It is bad against broad fair decks, unknown card-name situations, and games where spending four total mana without changing the battlefield loses the race.
|
||||
|
||||
Creature-combo or must-kill creature plan
|
||||
Side in: 3 Dismember; 2 Pithing Needle
|
||||
Cut: 2 Welding Jar; 2 Patchwork Automaton; 1 The Ozolith
|
||||
|
||||
Artifact/enchantment hate plan
|
||||
Side in: 3 Nature's Claim; 1 Haywire Mite
|
||||
Cut: 2 Patchwork Automaton; 1 The Ozolith; 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
|
||||
|
||||
Graveyard-engine plan
|
||||
Side in: 2 Grafdigger's Cage; 1 Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
Cut: 2 Welding Jar; 1 Patchwork Automaton
|
||||
|
||||
Removal-heavy fair plan
|
||||
Side in: 2 Tamiyo's Safekeeping; 2 Pithing Needle
|
||||
Cut: 2 Patchwork Automaton; 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron; 1 The Ozolith
|
||||
|
||||
Low-redundancy combo plan
|
||||
Side in: 1 The Stone Brain; 2 Pithing Needle; 1 Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
Cut: 2 Welding Jar; 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron; 1 Patchwork Automaton
|
||||
|
||||
- Against creature pressure, add role cards: `Dismember` for immediate blockers, combo creatures, and attackers that invalidate modular combat. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow duplicate engine pieces and protection that does not answer the battlefield. Keep enough cheap artifacts for `Arcbound Ravager`, `Urza's Saga`, `The Ozolith`, and construct sizing.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against artifact or enchantment prison, add role cards: `Nature's Claim` and `Haywire Mite` for permanents that stop attacks, counters, or activated abilities. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower threats that do not answer the lock. Prefer `Haywire Mite` when `Urza's Saga` can search it and the target is noncreature; prefer `Nature's Claim` when mana efficiency matters now.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against graveyard decks, add role cards: `Grafdigger's Cage` when the opponent is trying to cast from graveyard/library or put creatures onto the battlefield from graveyard/library, and `Tormod's Crypt` when a full graveyard must be exiled at a chosen moment. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow protection and the slowest redundant counter engine card. Do not fire `Tormod's Crypt` before the opponent has committed graveyard resources unless the visible next action would use them.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against targeted removal, add role cards: `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` to protect one loaded permanent and `Pithing Needle` when a known activated ability threatens the engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: extra slow bodies rather than counter multipliers. Avoid all-in `Arcbound Ravager` sacrifices until protection is available or the opponent is tapped below visible interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- Against spell combo or big mana, add role cards: `The Stone Brain` for a known central nonland card and `Pithing Needle` for activated permanent routes. Reduce main-deck emphasis: protection that only fights creature removal. Keep the fastest clock; a turn spent naming with `The Stone Brain` is acceptable only if the expected named card matters more than another counter or attack that turn.
|
||||
|
||||
## Matchup Guidance
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro decks: Race by building one oversized counter carrier while leaving a real blocker when the opponent can present lethal on the next combat. `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Worker`, and `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp` are the best early bodies because they convert trades into counters, while `Walking Ballista` becomes removal only after it can kill a creature without abandoning the main clock. Add role cards: `Dismember` for creatures that outsize modular combat or enable lethal attacks. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest redundant engine pieces when the opponent forces immediate board interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- Control decks: Commit threats in waves instead of putting every counter onto one permanent before the opponent spends exile, bounce, counterspell, or sweeper interaction. `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `The Ozolith`, and `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` are important because they pressure from different card types and make post-sweeper recovery real. Add role cards: `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` against targeted destroy or damage effects, `Pithing Needle` against visible activated abilities, and `The Stone Brain` only when a known nonland card is central enough to justify spending mana without adding power. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only redundancy when the game will hinge on resilient pressure and one protected lethal window.
|
||||
|
||||
- Combo decks: Choose the fastest credible kill unless a sideboard card directly interrupts the revealed combo route. `Inkmoth Nexus` plus counter multiplication is often the cleanest clock because poison ignores life gain, but do not animate `Inkmoth Nexus` into open removal unless the attack is worth risking a land. Add role cards: `The Stone Brain` for a known low-redundancy nonland card, `Pithing Needle` for activated-permanent combo routes, `Grafdigger's Cage` when the route uses graveyard/library casting or creature entry from those zones, and `Tormod's Crypt` when timed graveyard exile is the correct disruption. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Welding Jar` and slower bodies when they do not interact with the combo or shorten the clock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Tempo decks: Force the opponent to answer cheap permanents before committing the lethal carrier. `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, and `Urza's Saga` strain one-for-one interaction, while `Welding Jar` and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` are strongest when protecting the permanent that already carries counters or will receive modular counters. Avoid spending the turn on a large `Walking Ballista` if the opponent can counter it and keep attacking; use smaller threats plus `The Ozolith` to preserve material through removal.
|
||||
|
||||
- Midrange decks: Treat every removal spell as a resource trade, not as a reason to stop advancing the engine. `The Ozolith` punishes creature removal, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` turns small creatures into real threats, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` can matter when graveyards and counters make activated abilities relevant. Add role cards: `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` for targeted interaction, `Pithing Needle` for known planeswalker or creature-land abilities, and `Dismember` when a single creature blocks all pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the least immediate threat card, not the counter multipliers that make every topdeck dangerous.
|
||||
|
||||
- Big mana decks: Prioritize speed and disruptive naming over incremental board control. `Ancient Stirrings` should look for the piece that completes a fast clock: `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, `The Ozolith`, or `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` depending on the hand. Add role cards: `The Stone Brain` for a known payoff or engine card, `Pithing Needle` for activated permanent routes, and `Nature's Claim` or `Haywire Mite` only when the opposing permanent is actually an artifact or enchantment that changes the race. Reduce main-deck emphasis: protection that only beats creature removal.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard decks: Match the hate card to the graveyard route instead of treating all hate as interchangeable. `Grafdigger's Cage` is for stopping casting from graveyard/library or creatures entering from graveyard/library; `Tormod's Crypt` is for exiling a built graveyard at the chosen moment; `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` is your own graveyard-scaling card and may become worse if graveyard hate must be maximized. Do not spend `Tormod's Crypt` before the opponent commits graveyard resources unless the visible next legal action would use them immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact/enchantment decks: Answer the permanent that prevents counters, attacks, activated abilities, or lethal math before spending resources on generic development. Add role cards: `Nature's Claim` for efficient artifact/enchantment removal and `Haywire Mite` when `Urza's Saga` can find a body that later exiles a noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment. `Boseiju, Who Endures` can answer qualifying permanents or lands, but the opponent getting a land can matter against big mana and control. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow threats that do not interact with the lock or race.
|
||||
|
||||
- Go-wide decks: Build a carrier that attacks through the board or convert the board into counters before blockers make small combat irrelevant. `Walking Ballista` can pick off small creatures when enough counters remain to matter, `Hangarback Walker` creates flying Thopter tokens after dying, and `Arcbound Ravager` turns blocked artifacts into one large threat. Add role cards: `Dismember` only for the creature that makes the go-wide board lethal or invalidates attacks; do not spend it on a random small body when modular combat already handles that body.
|
||||
|
||||
- Single-threat decks: Identify whether the threat must be killed, bypassed with poison, or raced with a larger counter carrier. `Dismember` is the cleanest answer to many creature threats, `Pithing Needle` handles activated abilities rather than static or triggered text, and `Walking Ballista` can finish damaged or low-toughness creatures when counters are available. If the single threat has evasion and creates a lethal clock, preserve an `Inkmoth Nexus` block only when blocking is legal and better than a poison race.
|
||||
|
||||
- Burn decks: Protect life total without forgetting that the deck still wins by pressure. `Grove of the Burnwillows` giving the opponent life matters less when `Inkmoth Nexus` is the kill, but it can delay damage-based `Walking Ballista` lines. Add role cards: `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` when targeted removal or damage threatens the loaded permanent and the life gain changes survival math; consider `Nature's Claim` only when it has a real artifact/enchantment target and the life swing is worth destroying that object. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow nonblocking engines when the opening hand lacks early board presence.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal-heavy decks: Make removal bad by splitting value across permanents, counters, lands, and artifacts. `The Ozolith` is the most important punishment card, `Welding Jar` protects artifacts from destroy effects, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` protects one legal permanent from targeted interaction, and `Urza's Saga` continues producing threats through creature removal. Avoid all-in `Arcbound Ravager` sacrifices until the opponent is tapped low, the protection spell is available, or the sacrificed counters create immediate lethal or unavoidable survival.
|
||||
|
||||
- Creature-land combat decks: Respect opposing creature-lands while using `Inkmoth Nexus` as both a lethal poison threat and an emergency blocker. `Pithing Needle` is valuable when a known activated land ability dominates combat, and `Dismember` can answer an animated creature-land only while it is a legal creature target. Do not animate `Inkmoth Nexus` just because mana is available; animate when it attacks profitably, blocks a necessary threat, receives counters for a planned kill, or must carry counters before a visible timing window closes.
|
||||
|
||||
## Specific Matchup Notes
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only: Revealed cards override every matchup assumption, because this guide has no exact opponent decklists. Use the first visible lands, threats, graveyard actions, and interaction windows to decide whether the game is a race, a resource fight, or a hate-card check.
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only aggressive creature decks: Stabilize with early artifacts, then turn combat into one large counter carrier. Priority targets are creatures that make blocking impossible, creatures that create immediate lethal pressure, and removal windows aimed at the permanent holding counters. Add role cards: `Dismember` for a creature that changes combat math, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` for a loaded permanent under targeted interaction, and `Nature's Claim` only when an artifact or enchantment is actually driving the pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow engine pieces when the hand already lacks blockers or a fast `Inkmoth Nexus` poison plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only removal midrange: Do not overcommit counters onto a single creature unless `The Ozolith`, `Welding Jar`, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, or immediate lethal changes the exchange. Priority targets are planeswalkers or creatures that blank attacks, and the priority permanent to protect is usually the one receiving modular counters from `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, or `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`. Add role cards: `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, `Pithing Needle` for known activated permanents, and `Dismember` when one blocker dominates combat.
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only artifact or enchantment lock decks: Remove the permanent that stops attacking, counters, activated abilities, or sacrifice math before building a larger board. Priority targets are qualifying artifacts or enchantments that prevent `Walking Ballista`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, or counter replacement effects from functioning. Add role cards: `Nature's Claim`, `Haywire Mite`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` from the main deck when its channel action is legal and the land drawback is acceptable.
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only graveyard decks: Choose graveyard interaction by route, not by habit. `Grafdigger's Cage` is strongest when the opponent is trying to cast from graveyard/library or put creatures onto the battlefield from graveyard/library; `Tormod's Crypt` is strongest after the opponent has committed graveyard material but before a visible legal action converts it. Priority targets are graveyard engines that beat a normal counter race. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` only when maximizing graveyard hate matters more than your own counter and activated-ability scaling.
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only spell combo and big mana: Race first, disrupt only when the hate card maps to a visible route. Priority targets are the named payoff for `The Stone Brain`, activated permanents for `Pithing Needle`, and artifact/enchantment engines for `Nature's Claim` or `Haywire Mite`. Keep `Ancient Stirrings` focused on `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Urza's Saga`, `The Ozolith`, or `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` rather than generic material.
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only creature-land mirrors: Treat `Inkmoth Nexus` as a threat, blocker, and counter carrier, not as automatic mana-sink animation. Priority targets are opposing activated lands when `Pithing Needle` can name them from revealed information, and animated creature-lands only while they are legal targets for `Dismember` or damage. Do not animate `Inkmoth Nexus` into removal unless the poison attack, block, or counter-transfer window is worth the risk.
|
||||
|
||||
## Risk Summary
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana risk: This list has only `Forest`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, `Llanowar Reborn`, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` as lands, so colorless-heavy or tapped-land draws can fail to cast `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` on time.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup risk: Fast combo and big mana can ignore creature combat if the deck spends early turns on slow counters instead of a lethal `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Walking Ballista`, or `Arcbound Ravager` line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Draw risk: Hands with only payoffs, only protection, or only counter storage can look functional but fail without an early creature, `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, or `Urza's Saga`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Over-sideboarding risk: Boarding in too many `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, `The Stone Brain`, or `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` can remove the artifact density and counter pressure that make the deck lethal.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard risk: `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` and opposing graveyard plans create conflicting incentives; do not weaken your own engine with graveyard hate unless the opponent's graveyard route is visible or strongly implied.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sweeper/removal risk: All-in `Arcbound Ravager` sacrifices are punished when counters move to a creature that can be exiled, bounced, sacrificed, or killed without `The Ozolith` or protection available.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer risk: Damage kills with `Walking Ballista` are delayed by opposing life gain, including life from `Grove of the Burnwillows`, while poison kills through `Inkmoth Nexus` fail if the land is removed before counters connect.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction risk: `Welding Jar` only protects artifacts from destroy effects, `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` requires a legal permanent target, and `Pithing Needle` answers activated abilities rather than triggered or static abilities.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequencing risk: Counter replacement and modular trigger ordering are the deck's edge-case core; validate Forge-visible replacement effects, trigger choices, and counter movement before claiming a line is deterministic.
|
||||
|
||||
## Test Feedback Checklist
|
||||
|
||||
- Deciding factor: Record the exact axis that decided the game: `Hardened Scales` acceleration, `Urza's Saga` pressure, `Inkmoth Nexus` poison, `Walking Ballista` damage, `Arcbound Ravager` modular sacrifice math, `The Ozolith` counter storage, or failure to assemble a carrier plus counters.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligan quality: Mark whether the opener had green mana for `Hardened Scales` or `Ancient Stirrings`, an early artifact creature, and either engine pressure or selection. Flag hands that kept payoffs with no carrier, protection with no threat, or tapped/colorless lands that delayed the first relevant spell.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana performance: Note whether `Llanowar Reborn`, `Urza's Saga`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Grove of the Burnwillows`, and `Forest` produced the needed colors and timing. Track losses where `Grove of the Burnwillows` life mattered, `Llanowar Reborn` entering tapped delayed development, or `Inkmoth Nexus` had to choose between mana and combat.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity check: Count how often `Ancient Stirrings` found the needed card type and whether misses came from threat-light hands, too many sideboard cards, or choosing a slow engine over an immediate kill setup.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engine check: Record whether `Hardened Scales`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, `The Ozolith`, and `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` changed lethal math or sat stranded. If an engine piece was ignored by the opponent, note whether the pilot converted it into a faster `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, or modular kill.
|
||||
|
||||
- Counter movement check: Review every `Arcbound Ravager`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp`, `Hangarback Walker`, and `The Ozolith` sequence for legal trigger ordering, visible target choice, and whether counters moved to the correct threat instead of a removable or irrelevant permanent.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal and protection check: Mark whether `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, `Haywire Mite`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Welding Jar`, and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` were held for the right window. Flag protection used on low-value permanents while the real counter carrier or `Urza's Saga` line remained exposed.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard check: For each match, list which sideboard cards entered and whether each mapped to a visible route: `Pithing Needle` to an activated ability, `Grafdigger's Cage` or `Tormod's Crypt` to graveyard/library cheating, `The Stone Brain` to a named payoff, and `Nature's Claim` or `Haywire Mite` to artifacts/enchantments.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closing check: Identify whether the pilot chose the right kill route: poison through `Inkmoth Nexus`, damage through `Walking Ballista`, combat through large artifact creatures, or delayed counter storage through `The Ozolith`. Flag games where the deck gave the opponent an extra turn despite a visible lethal or near-lethal counter line.
|
||||
|
||||
- Role check: Mark whether the deck correctly played as aggressor, engine deck, or protected threat deck. Flag games where it sideboarded or sequenced like control while lacking enough interaction to prolong the game.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mistake check: Record illegal assumptions, missed triggers, poor sacrifice choices, premature `Inkmoth Nexus` animation, overloading one permanent into open interaction, and any Forge uncertainty around replacement effects, modular, or counter-doubling.
|
||||
|
||||
- Card performance check: List stranded cards, overperformers, and underperformers by exact name, especially `Patchwork Automaton`, `Agatha's Soul Cauldron`, `Welding Jar`, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire`, and each sideboard card.
|
||||
|
||||
## First Tuning Questions
|
||||
|
||||
- Quantity question: Are 3 `The Ozolith` plus 3 `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` producing too many engine-only draws, or does the deck need that density to recover from removal and convert modular counters?
|
||||
|
||||
- Threat-density question: Do 2 `Patchwork Automaton` improve grindy games enough, or should those slots become more protection, selection, or another proactive artifact threat if the card is often stranded or too slow?
|
||||
|
||||
- Cauldron question: Is 2 `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` a real engine in this list, or does it conflict with opposing graveyard hate plans and dilute fast `Hardened Scales` starts?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana question: Do 4 `Llanowar Reborn` cause too many tempo losses, or does graft reliably justify the tapped-land cost with `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Ravager`, and `Inkmoth Nexus`?
|
||||
|
||||
- Color question: Are 2 `Forest` and 4 `Grove of the Burnwillows` enough for early green spells after sideboarding into `Nature's Claim` and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`, especially when `Urza's Saga` and `Inkmoth Nexus` occupy land slots?
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro-plan question: Against fast creature decks, is 3 `Dismember` enough interaction, or does the deck need more cheap removal without cutting too much artifact and counter density?
|
||||
|
||||
- Control-plan question: Against removal-heavy decks, are 2 `Welding Jar` and 2 `Tamiyo's Safekeeping` enough protection, or should the list shift toward more resilient threats and fewer slow engines?
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer question: Are games being lost because `Walking Ballista` kills are too slow after opponent life gain from `Grove of the Burnwillows`, and should the deck lean harder into `Inkmoth Nexus` poison lines?
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard-slot question: Are `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain` covering distinct enough matchups, or is one graveyard/combo slot underperforming relative to more artifact/enchantment interaction?
|
||||
|
||||
- Role-conflict question: Does boarding multiple `Dismember`, `Nature's Claim`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Haywire Mite`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `The Stone Brain` reduce the core engine below functional density?
|
||||
|
||||
- Rules-support question: Did Forge correctly expose counter replacement, modular triggers, `The Ozolith` storage, `Ozolith, the Shattered Spire` choices, and `Urza's Saga` chapter/tutor actions? Treat any mismatch as a validation blocker before tuning card quantities.
|
||||
|
||||
## Veles Tactical Policy
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Keep Engine-Plus-Carrier Openers
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: mulligan
|
||||
- Cards: Hardened Scales; Ancient Stirrings; Arcbound Worker; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp; Walking Ballista; Hangarback Walker; Inkmoth Nexus; Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions, pregame
|
||||
- Runtime cues: opening_hand; mulligan_available
|
||||
- Use when: the hand has green access or `Ancient Stirrings`, plus an early artifact creature or `Urza's Saga`, plus a counter payoff or selection path.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the hand has only engines, only protection, no early threat, or mana that cannot cast the first relevant spell on time.
|
||||
- Instructions: Prefer hands that create a permanent before turn two and make counters matter by turn three. Do not keep slow piles because they contain multiple legends or protection without a carrier.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Establish The First Counter Multiplier
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Hardened Scales; Ozolith, the Shattered Spire; Llanowar Reborn; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
|
||||
- Phase windows: turns 1-3 main phases, precombat main phase
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Hardened Scales; action:cast Ozolith, the Shattered Spire; action:play Llanowar Reborn
|
||||
- Use when: a multiplier can be deployed before casting or growing `Walking Ballista`, `Hangarback Walker`, `Arcbound Worker`, `Patchwork Automaton`, or animating `Inkmoth Nexus`.
|
||||
- Avoid when: delaying the first body gives up board presence against lethal pressure or leaves mana unused with no future payoff.
|
||||
- Instructions: Front-load `Hardened Scales` when mana permits. Treat `Llanowar Reborn` as tempo-costly setup, not a turn-one untapped green source.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Sequence Mana For Green And Activated Lands
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana
|
||||
- Cards: Forest; Grove of the Burnwillows; Boseiju, Who Endures; Urza's Saga; Inkmoth Nexus; Llanowar Reborn
|
||||
- Phase windows: land play, main phases, combat setup
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:play Forest; action:play Grove of the Burnwillows; action:play Urza's Saga; action:play Inkmoth Nexus
|
||||
- Use when: choosing a land drop or tapping lands for early development.
|
||||
- Avoid when: using `Inkmoth Nexus` as mana prevents a selected poison attack or using `Grove of the Burnwillows` life changes immediate lethal math.
|
||||
- Instructions: Preserve green access for `Hardened Scales`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Nature's Claim`, and `Tamiyo's Safekeeping`. Count `Urza's Saga` and `Inkmoth Nexus` as threats as well as lands.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Ancient Stirrings Selects Missing Function
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: selection
|
||||
- Cards: Ancient Stirrings; Hardened Scales; The Ozolith; Ozolith, the Shattered Spire; Arcbound Ravager; Walking Ballista; Hangarback Walker; Inkmoth Nexus; Urza's Saga; Welding Jar; Agatha's Soul Cauldron; Patchwork Automaton
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phases before committing mana
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:select Ancient Stirrings
|
||||
- Use when: `Ancient Stirrings` reveals artifact, colorless, or land options that fill the current missing role.
|
||||
- Avoid when: choosing another slow engine while lacking any carrier, clock, or mana to deploy it.
|
||||
- Instructions: Prioritize the card that completes the visible plan: carrier, counter engine, `Inkmoth Nexus` kill, `Urza's Saga` pressure, protection, or `Walking Ballista` reach.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Urza's Saga Is A Threat Commitment
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; selection; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Urza's Saga; Welding Jar; The Ozolith; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp; Walking Ballista; Hangarback Walker
|
||||
- Phase windows: land play, Saga chapter triggers, main phases
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:chapter Urza's Saga; action:search Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Use when: `Urza's Saga` can produce Constructs, find a registered low-cost artifact hit exposed by the rules engine, or force the opponent to answer multiple bodies.
|
||||
- Avoid when: sacrificing tempo to `Urza's Saga` leaves no green spell path and the matchup demands immediate interaction.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat chapter timing and search legality as engine-owned. Choose the artifact that supports the board: protection with `Welding Jar`, counter storage with `The Ozolith`, threat access with legal zero- or one-mana artifact options.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Arcbound Ravager Sacrifice Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; combat
|
||||
- Cards: Arcbound Ravager; Arcbound Worker; Hangarback Walker; Walking Ballista; The Ozolith; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp; Inkmoth Nexus; Urza's Saga; Welding Jar
|
||||
- Phase windows: combat damage setup, removal response, end step before lethal
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Arcbound Ravager
|
||||
- Use when: sacrificing artifacts creates lethal, saves counters from removal through modular or `The Ozolith`, or converts expendable material into a protected carrier.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the sacrifice consumes essential mana, removes the only blocker under lethal pressure, or puts all counters onto a target exposed to visible interaction.
|
||||
- Instructions: Do not sacrifice artifact lands or engine pieces casually. Commit only after checking modular targets, `The Ozolith` storage, poison math, and whether waiting preserves more lines.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 4
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Modular And Ozolith Target Choice
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Arcbound Ravager; Arcbound Worker; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp; The Ozolith; Walking Ballista; Hangarback Walker; Inkmoth Nexus; Patchwork Automaton
|
||||
- Phase windows: death triggers, beginning of combat, trigger ordering
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target Arcbound Ravager; action:target Inkmoth Nexus; action:target Walking Ballista; action:move counters
|
||||
- Use when: the rules engine exposes modular, counter storage, or counter movement choices.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the intended recipient is not a legal target, is no longer a creature, or is visibly worse because it cannot attack, block, or convert counters this turn.
|
||||
- Instructions: Put counters on the carrier that wins or survives the current exchange. Validate `Inkmoth Nexus` creature status before targeting it with modular.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 4
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Walking Ballista Exact Lethal
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Walking Ballista
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phases, combat, opponent end step, stack response
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target opponent Walking Ballista
|
||||
- Use when: `Walking Ballista` has enough removable +1/+1 counters to deal lethal damage to the opponent and no visible prevention, redirection, or protection changes that math.
|
||||
- Avoid when: removing counters prevents lethal, a required target is not legal, or visible stack objects can invalidate the kill.
|
||||
- Instructions: Execute the opponent-targeting damage line once lethal is visible from public counters and legal action text. Do not spend lethal counters on creatures first unless survival requires it.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Walking Ballista Board Control
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Walking Ballista
|
||||
- Phase windows: combat, main phases, removal response
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target Walking Ballista
|
||||
- Use when: damage can remove a creature that blocks lethal, threatens lethal, or disrupts the counter engine.
|
||||
- Avoid when: firing counters leaves no threat and does not change combat, poison, or survival math.
|
||||
- Instructions: Preserve counters unless the target materially changes the next combat or protects the main carrier. Damage marks creatures; it does not shrink power or toughness.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Inkmoth Nexus Poison Commitment
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; combat; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Inkmoth Nexus; Hardened Scales; The Ozolith; Ozolith, the Shattered Spire; Arcbound Ravager; Llanowar Reborn; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
|
||||
- Phase windows: beginning of combat, declare attackers, pump windows
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Inkmoth Nexus; action:attack with Inkmoth Nexus
|
||||
- Use when: poison damage plus visible counter movement can threaten lethal or force a poor block.
|
||||
- Avoid when: animating `Inkmoth Nexus` spends needed mana, exposes the only carrier before protection is available, or prevents casting a higher-impact spell.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat `Inkmoth Nexus` as the cleanest closer against high life totals. Animate only with a plan for counters, protection, or immediate pressure.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 4
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Preserve Protection For The Real Carrier
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Welding Jar; Tamiyo's Safekeeping
|
||||
- Phase windows: removal response, combat trick windows, stack response
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:activate Welding Jar; action:cast Tamiyo's Safekeeping
|
||||
- Use when: the protected permanent is the current lethal carrier, counter bank, `Urza's Saga` payoff, or only engine that keeps the game functional.
|
||||
- Avoid when: protecting a replaceable small artifact leaves `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `The Ozolith`, or a decisive Construct exposed.
|
||||
- Instructions: Spend protection on the permanent that preserves lethal or survival. Do not assume protection answers sacrifice, exile, edict, or non-targeted effects unless legal text confirms it.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Sideboard Artifact And Enchantment Answers
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard; interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Nature's Claim; Haywire Mite; Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding, main phases, opponent end step, channel windows
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Nature's Claim; action:activate Haywire Mite; action:channel Boseiju, Who Endures
|
||||
- Use when: a visible artifact, enchantment, or legal `Boseiju, Who Endures` target blocks the engine, prevents attacks, or represents a faster opposing kill.
|
||||
- Avoid when: spending removal on a low-impact permanent costs the turn needed to present lethal.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use these cards for lock pieces and high-impact hate before minor value targets. Account for `Nature's Claim` life gain before choosing damage versus poison routes.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Dismember Removes Race-Critical Creatures
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Dismember
|
||||
- Phase windows: combat, main phases, opponent attack setup
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Dismember
|
||||
- Use when: a visible creature stops lethal, creates lethal against you, or invalidates the main counter carrier.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the life payment creates opposing lethal or the target can be beaten by blocking, racing, or `Walking Ballista` counters.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat life as a real resource. Use `Dismember` for creatures that change the clock, not for convenience trades.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Graveyard And Library-Hate Deployment
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Grafdigger's Cage; Tormod's Crypt; Agatha's Soul Cauldron
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding, early main phases, response before graveyard costs are paid
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:cast Grafdigger's Cage; action:activate Tormod's Crypt; action:activate Agatha's Soul Cauldron
|
||||
- Use when: opponent public zones or matchup role show graveyard or library-cast reliance, or `Agatha's Soul Cauldron` can exile a relevant creature card under legal text.
|
||||
- Avoid when: deploying hate instead of a clock gives the opponent time and no visible graveyard/library route is active.
|
||||
- Instructions: Exile graveyards before flashback, escape, delve, or similar costs are paid. Do not describe `Tormod's Crypt` as artifact removal; it is graveyard hate.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Needle And Stone Brain Naming Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Pithing Needle; The Stone Brain
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding, main phases before opponent payoff turn
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:name Pithing Needle; action:name The Stone Brain
|
||||
- Use when: public information, matchup identity, or revealed cards identify a specific activated ability or nonland payoff that must be constrained.
|
||||
- Avoid when: no card name is known with confidence or the named card does not match the legal effect being used.
|
||||
- Instructions: Route naming through reasoning, not no-API string matching. `Pithing Needle` is for activated abilities; `The Stone Brain` is for named-card extraction under its legal restrictions.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 4
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Do Not Overboard Below Engine Density
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard; mulligan
|
||||
- Cards: Dismember; Nature's Claim; Tamiyo's Safekeeping; Pithing Needle; Grafdigger's Cage; Haywire Mite; Tormod's Crypt; The Stone Brain; Hardened Scales; Arcbound Ravager; Walking Ballista; Inkmoth Nexus; Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding, opening hand after sideboard
|
||||
- Runtime cues: sideboard_phase; opening_hand
|
||||
- Use when: adding multiple hate or protection cards after game one.
|
||||
- Avoid when: cuts remove too many carriers, counter multipliers, or closing lands.
|
||||
- Instructions: Keep enough core pressure to win. Sideboard cards should buy time for `Hardened Scales`, `Arcbound Ravager`, `Walking Ballista`, `Inkmoth Nexus`, or `Urza's Saga`, not replace the deck's engine.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Pass Priority When No Legal Gain Exists
|
||||
- Priority: Low
|
||||
- Decision families: priority
|
||||
- Cards: none
|
||||
- Phase windows: upkeep, draw step, end step, empty-stack priority
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:pass priority
|
||||
- Use when: no legal action advances mana, combat, protection, counter movement, selection, or interaction this window.
|
||||
- Avoid when: a visible trigger, lethal action, removal response, or protection action is pending.
|
||||
- Instructions: Pass cleanly through empty windows. Do not animate `Inkmoth Nexus`, sacrifice artifacts, or spend protection just because priority is available.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 1
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1/metadata.json
Normal file
35
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_hardened_scales/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"G"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_hardened_scales.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_hardened_scales_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_hardened_scales",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Hardened Scales",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
39
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
39
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: WU
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, hammer, infect creature-land, equip timing, combat math
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: draft chooses Hammer with Inkmoth Nexus; validate current Modern legality and attach/equip support.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Esper Sentinel
|
||||
4 Ornithopter
|
||||
4 Memnite
|
||||
4 Puresteel Paladin
|
||||
4 Stoneforge Mystic
|
||||
4 Sigarda's Aid
|
||||
4 Colossus Hammer
|
||||
3 Springleaf Drum
|
||||
1 Shadowspear
|
||||
1 Kaldra Compleat
|
||||
1 Cranial Plating
|
||||
3 Spell Pierce
|
||||
3 Surge of Salvation
|
||||
2 Steelshaper's Gift
|
||||
4 Urza's Saga
|
||||
4 Inkmoth Nexus
|
||||
4 Marsh Flats
|
||||
2 Hallowed Fountain
|
||||
1 Godless Shrine
|
||||
1 Seachrome Coast
|
||||
2 Plains
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Sanctifier en-Vec
|
||||
2 March of Otherworldly Light
|
||||
2 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
|
||||
2 Pithing Needle
|
||||
2 Path to Exile
|
||||
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
|
||||
1 Relic of Progenitus
|
||||
1 Spell Pierce
|
||||
1 Blacksmith's Skill
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
1016
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1/guide.md
Normal file
1016
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1/metadata.json
Normal file
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"W",
|
||||
"U"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_infect_or_hammer",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Infect Or Hammer",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
37
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
37
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_lantern_control
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: UBG
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, known top library, mill rocks, hidden information, lock maintenance
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Modern legality; Mox Opal intentionally omitted pending current shell review.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Lantern of Insight
|
||||
4 Codex Shredder
|
||||
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
|
||||
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
|
||||
4 Ensnaring Bridge
|
||||
4 Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
4 Ancient Stirrings
|
||||
4 Thoughtseize
|
||||
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
|
||||
3 Whir of Invention
|
||||
3 Surgical Extraction
|
||||
2 Pithing Needle
|
||||
4 Urza's Saga
|
||||
4 Glimmervoid
|
||||
4 Spire of Industry
|
||||
2 Blooming Marsh
|
||||
2 Darkslick Shores
|
||||
1 Forest
|
||||
1 Swamp
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Leyline of Sanctity
|
||||
2 Nature's Claim
|
||||
2 Welding Jar
|
||||
2 Damping Sphere
|
||||
2 Collective Brutality
|
||||
1 Pithing Needle
|
||||
1 Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
1 Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
1 Assassin's Trophy
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
981
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1/guide.md
Normal file
981
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1/guide.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,981 @@
|
||||
# Strategy Specifications
|
||||
## Deck Name And Archetype
|
||||
|
||||
- **Deck name:** Lantern Control.
|
||||
- **Strategy id:** `edge_1v1_lantern_control`.
|
||||
- **Format validation:** Modern, 60-card main deck and 15-card sideboard; the supplied validation contract says the list passes Modern deck-count rules, and the current Wizards Modern banned list does not include any registered main-deck or sideboard card in this list. Source checked: [Wizards Banned & Restricted List](https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list).
|
||||
- **Color identity / mana posture:** UBG in practice, with black discard from `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek`, green selection from `Ancient Stirrings`, blue artifact tutoring from `Whir of Invention`, and artifact-heavy fixing through `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry`. The mana base is compressed and artifact-dependent, so Veles must treat early artifact presence as part of color stability, not only as lock material.
|
||||
- **Commander status:** No commander is registered; no command-zone, commander-tax, or recast policy applies to this strategy version.
|
||||
- **Archetype:** Lantern Control is an artifact prison-control deck that tries to convert top-library visibility from `Lantern of Insight` into draw denial with `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, while `Ensnaring Bridge` constrains combat and discard strips the opponent's best early escape route.
|
||||
- **Stock / rogue / hybrid status:** Treat this as a rogue/edge-case Modern Lantern shell rather than a stock tournament-locked list. It has the classic Lantern core of `Lantern of Insight`, mill rocks, discard, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga`, but the seed is tagged `draft-only` and explicitly needs support review before showcase claims.
|
||||
- **Registered tags:** `edge-case`, `draft-only`, `known top library`, `mill rocks`, `hidden information`, `lock maintenance`, and `activated artifact priority`. These tags should bias Veles toward careful priority handling, explicit top-card state tracking, and conservative lock maintenance instead of generic control-deck heuristics.
|
||||
- **Role concern:** This deck wins by denying relevant draws and eventually closing through `Urza's Saga` constructs, repeated library control, or opponent depletion; it should not be piloted like a normal removal deck. A hand with discard but no artifact engine can interact briefly, but it does not automatically become a keep unless it can find `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Urza's Saga`, or a relevant artifact tutor/selection path.
|
||||
- **Legality/support concern:** The registered list is count-valid and currently format-valid by the provided contract, but card-reference metadata must be trusted at runtime for exact activated abilities, replacement effects, and target restrictions. If Veles lacks reliable text for `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Whir of Invention`, `Pithing Needle`, `Surgical Extraction`, or sideboard hate pieces, the pilot must mark those choices as metadata-sensitive instead of inventing exact legal targets or effects.
|
||||
- **Opponent information status:** Opponent hand, deck, and sideboard contents are hidden unless revealed by legal game actions. `Lantern of Insight` can make top-library information public or visible according to rules-engine state, and discard effects can reveal a hand, but Veles must not assume unknown draws, unknown hand cards, or unknown activated abilities before they are surfaced by the engine or public game state.
|
||||
- **Runtime identity rule:** Pilot decisions should prioritize establishing a visible lock piece, preserving enough artifacts to sustain `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga`, and using each mill-rock activation only after checking whose top card is known and whether milling advances the lock, protects survival, or prevents a specific visible threat.
|
||||
|
||||
## Thesis
|
||||
|
||||
Lantern Control assembles a visibility-and-denial prison: `Lantern of Insight` identifies top-library threats, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` control draw steps, and `Ensnaring Bridge` buys the turns needed for that soft lock to become decisive. The deck wins by making the opponent draw blanks while its own draw steps, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga` assemble redundant artifacts and eventually create enough inevitability to end the game.
|
||||
|
||||
Prioritize lock function over card quantity when the visible board is dangerous. A hand with discard and mana but no path to `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Urza's Saga`, `Ancient Stirrings`, or `Whir of Invention` is only a temporary interaction hand; it is not yet a Lantern hand. A hand with top-card visibility but no mill rock should seek a mill rock or `Whir of Invention` before spending interaction on medium threats. A hand with mill rocks but no `Lantern of Insight` should avoid blind self-decking or opponent milling unless the rules-engine state shows a concrete reason.
|
||||
|
||||
Win by denying relevant draws, not by racing. `Urza's Saga` can produce large construct pressure, but constructs are a secondary kill and must not pull the pilot away from keeping `Ensnaring Bridge` live when the opponent can attack for lethal or near-lethal damage. `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Surgical Extraction`, and `Pithing Needle` are not generic value cards here; they remove the specific card, engine, activated ability, or follow-up that breaks the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
Do not invent hidden information. The pilot may act on cards revealed by `Lantern of Insight`, legally revealed hands, graveyards, public permanents, and rules-engine legal actions, but it must not assume the opponent has a particular answer in hand or deck unless known. Mill-rock activations should be made from visible top-card context whenever possible: deny an opponent card that beats the current lock, preserve an opponent blank when they are locked, mill your own dead top card when safe, or leave your own needed artifact/land/interaction on top.
|
||||
|
||||
## Role Package
|
||||
|
||||
- **Threats / finishers:** `Urza's Saga` is the primary battlefield finisher because it creates artifact-scaling construct pressure while also supporting the artifact plan. Treat construct pressure as a closing tool after survival is stable, not as permission to lower the hand for `Ensnaring Bridge` too late or expose the deck to an unlocked attack step.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Payoffs / prison pieces:** `Ensnaring Bridge` is the survival payoff that converts a low hand size into combat denial. `Lantern of Insight` is the information payoff that turns each mill rock from a random mill effect into a draw-step control tool. `Pithing Needle` is a narrow payoff against activated abilities when the relevant card name or permanent is known through public information or reliable matchup context.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Engines / lock maintenance:** `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` are the repeated top-card control package. Use them as precision tools: opponent top cards that beat `Ensnaring Bridge`, remove `Lantern of Insight`, disrupt artifacts, or create immediate pressure should usually be denied; opponent blanks should usually be left; your own needed land, lock piece, or tutor should usually be preserved. `Codex Shredder` also carries late-game recursion only when the rules engine exposes the legal graveyard-return action.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Velocity / selection:** `Ancient Stirrings` finds colorless/artifact/land infrastructure and is a major keep enabler. `Mishra's Bauble` supplies cheap artifact density and information/cantrip texture, but it should not be sacrificed from the battlefield if doing so strands `Glimmervoid`, weakens `Spire of Industry`, or reduces `Whir of Invention` material at a critical point. `Whir of Invention` is the flexible artifact access card and should be saved for the artifact that stabilizes the visible game state unless immediate development is required.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Interaction:** `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` clear lock-breakers, fast threats, and permission before committing `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Whir of Invention`, or `Urza's Saga` pressure. `Surgical Extraction` punishes known graveyard cards or cards just discarded/milled, but it should not be fired for low-impact information when a visible recursive, combo, or lock-breaking card can be removed later. Main-deck `Pithing Needle` answers activated abilities, not spells or static pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Protection:** Main-deck protection is mostly structural: discard before lock commitment, redundant artifacts, low hand size for `Ensnaring Bridge`, and careful artifact preservation for mana stability. Sideboard protection adds `Leyline of Sanctity` against targeted discard, burn, and some combo pressure, plus `Welding Jar` to protect important artifacts when its legal regeneration action is available.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Recursion / inevitability:** `Codex Shredder` can become a late-game recovery tool if card-reference metadata and legal actions expose the graveyard-return line. The default plan is still prevention: keep lock pieces alive, avoid sacrificing artifact infrastructure casually, and use `Whir of Invention` or `Urza's Saga` to replace missing pieces.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Mana:** `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` are artifact-dependent fixing, so early artifact count is also a mana resource. `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Forest`, and `Swamp` supply colored access for `Ancient Stirrings`, black discard, and sideboard spells. `Urza's Saga` is both land and engine, so sequence it with awareness of color needs and the timing of its chapter abilities as surfaced by the rules engine.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Sideboard modules:** `Leyline of Sanctity` is anti-targeting protection; `Nature's Claim` and `Assassin's Trophy` are permanent interaction; `Welding Jar` protects artifacts; `Damping Sphere` attacks spell-chain and mana-engine decks; `Collective Brutality` adds flexible interaction where its legal modes are available; sideboard `Pithing Needle` increases activated-ability coverage; `Grafdigger's Cage` and `Tormod's Crypt` are graveyard/library-cast hate pieces with distinct legal roles.
|
||||
|
||||
## Primary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- **Lock the draw step with `Lantern of Insight` plus mill rocks, then win by inevitability.** Setup requires top-card visibility from `Lantern of Insight`, at least one repeatable mill artifact from `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, and enough survival from `Ensnaring Bridge`, discard, or low opponent pressure to keep passing turns. Execute by denying only opponent top cards that visibly break the lock, remove artifacts, beat `Ensnaring Bridge`, assemble combo, or create lethal pressure; leave opponent blanks on top and preserve your own needed land, lock piece, `Whir of Invention`, or `Ancient Stirrings`. Disruption to respect: artifact removal, activated-ability hate, graveyard reshuffling, fast combat before `Ensnaring Bridge`, and spells that do not care about combat. Prioritize this path whenever the opponent’s battlefield is attack-based, the top card is known, and you can maintain at least one mill action per draw step.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Stabilize with `Ensnaring Bridge` and convert empty-hand control into a soft prison.** Setup requires committing `Ensnaring Bridge`, reducing hand size below relevant opposing creature powers, and preventing the opponent from drawing answers with `Lantern of Insight` plus `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`. Execute by spending discard on bridge-breakers before threats when the board is already contained, and by sequencing cheap artifacts before the opponent’s combat step when lowering hand size changes attack legality. Disruption to respect: noncombat damage, creature abilities that do not attack, artifact removal, bounce, and wide boards with low-power creatures that can still attack under a larger hand. Prioritize this path when behind on battlefield or life, because the deck rarely races cleanly before `Ensnaring Bridge` is active.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Use `Urza's Saga` constructs to close once survival is stable.** Setup requires an `Urza's Saga` timeline that does not cut off needed colored mana and enough artifacts to make construct attacks meaningful. Execute by making constructs only when the rules engine exposes the legal chapter/activated actions and attacking when doing so does not raise hand size, tap critical mana, or weaken `Ensnaring Bridge` protection at a lethal crack-back point. Disruption to respect: creature removal, artifact removal that shrinks constructs, land interaction, and opponents who can ignore combat stalls. Prioritize construct pressure when the opponent is low on relevant blockers or answers, `Ensnaring Bridge` already blanks their attack step, or the lock needs a faster finish before the opponent finds noncombat outs.
|
||||
|
||||
## Secondary Win Conditions
|
||||
|
||||
- **Tutor the missing lock piece with `Whir of Invention` or find infrastructure with `Ancient Stirrings`.** `Whir of Invention` is usually a stabilization tool first: get the artifact that changes the visible game state, commonly `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, a mill rock, or `Pithing Needle` when the named activated ability is the problem. `Ancient Stirrings` should bias toward the missing artifact or land engine piece, not generic card quantity. Use these as win-condition enablers when one missing permanent turns scattered artifacts into a functional lock.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn discard plus `Surgical Extraction` into a deck-function kill against narrow engines.** Use `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` to expose and remove the card that beats the lock or defines the opponent’s plan, then use `Surgical Extraction` only when the card is legally in a public graveyard and extracting it materially changes future draws. This is strongest against redundant combo pieces, recursive threats, or single-card answers to `Ensnaring Bridge`; it is weak as a low-impact information play.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Use `Pithing Needle` as a virtual win condition against activated abilities.** Name only from public information, visible permanents, revealed cards, or matchup knowledge that the policy layer is allowed to use. Prioritize `Pithing Needle` when one activated ability breaks `Ensnaring Bridge`, destroys artifacts, wins through combat denial, or invalidates `Urza's Saga` pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Recover inevitability with `Codex Shredder` recursion only when the legal action is available.** If the rules engine exposes a graveyard-return activation, use it to recover the exact card that restores the lock or prevents immediate loss, usually `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Whir of Invention`, or a discard spell for a known hand. Do not rely on this line before metadata and legal actions confirm timing, cost, target, and zone.
|
||||
|
||||
## Emergency Lines
|
||||
|
||||
- **When behind on life or board, stop racing and find `Ensnaring Bridge`.** Use `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` on bridge answers or immediate lethal pieces, use `Whir of Invention` for `Ensnaring Bridge` if legally available, and lower hand size before combat when that changes attack eligibility. Do not spend turns growing `Urza's Saga` pressure if the opponent can kill through the next combat step.
|
||||
|
||||
- **When behind on cards, protect information quality over raw draw.** `Mishra's Bauble` and `Ancient Stirrings` can smooth, but the emergency priority is assembling `Lantern of Insight` plus a mill rock so each future draw step becomes controlled. Avoid blind `Ghoulcaller's Bell` or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` use when it could mill or exile your own needed recovery card without denying a known opponent card.
|
||||
|
||||
- **When behind on mana, preserve artifact-dependent fixing.** Keep enough artifacts for `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry`, avoid sacrificing `Mishra's Bauble` if it strands colors needed for `Ancient Stirrings`, discard, `Whir of Invention`, or sideboard interaction, and treat `Urza's Saga` as an engine land that can still create color pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- **When lock pieces are removed, rebuild the highest-impact axis first.** Against creatures, rebuild `Ensnaring Bridge`; against unknown top decks, rebuild `Lantern of Insight`; against a known dangerous top card, rebuild any legal mill-rock access; against activated abilities, rebuild `Pithing Needle`. If all win conditions are under pressure, use `Surgical Extraction` only on a public graveyard card that removes the opponent’s clearest remaining path to breaking the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
## Resource Model
|
||||
|
||||
- **Life is a spendable buffer only until `Ensnaring Bridge` is online.** `Thoughtseize`, `Surgical Extraction`, and `Spire of Industry` can convert life into hand disruption, graveyard denial, or colored mana, but do not pay life casually when the opponent can still attack around an unset or oversized-hand `Ensnaring Bridge`. Once combat is locked, life becomes a reserve for `Thoughtseize` information and exact-color turns.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Hand size is both resource and liability.** Keep enough cards to sequence lands, `Whir of Invention`, and lock pieces, but actively empty cheap artifacts when lowering hand size changes `Ensnaring Bridge` attack legality. Holding redundant `Lantern of Insight`, extra mill rocks, or delayed discard is worse than deploying them if the opponent’s next combat step is the immediate danger.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Mana converts into lock density, not tempo racing.** One-mana artifacts turn early mana into repeatable draw-step control; `Whir of Invention` converts blue mana plus artifacts into the missing artifact at instant speed; `Urza's Saga` converts land drops into construct pressure and a tutor-like artifact chapter. Do not use mana on construct pressure when the same turn must establish `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, or an answer-denial mill action.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Board artifacts are the deck’s engine count.** `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Pithing Needle`, and `Ensnaring Bridge` support `Whir of Invention`, `Urza's Saga` constructs, `Glimmervoid`, and `Spire of Industry`. Preserve artifact count when it fixes colors, grows constructs, enables improvise, or keeps `Glimmervoid` from becoming unsafe.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Graveyard access is selective and public-information driven.** `Surgical Extraction` converts a public graveyard card into future draw denial and hand/library information when the extracted name matters. `Codex Shredder` can be a late recovery resource only when the rules engine exposes the legal graveyard-return activation; until then, treat graveyard recursion as conditional, not guaranteed.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Exile is denial, not value by default.** `Pyxis of Pandemonium` can remove known top cards without feeding graveyard plans, but exiling your own unknown top card is a real cost when looking for `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, or a needed land. Prefer targeted `Codex Shredder` when only the opponent’s top card must disappear.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Information is the highest-value resource.** `Lantern of Insight`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, and `Surgical Extraction` convert hidden zones into known decisions. Spend mill activations only after comparing visible top cards; leave opponent blanks in place and protect your own known lock piece or land when the draw matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Sideboard bullets convert narrow matchups into lockable games.** `Leyline of Sanctity` protects the player from targeted pressure, `Nature's Claim` and `Assassin's Trophy` answer problematic permanents, `Damping Sphere` pressures spell-chain or land-mana engines, `Collective Brutality` changes discard/removal/life-race texture, `Welding Jar` protects key artifacts, and `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, plus extra `Pithing Needle` attack specific engines.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mana Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- **Keep hands that cast an early green or black spell and deploy artifacts.** Ideal openers have one black source for `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek`, one green source for `Ancient Stirrings`, and at least one one-mana artifact. A hand with only `Urza's Saga` mana is risky unless its artifacts and matchup context already produce a functional plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Prioritize black on turn one when the opponent’s speed or unknown hand can break the lock.** Use `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek` before slower artifact setup if the opponent may have fast combo, artifact removal, or a threat that invalidates `Ensnaring Bridge`. Prioritize `Ancient Stirrings` when the hand lacks `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, or enough lands to function.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Treat blue as a commitment color for `Whir of Invention`.** `Whir of Invention` needs heavy blue access plus artifact support; plan `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` sequencing so the turn that needs `Whir of Invention` does not lose colored access by sacrificing or failing to control artifacts. Do not assume `Urza's Saga`, `Forest`, or `Swamp` can help pay blue costs.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Sequence `Glimmervoid` only with artifact stability.** `Glimmervoid` is excellent fixing after a one-mana artifact, but opening on it without a durable artifact can create avoidable mana failure. If the only artifact is `Mishra's Bauble`, consider whether sacrificing it before end step strands `Glimmervoid` or shuts off colored spells.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Use `Spire of Industry` as colored mana after artifacts are established.** `Spire of Industry` can require artifact presence for colored output and may tax life, so spend it deliberately on `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Whir of Invention`, or sideboard interaction rather than routine colorless artifact deployment when another land works.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Account for tapped lands before choosing a line.** `Blooming Marsh` and `Darkslick Shores` are strongest early and can become slower later; sequence them before utility lands when the current turn needs untapped black, green, or blue. Do not keep a hand whose only colored source enters too late to cast the first relevant spell.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Play `Urza's Saga` when its chapter timeline is useful and color pressure is manageable.** `Urza's Saga` does not fix colored requirements for discard, `Ancient Stirrings`, or `Whir of Invention`; delay or avoid it when losing a colored land slot prevents casting the spell that stabilizes the game. When stable, let it create artifacts, construct pressure, and access to a legal one-mana artifact target from the registered list.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Decide land-before-draw from known top cards.** With `Lantern of Insight` or `Mishra's Bauble` information, play a land before drawing only when landfall is irrelevant and the top card decision is already fixed; wait when `Ancient Stirrings`, a known draw, or mill-rock choice may change which land should be used or preserved. Do not mill your own top land if the hand still needs mana to cast `Ensnaring Bridge` or hold up `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
|
||||
## Mulligan Guide
|
||||
|
||||
- **Strong keep:** Keep hands with two usable lands, at least one early information spell or artifact, and a path to `Ensnaring Bridge` or repeated top-deck control. Example: `Glimmervoid`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Thoughtseize`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ensnaring Bridge` has turn-one information, turn-two engine, and a stabilizing bridge line.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Medium keep:** Keep hands that lack `Lantern of Insight` but have selection plus lock density. Example: `Spire of Industry`, `Forest`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Pithing Needle`, `Whir of Invention` can find missing artifacts, but it needs careful color sequencing before `Whir of Invention` matters.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Risky keep:** Keep one-land hands only when the land casts the first spell and the hand has `Mishra's Bauble` or `Ancient Stirrings` access to more mana. Example: `Blooming Marsh`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Thoughtseize`, `Ensnaring Bridge` is acceptable on the draw more often than on the play because one missed land can strand `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Automatic ship:** Mulligan hands with no land, no castable turn-one action, or only colorless/utility mana with color-dependent spells. Hands like `Urza's Saga`, `Urza's Saga`, `Whir of Invention`, `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Ensnaring Bridge` should not be kept because the spells do not function on time.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Matchup-dependent keep:** Keep discard-heavy hands against unknown fast combo, linear graveyard, or removal-heavy opponents when mana supports black on turn one. Example: `Swamp`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell` is strong when extracting a public graveyard card can matter, but slower against creature pressure without `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Play/draw adjustment:** On the play, prefer `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek` plus a one-mana artifact because denying the opponent’s first key spell is worth delaying `Ancient Stirrings`. On the draw, value `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, and faster artifact deployment higher because the first opposing permanent may already be on board.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Trap hand:** Do not keep hands that look artifact-dense but cannot see or control libraries. `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Urza's Saga`, `Forest`, `Swamp` can deploy pieces, but without `Lantern of Insight`, `Mishra's Bauble`, discard, or `Ancient Stirrings`, the mill rocks may fire blindly and miss the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
## Turn Arc
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn 1:** Lead with black discard when the opponent’s unknown hand could contain fast combo, artifact removal, or a threat that beats `Ensnaring Bridge`; use `Thoughtseize` for any relevant nonland card and `Inquisition of Kozilek` when its legal target range is enough. Lead with `Lantern of Insight` when the hand already has mill rocks and needs immediate top-card information, and lead with `Ancient Stirrings` when the hand lacks `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, a second land, or a critical artifact.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn 1 deviation:** Deploy `Mishra's Bauble` before deciding a mill action when its information changes whether to preserve or deny a top card. Avoid sacrificing `Mishra's Bauble` if it is the only artifact keeping `Glimmervoid` safe or enabling `Spire of Industry` colored mana for the next turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn 2:** Build the information loop by pairing `Lantern of Insight` with `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`. If the opponent has a dangerous activated card or named engine visible from hand, battlefield, graveyard, or known deck context, cast `Pithing Needle` only when the rules engine exposes a legal name choice and the choice is supported by visible/public information.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn 2 deviation:** Cast `Ancient Stirrings` before committing redundant artifacts when the missing piece is `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Pithing Needle`, `Urza's Saga`, or a stabilizing land. Hold `Surgical Extraction` until a relevant card is in a public graveyard unless the legal prompt and visible context make immediate extraction valid.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn 3:** Prioritize `Ensnaring Bridge` if combat damage is the likely way to lose, then empty cheap artifacts and discard to reduce hand size before the next attack step. If bridge is not needed immediately, use `Urza's Saga` progression, `Whir of Invention`, or additional mill rocks to assemble redundant draw-step control.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turn 3 deviation:** Hold up `Whir of Invention` when instant-speed access to `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Pithing Needle`, `Lantern of Insight`, or a mill rock changes the opponent’s next turn. Do not tap artifacts for improvise if the resulting line removes the only available mill activation needed to deny a known top-card threat.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turns 4-5:** Maintain the lock by checking both top cards before every draw step and milling only cards that change the game against you or deny your own needed draw. Use `Surgical Extraction` after discard or mill places a high-impact card in the opponent’s graveyard, especially when removing all copies improves future top-deck control.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Turns 4-5 deviation:** Let `Urza's Saga` make constructs only when the mana and artifact timing do not break bridge safety or delay the missing lock piece. When its search chapter resolves, choose a legal registered one-mana artifact target that repairs the current lock, such as `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Mishra's Bauble`, or `Pithing Needle`, based on visible board needs.
|
||||
|
||||
- **Late game:** Convert excess mana into inevitability by activating mill rocks every draw step, preserving `Ensnaring Bridge`, and using `Codex Shredder` recursion only when the rules engine confirms the legal activation and the returned card is worth the mana. Win by denying relevant draws until the opponent is locked out, by construct pressure when bridge and hand size allow it, or by library depletion when repeated mill is the safest route.
|
||||
|
||||
## Card Roles
|
||||
|
||||
- `Lantern of Insight` is the deck's information engine; cast it early when the hand has any mill rock, and protect the revealed-library lock over speculative artifact count. The main mistake is activating `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` without current top-card information unless the opponent's top card is unknown and any draw is unacceptable.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` are draw-step control tools, not random mill spells. Use them mainly before the opponent draws a known relevant card; preserve your own known draw when it is `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, `Ancient Stirrings`, land, or missing lock density. `Codex Shredder` is the cleanest single-target mill piece and late recursion outlet; `Ghoulcaller's Bell` is symmetrical, so do not fire it into your own needed top card; `Pyxis of Pandemonium` exiles face down and is best for cards that must not reach the graveyard.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Ensnaring Bridge` is the stabilizer that turns top-deck denial into inevitability. Cast it before extra selection when combat is the losing vector, then empty hand with cheap artifacts and discard. Do not make large `Urza's Saga` construct attacks or hold extra cards if that exposes bridge failure.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` are the early hand-information suite. Use them to remove artifact hate, fast combo, pressure that beats `Ensnaring Bridge`, or a card that pairs with a known top draw. `Thoughtseize` has broader nonland reach at a life cost; `Inquisition of Kozilek` is safer when its mana-value restriction still covers the threat.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Ancient Stirrings`, `Whir of Invention`, `Mishra's Bauble`, and `Urza's Saga` assemble the lock. `Ancient Stirrings` finds colorless cards from the top five; `Whir of Invention` is instant-speed artifact access but can consume artifacts needed for activations; `Mishra's Bauble` supplies delayed card flow and information; `Urza's Saga` finds one-mana artifacts while also threatening constructs when bridge math allows.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Surgical Extraction` converts public graveyard access into deck collapse. Use it after discard or mill puts a meaningful card in the opponent's graveyard; do not treat it as graveyard hate against spells already cast unless the legal stack and graveyard state make extraction relevant.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Pithing Needle` is a name-based activated-ability answer. Cast it when visible/public information supports the named card; do not guess blindly when the decision agent lacks a reliable name from hand, battlefield, graveyard, top library, known deck context, or rules-engine prompt.
|
||||
|
||||
### Card Hover Notes
|
||||
|
||||
#### Lantern of Insight
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, defining core prison piece.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Makes each player play with the top card of their library revealed so `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` can deny specific draws instead of milling blindly.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast early when you have `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Mishra's Bauble`, or `Ancient Stirrings` follow-up; delay only when turn-one `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek` must remove a card that stops `Ensnaring Bridge` or destroys artifacts.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs one generic mana; outputs continuous top-library visibility. Its activated ability taps and sacrifices `Lantern of Insight` to make target player shuffle.
|
||||
- Mode map: Keep it on battlefield for revealed-library control by default; use the tap-sacrifice shuffle only when target player’s known top card or known top-library order is more dangerous than losing continuous visibility.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Enables precision opponent denial with `Codex Shredder`, symmetrical denial with `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, exile denial with `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, and top-card checks with `Mishra's Bauble`.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct peer; closest role overlap is `Mishra's Bauble`, which looks at one target player’s top card once and draws later.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Without `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, it reveals danger but does not remove it; sacrificing it can turn later mill decisions blind.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest value against artifact removal, combo pieces, noncombat outs, or threats that beat `Ensnaring Bridge` when those cards appear on top.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Play `Lantern of Insight` before activating mill artifacts unless an immediate discard spell must clear the way first.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Codex Shredder
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core repeatable mill rock and late recovery slot.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; recursion.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Mills target player one card at a time, letting this deck remove an opponent’s revealed top card while preserving your own revealed `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Urza's Saga`, or needed land.
|
||||
- Timing: Activate before the opponent draws when their revealed top card breaks `Ensnaring Bridge`, destroys artifacts, advances combo, or creates lethal pressure. Save activation when the opponent top card is harmless.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Tap ability mills target player for one card; `{5}`, tap, and sacrifice returns target card from your graveyard to your hand.
|
||||
- Mode map: Use the mill ability for draw-step denial; use the graveyard-return ability only when recovering `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Whir of Invention`, `Pithing Needle`, or a discard spell is worth losing this repeatable mill artifact.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Best with `Lantern of Insight`; can set up `Surgical Extraction` by putting a nonbasic card into a graveyard.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Ghoulcaller's Bell` mills each player; `Pyxis of Pandemonium` exiles each top card face down instead of milling.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Do not mill your own needed top card unless denying the opponent’s top card is more important; do not sacrifice it for recursion if it is your only active draw-denial artifact.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Prefer over `Ghoulcaller's Bell` when only the opponent’s top card is dangerous.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Treat it as precise top-card denial, not as random mill.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ghoulcaller's Bell
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core symmetrical mill rock.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Repeatedly mills each player, which is useful when the opponent’s revealed top card must go away and your own top card is expendable or already bad.
|
||||
- Timing: Use before the opponent draw step when `Lantern of Insight` shows a card that breaks `Ensnaring Bridge`, removes artifacts, completes combo, or creates lethal pressure; avoid use when your own revealed top card is essential.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs one generic mana; tapping it makes each player mill one card.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Works with `Lantern of Insight` for known-card decisions, with `Surgical Extraction` when it mills an important nonbasic card, and with `Codex Shredder` when follow-up single-target control is needed.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Codex Shredder` is safer for one-library denial; `Pyxis of Pandemonium` denies graveyard access by exiling face down.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Symmetrical milling can put your own `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Urza's Saga`, `Forest`, `Swamp`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt` into the graveyard.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong when both top cards are acceptable to mill and weaker against graveyard decks that benefit from milled cards.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If your own top card matters, prefer `Codex Shredder` to target only the opponent.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Pyxis of Pandemonium
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, supplemental exile-based draw-denial artifact.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Exiles each player’s top card face down, removing dangerous opponent top cards without feeding graveyard plans that could punish `Codex Shredder` or `Ghoulcaller's Bell`.
|
||||
- Timing: Use the tap ability when the opponent’s revealed top card must disappear and graveyard placement is risky; avoid blind use when your own top card might be `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Urza's Saga`, or a needed land.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Tap ability exiles each player’s top card face down; `{7}`, tap, and sacrifice turns face up cards each player owns exiled with this artifact, then puts permanent cards among them onto the battlefield.
|
||||
- Mode map: Tap-exile is the normal Lantern-control use; the seven-mana sacrifice ability is only for rare board states where the known exiled permanents favor you and do not unlock the opponent.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Uses `Lantern of Insight` to decide whether exile is correct; supports `Ensnaring Bridge` by denying top-decked answers or attackers.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Codex Shredder` targets one player and mills; `Ghoulcaller's Bell` mills each player to graveyards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: The sacrifice ability can give the opponent permanents and can undo your prison posture.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Prefer against graveyard-recursion decks when a revealed top card should not enter a graveyard.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use the tap ability for known dangerous top cards; almost never activate the seven-mana sacrifice ability without clear proof it helps.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ensnaring Bridge
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core prison stabilizer.
|
||||
- Role type: engine payoff; lifegain/stabilization.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Stops creatures with power greater than the number of cards in your hand from attacking, buying time for `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` to control draw steps.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast before extra selection or `Urza's Saga` Construct pressure when combat damage is the loss route; after it resolves, spend cheap cards before combat when lowering hand size changes attack legality.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs three generic mana and converts low hand size into combat prevention; `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Pithing Needle`, `Thoughtseize`, and `Inquisition of Kozilek` help empty the hand.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Whir of Invention` and `Ancient Stirrings`; protected by `Welding Jar`; supported by top-card denial from `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium`.
|
||||
- Role peers: No direct peer; closest role overlap is `Collective Brutality`, which can buy time against low-toughness attackers or burn but does not lock combat.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Holding cards such as `Whir of Invention`, lands, `Collective Brutality`, `Assassin's Trophy`, or `Leyline of Sanctity` can let attackers with lower power attack through it.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest priority against creature decks; lower priority against noncombat combo where `Damping Sphere`, `Pithing Needle`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt` is the relevant axis.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: If the opponent can win by attacking, get `Ensnaring Bridge` down and lower your hand size before chasing value.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core zero-mana artifact and delayed cantrip.
|
||||
- Role type: card selection; engine fuel/material.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Adds artifact count for `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga` Constructs while looking at the top card of target player’s library.
|
||||
- Timing: Deploy freely to lower hand size for `Ensnaring Bridge`; sacrifice only when the top-card look or next-upkeep draw is worth losing artifact count.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs zero; taps and sacrifices to look at the top card of target player’s library, then draws a card at the beginning of the next turn’s upkeep.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Coordinates with `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium`; supports colored mana from `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Lantern of Insight` gives continuous top-card visibility; `Ancient Stirrings` immediately selects a colorless card from five cards.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Sacrificing the only artifact can force `Glimmervoid` to be sacrificed at end step or turn off colored `Spire of Industry`; delayed draw can increase hand size for `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Often trimmed for `Leyline of Sanctity`, `Collective Brutality`, or `Welding Jar` when life total or artifact protection matters more than delayed cards.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Do not crack `Mishra's Bauble` if it is the only artifact keeping your mana stable.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ancient Stirrings
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core green selection spell.
|
||||
- Role type: card selection; role glue.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Finds colorless infrastructure: `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Pithing Needle`, `Urza's Saga`, `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Forest`, or `Swamp`.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast when the hand lacks `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, a mill artifact, `Urza's Saga`, or a needed land; cast discard first if the opponent can punish tapping green mana before `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{G}`; looks at the top five cards of your library, may reveal a colorless card from among them and put it into your hand, then puts the rest on the bottom in any order.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Finds `Ensnaring Bridge` for combat survival, `Lantern of Insight` for visibility, `Codex Shredder` or `Ghoulcaller's Bell` for denial, and `Urza's Saga` for land-engine pressure.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Whir of Invention` searches artifacts onto the battlefield but needs `{U}{U}{U}`, X mana, and often artifact taps.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Cannot take `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Whir of Invention`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Nature's Claim`, `Collective Brutality`, `Leyline of Sanctity`, or `Assassin's Trophy`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Prioritize `Ensnaring Bridge` against attackers; prioritize `Lantern of Insight` plus `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` against slower decks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Pick the missing prison component, not the card that looks strongest alone.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Thoughtseize
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core broad discard spell.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-discard.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Reveals the opponent’s hand and removes the nonland card most likely to stop `Lantern of Insight`, destroy `Ensnaring Bridge`, counter `Whir of Invention`, race life total, or win outside combat.
|
||||
- Timing: Prefer early before committing `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Whir of Invention`, or `Urza's Saga`; choose `Inquisition of Kozilek` instead when it can take the same relevant card and 2 life matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{B}`; target player reveals their hand, you choose a nonland card from it, that player discards it, and you lose 2 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Sets up `Surgical Extraction`; informs `Pithing Needle` names; protects `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, and `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Inquisition of Kozilek` avoids life loss but only takes a nonland card with mana value 3 or less; `Collective Brutality` hits instant or sorcery cards with its discard mode.
|
||||
- Failure modes: The 2 life is dangerous against burn, prowess, and early attackers before `Ensnaring Bridge` is active.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Best against combo, control, artifact removal, and noncombat outs where one card breaks the prison.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Take the card that beats your `Ensnaring Bridge` or top-library lock, not automatically the highest-cost card.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Inquisition of Kozilek
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core low-cost discard spell.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-discard.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Removes cheap threats, artifact hate, permission, or combo enablers while preserving life for `Thoughtseize`, Phyrexian `Surgical Extraction`, and colored `Spire of Industry`.
|
||||
- Timing: Best on turn one from `Swamp`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Glimmervoid`, or artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry`; also cast before `Pithing Needle` or `Surgical Extraction` when hand information changes the correct target.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{B}`; target player reveals their hand, and you choose a nonland card with mana value 3 or less for that player to discard.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Sets up `Surgical Extraction`; clears the way for `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, and `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Thoughtseize` can take any nonland card but costs 2 life; `Collective Brutality` can take only an instant or sorcery with its discard mode.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Cannot take lands or nonland cards with mana value 4 or greater, so expensive lock-breakers may require `Thoughtseize`, `Pithing Needle`, `Assassin's Trophy`, or top-card denial.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Better than `Thoughtseize` against burn when the key legal target costs 3 or less.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Cast early and take the cheap card that kills you before `Ensnaring Bridge` or breaks your artifact engine.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Whir of Invention
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 3 copies, core instant-speed artifact tutor.
|
||||
- Role type: tutor/search; mechanic enabler.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Searches directly onto the battlefield for the artifact that solves the current state: `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Pithing Needle`, or post-board `Welding Jar`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `Damping Sphere` when X is high enough.
|
||||
- Timing: Hold for the opponent’s end step when waiting preserves information and mana; cast immediately when `Ensnaring Bridge` or another artifact is needed before lethal combat or a lock-breaking action.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{X}{U}{U}{U}`; improvise lets your artifacts help cast it, with each artifact tapped after mana abilities paying for `{1}`; searches for an artifact card with mana value X or less, puts it onto the battlefield, then shuffles.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Uses artifact count from `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Pithing Needle`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, and `Welding Jar`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Ancient Stirrings` digs for a colorless card; `Urza's Saga` searches only artifact cards with mana cost `{0}` or `{1}`.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Tapping the only active `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` can remove the draw-denial activation needed before the opponent draws.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Tutor `Ensnaring Bridge` against attackers, `Pithing Needle` for known activated abilities, `Grafdigger's Cage` against graveyard/library casting or creature entry from those zones, and `Tormod's Crypt` against graveyard volume.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Search for the artifact that prevents losing this turn cycle before searching for extra value.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Surgical Extraction
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 3 copies, precision graveyard and redundancy breaker.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; interaction-removal.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Exiles same-name copies of a meaningful nonbasic graveyard card from its owner’s graveyard, hand, and library, turning discard or mill into future draw denial.
|
||||
- Timing: Use after `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Codex Shredder`, or `Ghoulcaller's Bell` puts a key card into a graveyard; save it when the current target is replaceable and a later combo piece, recursive threat, or artifact answer matters more.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Instant with `{B/P}`, paid by either `{B}` or 2 life; chooses target card in a graveyard other than a basic land card, then searches that card’s owner’s graveyard, hand, and library for any number of same-name cards, exiles them, and that player shuffles.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Combines with `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Codex Shredder`, and `Ghoulcaller's Bell`; the shuffle changes top-card information from `Lantern of Insight`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Tormod's Crypt` exiles one target player’s whole graveyard; `Grafdigger's Cage` prevents graveyard/library casting and creature entry from graveyards or libraries.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Exiling a graveyard card after a spell has already been cast usually does not counter or undo that spell on the stack.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against narrow combo, recursive threats, and specific artifact answers; weak as pure information when `Lantern of Insight`, a mill artifact, or `Ensnaring Bridge` is missing.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Target a public graveyard card only when removing future copies changes the game.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Pithing Needle
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies; sideboard, 1 copy; activated-ability answer and extra post-board bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Names the exact card whose activated abilities break `Ensnaring Bridge`, destroy artifacts, generate noncombat inevitability, or invalidate `Urza's Saga` pressure.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast or tutor after the name is supported by battlefield information, a revealed hand from `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek`, graveyard/exile/top-library information from `Lantern of Insight`, or matchup knowledge allowed by the policy layer.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs one generic mana; as it enters, choose a card name. Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name cannot be activated unless they are mana abilities.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Whir of Invention`, `Urza's Saga`, and `Ancient Stirrings`; discard from `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` helps identify the name.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Assassin's Trophy` destroys a resolved permanent an opponent controls; `Nature's Claim` destroys target artifact or enchantment.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not stop spells, triggered abilities, static abilities, or mana abilities, and blind naming can waste the card.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring the sideboard copy against activated lands, artifacts, planeswalkers, or other visible activated engines that beat `Ensnaring Bridge` or top-card denial.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Name only an exact card with a relevant activated non-mana ability.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, utility land, Construct threat, and artifact search engine.
|
||||
- Role type: tutor/search; threat/clock; mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Becomes a colorless mana land, creates artifact-scaling Construct artifact creature tokens, and searches for a registered artifact with mana cost `{0}` or `{1}`.
|
||||
- Timing: Play when its chapter timeline does not block black for `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek`, green for `Ancient Stirrings` or `Nature's Claim`, or blue density for `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Enchantment Land — Urza’s Saga; chapter I gains `{T}: Add {C}`; chapter II gains `{2}, {T}: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with +1/+1 for each artifact you control; chapter III searches, then the Saga is sacrificed after III.
|
||||
- Mode map: Use the mana ability for development; create Constructs only when pressure is safe under `Ensnaring Bridge`; use chapter III for `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pithing Needle`, or post-board `Welding Jar`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Artifact count from `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, and `Pithing Needle` grows Constructs and helps `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Whir of Invention` finds higher-mana artifacts; `Ancient Stirrings` can find `Urza's Saga` itself.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Construct pressure can tempt racing while `Ensnaring Bridge` still requires low hand size and artifact preservation.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong closer against control and combo after discard and top-card denial stabilize.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use chapter III to repair the prison before choosing a pressure or utility artifact.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Glimmervoid
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, artifact-dependent five-color mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Fixes black for `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek`, green for `Ancient Stirrings` and `Nature's Claim`, blue for `Whir of Invention`, and white for hard-cast `Leyline of Sanctity` while artifact count is stable.
|
||||
- Timing: Best after or alongside a durable artifact; risky as the only land if the only artifact is `Mishra's Bauble` and you need to sacrifice it before the end step.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Taps for one mana of any color; at the beginning of the end step, if you control no artifacts, sacrifice `Glimmervoid`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Stabilized by `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Pithing Needle`, `Welding Jar`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, and `Damping Sphere`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Spire of Industry` fixes with artifacts and life payment but can tap for `{C}` without one; `Blooming Marsh` and `Darkslick Shores` provide narrower early colors without artifact dependence.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Losing the last artifact at end step sacrifices `Glimmervoid` and can strand `Whir of Invention`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Thoughtseize`, or sideboard spells.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Preserve artifacts especially carefully against removal-heavy opponents.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Do not sacrifice or trade away your last artifact when `Glimmervoid` is needed for mana.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Spire of Industry
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, artifact-enabled mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides `{C}` by itself and any color with 1 life plus artifact control, casting `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Whir of Invention`, `Nature's Claim`, `Collective Brutality`, `Assassin's Trophy`, or hard-cast `Leyline of Sanctity`.
|
||||
- Timing: Sequence after establishing an artifact when colored mana matters; use colorless mode for one-mana artifacts when colored access is not needed.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Taps for `{C}`, or taps and pays 1 life to add one mana of any color; the colored ability can be activated only if you control an artifact.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Colored access depends on artifact presence from `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Pithing Needle`, `Welding Jar`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Glimmervoid` fixes without life payment but can be sacrificed if no artifacts remain; `Darkslick Shores` and `Blooming Marsh` fix early without artifact conditions.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Life payment is costly against burn and fast attacks, and without artifacts it cannot produce colored mana.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Preserve life when `Leyline of Sanctity` is absent and `Collective Brutality` has not stabilized burn pressure.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Count artifact presence and life total before choosing colored mana.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Blooming Marsh
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, early black-green mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Casts turn-one `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, or `Ancient Stirrings` without artifact support or life payment.
|
||||
- Timing: Best among the first three lands; play it before `Urza's Saga` when current or next-turn black or green tempo matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands; taps for `{B}` or `{G}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Supports early discard into `Surgical Extraction`, and casts `Ancient Stirrings` to find `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Urza's Saga`, or a missing artifact.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Darkslick Shores` covers blue-black; `Forest` and `Swamp` are single-color basics; `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` fix more colors with artifact constraints.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not produce blue for `Whir of Invention`, and late tapped entry can miss an emergency `Nature's Claim`, `Thoughtseize`, or `Inquisition of Kozilek` window.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against fast decks where turn-one black or green action is mandatory.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use it early; do not assume it enters untapped after you already control three lands.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Darkslick Shores
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, early blue-black mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Casts `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek` early and contributes blue toward `Whir of Invention` without artifact dependence.
|
||||
- Timing: Best as one of the first three lands; prioritize before `Urza's Saga` when future `Whir of Invention` or early discard needs untapped blue-black access.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands; taps for `{U}` or `{B}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Enables discard protection for `Ensnaring Bridge` and helps meet `Whir of Invention`’s `{U}{U}{U}` requirement alongside `Glimmervoid` and artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Blooming Marsh` covers black-green; `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` can fix all colors with artifact-related constraints.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not cast `Ancient Stirrings`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Assassin's Trophy` by itself, and late tapped entry can prevent instant-speed `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Important against tempo and control where early discard plus blue tutor timing matters.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Play it early if you need blue later; it may be too slow as land four.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Forest
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic green mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides artifact-independent green for `Ancient Stirrings` and sideboard `Nature's Claim`, and pairs with black sources for `Assassin's Trophy`.
|
||||
- Timing: Valuable when `Glimmervoid` or `Spire of Industry` is unstable, or when life total makes colored `Spire of Industry` activation costly.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Basic Land — Forest with `{T}: Add {G}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Casts `Ancient Stirrings` to find `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Urza's Saga`, or a missing artifact; casts `Nature's Claim` after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Blooming Marsh` also makes green and black early; `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` can make green with artifact conditions.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not cast `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Surgical Extraction` for black mana, `Collective Brutality`, or `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: More valuable against artifact removal and life-pressure decks because it does not require artifacts or life payment.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Keep it when green selection or `Nature's Claim` is the reason the hand works.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Swamp
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic black mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides artifact-independent black for `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, black-paid `Surgical Extraction`, and `Collective Brutality`.
|
||||
- Timing: Important in openers where early discard protects `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, or `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Basic Land — Swamp with `{T}: Add {B}`.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Casts discard that sets up `Surgical Extraction`, informs `Pithing Needle`, and clears the way for `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Blooming Marsh` and `Darkslick Shores` also provide early black; `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` provide black only with artifact-related constraints.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not cast `Ancient Stirrings`, `Nature's Claim`, `Assassin's Trophy` without green, or `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against discard- or removal-heavy opponents because it keeps black online after artifacts are destroyed.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use it to guarantee turn-one discard when the hand’s prison pieces need protection.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Leyline of Sanctity
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 3 copies, opening-hand anti-targeting protection bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Gives you hexproof so opponent-controlled spells and abilities cannot target you, buying time against targeted discard, burn aimed at you, targeted mill, and player-targeting combo.
|
||||
- Timing: If in your opening hand, use the pregame option to begin with it on the battlefield; hard-cast only when white mana from `Glimmervoid` or artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry` is realistic and the targeting shield still matters.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{2}{W}{W}` when cast; opening-hand ability may put it onto the battlefield before the game begins.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Protects the player while `Lantern of Insight`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` assemble draw-step control.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Collective Brutality` stabilizes burn through instant-or-sorcery discard, creature shrink, or drain; `Welding Jar` protects artifacts instead of the player.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not protect permanents, does not stop non-targeting damage or sacrifice effects, and late copies can be hard to cast because only `Glimmervoid` and artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry` produce white.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against targeted burn, targeted discard, targeted mill, and player-targeting combo; do not treat it as a creature-combat answer.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Put it onto the battlefield before the game whenever the legal opening-hand action appears.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Nature's Claim
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, cheap artifact/enchantment answer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Destroys target artifact or enchantment that stops `Lantern of Insight`, removes `Ensnaring Bridge`, shuts off `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, or creates a noncombat engine.
|
||||
- Timing: Use before the target prevents prison deployment or at the last safe instant-speed window; save it when `Assassin's Trophy` or `Pithing Needle` better matches the permanent.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{G}`; destroys target artifact or enchantment, and that permanent’s controller gains 4 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Green sources are `Forest`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Glimmervoid`, and artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry`; `Lantern of Insight` plus `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` can deny the next replacement hate card.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Assassin's Trophy` hits any target permanent an opponent controls but gives a basic land; `Pithing Needle` stops activated abilities without destroying the permanent.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Cannot target nonartifact creatures, nonartifact planeswalkers, or lands unless they are also artifacts or enchantments; the 4 life matters when `Urza's Saga` Constructs are the clock.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against artifact or enchantment hate, prison mirrors, and resolved artifact/enchantment engines.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Point it only at a legal artifact or enchantment that changes survival or prison function.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Welding Jar
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, zero-mana artifact protection bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; engine fuel/material; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Protects `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Pithing Needle`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` from destruction while adding artifact count.
|
||||
- Timing: Deploy before exposing the artifact that must survive; sacrifice only when a destruction event would actually be replaced by regeneration.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs zero; sacrifice it to regenerate target artifact. Regeneration must be set up before destruction, replaces that destruction, taps the artifact, removes damage, and removes it from combat if relevant.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Urza's Saga`; supports `Whir of Invention`, `Spire of Industry`, `Glimmervoid`, and `Urza's Saga` Construct size.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` proactively remove artifact answers; `Nature's Claim` and `Assassin's Trophy` answer opposing permanents that threaten the prison.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not stop exile, sacrifice, bounce, counterspells, static shutdown, -X/-X, or other non-destroy effects.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against decks whose removal specifically destroys `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Pithing Needle`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Save it for the artifact keeping you alive or maintaining known top-card denial.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Damping Sphere
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, anti-big-mana and anti-spell-chain hate artifact.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Reduces lands tapped for two or more mana to producing `{C}` instead, and taxes each spell a player casts by `{1}` for each other spell that player has cast that turn.
|
||||
- Timing: Deploy early before the opponent’s big-mana or spell-chain turn; after it resolves, use `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and `Pyxis of Pandemonium` to deny answers.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs two generic mana; changes land mana output and increases costs for multi-spell turns.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Protected by `Welding Jar`; found by `Whir of Invention` with X at least 2; supported by discard from `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek`.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Pithing Needle` stops known activated abilities; `Surgical Extraction` removes same-name cards after one reaches a graveyard.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Can tax your own multi-spell artifact deployment and later `Whir of Invention` turns.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against big mana and spell-chain combo, not fair one-spell creature decks.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Play it early only when the opponent’s mana engine or multiple-spell turn is the problem.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 2 copies, flexible sorcery-speed discard, small-creature answer, and life-swing card.
|
||||
- Role type: modal utility; interaction-discard; interaction-removal; lifegain/stabilization.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Converts redundant cards into anti-burn or low-toughness-creature interaction while helping lower hand size for `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
- Timing: Cast in your main phase when a chosen mode has a useful legal target; escalate only if the discarded card is not needed for `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, `Whir of Invention`, or current prison assembly.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{1}{B}`; escalate costs discarding a card for each mode chosen beyond the first.
|
||||
- Mode map: Hand mode targets an opponent, reveals their hand, and lets you choose an instant or sorcery card for that player to discard; creature mode gives target creature -2/-2 until end of turn; drain mode makes target opponent lose 2 life and you gain 2 life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Black sources are `Swamp`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Glimmervoid`, and artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry`; pairs with `Leyline of Sanctity` against burn.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` are cheaper discard; `Assassin's Trophy` handles larger resolved permanents.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Discarding a needed `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Whir of Invention`, land, or artifact for escalate can lose more than the extra mode gains.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against burn, low-toughness attackers, and instant/sorcery-heavy pressure.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Choose only modes with useful legal targets; do not escalate away the card that stabilizes next turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Grafdigger's Cage
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 1 copy, Saga-findable graveyard and library-entry hate bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Stops creature cards in graveyards and libraries from entering the battlefield, and stops players from casting spells from graveyards or libraries.
|
||||
- Timing: Deploy before the opponent uses a graveyard or library-cast line; do not wait for the conversion turn if the opponent can act before your next priority window.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs one generic mana and creates static restrictions; it does not exile cards already in graveyards.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Urza's Saga`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Ancient Stirrings`; protected by `Welding Jar`; artifact count supports `Spire of Industry`, `Glimmervoid`, and `Urza's Saga` Constructs.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Tormod's Crypt` exiles target player’s graveyard; `Surgical Extraction` exiles same-name cards from graveyard, hand, and library after targeting a nonbasic graveyard card.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not stop graveyard abilities that are not casting spells and are not putting creature cards onto the battlefield from graveyards or libraries.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring when the opponent’s visible plan casts from graveyard/library or puts creature cards onto the battlefield from those zones.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Play it preemptively when its exact text matches the opponent’s engine.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 1 copy, zero-mana graveyard reset bullet.
|
||||
- Role type: hate piece; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Exiles one target player’s graveyard without spending mana, letting this deck keep mana and artifacts available for `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, or `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Timing: Activate before the opponent pays graveyard costs, casts from graveyard, or converts the graveyard into threats; wait when allowing more cards to accumulate does not risk an immediate conversion.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs zero; taps and sacrifices to exile target player’s graveyard.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Urza's Saga`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Ancient Stirrings`; pairs with `Lantern of Insight` to deny the next rebuild card.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Grafdigger's Cage` prevents specific graveyard/library access without exiling; `Surgical Extraction` removes all copies of one nonbasic card after targeting it in a graveyard.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Exiling a graveyard after flashback, delve, escape, or similar costs are already paid usually does not stop the spell on the stack.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring against graveyard decks where graveyard volume matters more than one named card.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Use before the opponent spends the graveyard, not after the important spell is already cast.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Assassin's Trophy
|
||||
- Deck role: Sideboard, 1 copy, flexible emergency permanent answer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; sideboard bullet.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Destroys target permanent an opponent controls when `Pithing Needle`, `Nature's Claim`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, or top-library denial cannot contain it.
|
||||
- Timing: Save for a permanent that breaks `Ensnaring Bridge`, ignores combat, shuts off artifacts, or creates an imminent noncombat loss; use sooner only when waiting lets that permanent generate decisive value.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Costs `{B}{G}`; destroys target permanent an opponent controls; that permanent’s controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Mana requires black and green from `Blooming Marsh`, `Glimmervoid`, artifact-enabled `Spire of Industry`, `Swamp` plus a green source, or `Forest` plus a black source.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Nature's Claim` is cheaper but only targets artifacts or enchantments; `Pithing Needle` handles activated abilities; `Collective Brutality` handles low-toughness attackers, instant-or-sorcery hands, or life races.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Giving a basic land can accelerate the opponent, and the shuffle changes known top-library information from `Lantern of Insight`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Bring for resolved planeswalkers, hate permanents, problematic lands or creatures, and engines that beat `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
- Low-skill guidance: Do not spend it as routine removal if `Pithing Needle` or `Nature's Claim` already solves the exact problem.
|
||||
|
||||
## Interaction Priorities
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: Use `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` to remove the opponent's cleanest path through `Ensnaring Bridge`, not the card with the highest standalone power. Take artifact removal, discard that breaks your protected hand, planeswalker or permanent engines that win without attacking, and fast pressure that will kill before the lock is assembled.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: Protect the first stable lock before chasing perfect information. A hand with `Lantern of Insight`, one mill rock among `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, and `Ensnaring Bridge` should spend interaction to keep those pieces alive; a hand missing one piece should use discard to buy time or clear the way for `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: Use `Pithing Needle` on visible activated abilities that defeat the lock, generate inevitability through noncombat pressure, or remove key artifacts. Do not name a hidden card from memory alone; use revealed cards, battlefield permanents, known deck identity, or rules-engine legal-choice output.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: Use `Surgical Extraction` only when the graveyard card is strategically linked to a visible plan. Best uses are after discard, mill, removal, or opposing self-mill exposes a card that is a redundant threat, a lock-breaker, a graveyard payoff, or a card the opponent is clearly built around. Do not fire it just to gain information if the lock still lacks `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, or a mill rock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: With `Lantern of Insight` plus a mill rock active, deny the opponent's next draw when the revealed top card breaks the lock, attacks life total before `Ensnaring Bridge` matters, answers artifacts, or provides an alternate win condition. Leave harmless lands, redundant low-impact creatures locked behind `Ensnaring Bridge`, and cards that cannot currently be cast when milling would risk improving the draw.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: Use `Codex Shredder` over `Ghoulcaller's Bell` when only the opponent's top card must be removed. Use `Ghoulcaller's Bell` when both top cards are acceptable to mill or when self-milling is part of setting up `Codex Shredder` recursion. Use `Pyxis of Pandemonium` when exiling the card matters more than stocking graveyards, especially against graveyard recursion.
|
||||
|
||||
- Priority: Sideboard removal is for lock-breakers first. `Nature's Claim` should answer artifacts or enchantments that stop the lock or race it; the 4 life matters mainly when `Urza's Saga` construct damage is the planned finish. `Assassin's Trophy` answers a broader permanent class, so preserve it for resolved permanents that `Pithing Needle`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, or mill control cannot contain.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bait rule: Expose redundant artifacts before irreplaceable ones when possible. A spare `Mishra's Bauble`, second mill rock, or low-impact `Pithing Needle` can draw removal before `Ensnaring Bridge`; do not bait if losing the artifact strands `Glimmervoid` or turns off colored `Spire of Industry` mana needed next turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Ignore rule: Ignore creatures that cannot attack profitably through current or imminent `Ensnaring Bridge`. Spend interaction on cards that remove `Ensnaring Bridge`, attack from noncombat angles, force cards into your hand, punish low hand size, or invalidate artifact permanents.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype shift: Against fast creature decks, interaction buys the turns to empty the hand and land `Ensnaring Bridge`; against control or combo, discard and top-library control should target answers, engines, and key combo cards over ordinary threats; against graveyard decks, combine `Surgical Extraction`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt` with top-deck denial instead of relying on combat locks alone.
|
||||
|
||||
## Combat And Trading Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Default combat rule: Do not plan to win normal combat unless `Urza's Saga` constructs are already safe under the current board and hand-size math. This deck's primary creature-combat plan is preventing attacks with `Ensnaring Bridge`, then winning slowly through lock control, mill pressure, construct attacks, or concession pressure.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bridge rule: Keep hand size low enough that opposing creatures with relevant power cannot attack through `Ensnaring Bridge`. Prioritize casting cheap artifacts, discard, `Ancient Stirrings`, and deployable interaction over holding cards for theoretical value when the visible battlefield threatens lethal attacks.
|
||||
|
||||
- Life threshold rule: Treat life total as a finite setup resource before `Ensnaring Bridge` is active and a fragile buffer after it resolves. `Thoughtseize` and colored `Spire of Industry` activations are acceptable when they protect the lock or prevent more damage than they cost; avoid optional life payments when already under visible burn, drain, or attack pressure unless the payment prevents immediate loss or preserves `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Construct rule: Create and attack with `Urza's Saga` constructs only when the extra body does not undermine `Ensnaring Bridge` hand-size control and the opponent cannot turn combat back into a profitable race. Constructs are a secondary win condition, not a reason to loosen the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Trading rule: Do not trade artifacts casually. `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Mishra's Bauble`, and `Pithing Needle` are mana support, lock texture, and `Urza's Saga` construct size; sacrificing or exposing them changes both interaction and combat math.
|
||||
|
||||
- Protection rule: Use `Welding Jar` to protect the artifact that keeps combat locked, usually `Ensnaring Bridge`, then `Lantern of Insight`, then the only active mill rock. Regeneration does not help against exile, sacrifice, bounce, counterspells, or non-destroy effects, so do not rely on it as universal protection.
|
||||
|
||||
- Blocking rule: If you control constructs, block to preserve the lock and life total, not to maximize damage later. A construct can trade when doing so prevents lethal, protects `Ensnaring Bridge` from combat-linked pressure, or buys the turn needed for top-deck control; avoid chump blocks that shrink remaining constructs below a realistic finish without improving survival.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype shift: Against creature swarms, the correct combat posture is full lockdown with minimum hand size. Against combo, combat is mostly irrelevant unless `Urza's Saga` creates a fast enough clock after disruption. Against control, constructs can pressure planeswalkers or life total, but only after discard and top-deck control reduce the chance of losing the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
## Selection And Tutor Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Selection priority: Use `Ancient Stirrings` to assemble the missing lock component, not to chase generic card quality. When `Lantern of Insight` is absent, prioritize `Lantern of Insight`; when top-card visibility exists but no repeatable control exists, prioritize `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`; when combat is the immediate pressure point, prioritize `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Ancient Stirrings` target map: It can find colorless current-list cards such as `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Pithing Needle`, `Urza's Saga`, `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Forest`, or `Swamp`. Do not expect it to find `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Whir of Invention`, or `Surgical Extraction`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Bottoming rule: Put nonselected `Ancient Stirrings` cards on the bottom in an order that preserves future draws after known shuffle events only if the rules engine exposes ordering. If ordering is not visible or relevant, select the correct revealed card and do not infer hidden-library certainty afterward.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Whir of Invention` rule: Treat `Whir of Invention` as the deck's flexible instant-speed artifact tutor and commitment gate. Use it to find `Ensnaring Bridge` against creature pressure, `Lantern of Insight` when top-library visibility is missing, `Codex Shredder` or `Ghoulcaller's Bell` when visibility exists but draw denial is missing, `Pithing Needle` for a known activated-ability threat, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` when exile is better than graveyard milling.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Whir of Invention` payment rule: Count available blue mana, improvise taps, artifact retention, and post-tutor lock state before casting. Do not tap the only artifact needed for `Glimmervoid`, colored `Spire of Industry`, `Ensnaring Bridge` hand-size deployment, or an immediate mill-rock activation unless the searched artifact prevents a worse outcome this turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Urza's Saga` search rule: Use the final chapter to find a registered artifact with mana value 0 or 1 that solves the current lock problem. Typical hits are `Lantern of Insight`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Mishra's Bauble`, or `Pithing Needle`; sideboard games can also find `Welding Jar`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt` when those cards are registered in the post-board deck.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Mishra's Bauble` sequencing rule: Use `Mishra's Bauble` information before deciding whether to mill with `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` when the target library is unknown. Delay the Bauble draw trigger only when keeping hand size low for `Ensnaring Bridge` or preserving artifact count matters more than the extra card.
|
||||
|
||||
- Discard-to-selection rule: `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` should reveal the opponent's hand before committing `Pithing Needle`, `Surgical Extraction`, or a narrow mill decision when possible. After discard identifies a key card, use `Surgical Extraction` only if stripping remaining copies or gaining library information materially protects the lock or stops a known plan.
|
||||
|
||||
## Priority And Stack Rules
|
||||
|
||||
- Default priority rule: With `Lantern of Insight` plus a mill rock, make draw-denial decisions in the last safe window before the opponent draws unless another trigger, spell, or activated ability would remove that option. Mill only when the revealed top card is more dangerous than the unknown replacement.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mill-rock distinction: Activate `Codex Shredder` when only one library's top card must change. Activate `Ghoulcaller's Bell` when milling both players is acceptable or self-mill supports later `Codex Shredder` recursion. Activate `Pyxis of Pandemonium` when exiling the top card is tactically important, especially against graveyard reuse.
|
||||
|
||||
- Stack discipline: Let harmless spells resolve when they do not break `Ensnaring Bridge`, remove lock artifacts, create noncombat pressure, or invalidate top-library control. Spend `Whir of Invention`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Nature's Claim`, `Assassin's Trophy`, or `Welding Jar` only when the visible spell or ability changes the lock math.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Surgical Extraction` timing rule: Cast `Surgical Extraction` after a target card is in a graveyard from discard, mill, removal, fetch-like actions, or opposing play. It can preempt future copies and expose library/hand information, but it does not counter a spell already on the stack unless the rules text and legal action output explicitly support the current target.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Pithing Needle` timing rule: Commit `Pithing Needle` after the relevant permanent, card name, or archetype cue is known. If multiple activated abilities matter, name the one that beats `Ensnaring Bridge`, destroys artifacts, produces an alternate win, or escapes top-deck control; do not name a card based only on unstated hidden information.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Welding Jar` rule: Use `Welding Jar` only for destroy effects against an artifact that regeneration can legally save. It does not stop exile, sacrifice, bounce, counterspells, -X/-X, or effects that do not destroy, so preserve it until the legal action text shows it applies.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Ensnaring Bridge` hand-size rule: Before passing into combat, cast deployable artifacts, discard, or selection spells when doing so lowers hand size below the relevant opposing creature powers. Do not hold `Ancient Stirrings`, `Mishra's Bauble`, or redundant one-mana artifacts for marginal value if that hand size permits lethal attacks.
|
||||
|
||||
- Opponent upkeep rule: If the opponent's top card is known and dangerous, use `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` before their draw step. If the revealed card is harmless under the current battlefield and mana, leave it there rather than gambling on an unknown card.
|
||||
|
||||
- Own draw-step rule: Protect your own known top card when it is a missing lock piece, needed land, or immediate answer. Self-mill with `Ghoulcaller's Bell` or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` only when the top card is known to be low-impact, recursion is planned, or denying the opponent is worth losing it.
|
||||
|
||||
## Sideboard Map
|
||||
|
||||
- `Leyline of Sanctity` role: Bring all three copies against decks where targeted player damage, targeted discard, targeted mill, or player-targeted combo is the main way they break the lock before `Lantern of Insight` plus mill rocks takes over. It is strongest when it begins on the battlefield from the opening hand; do not overvalue late copies when `Ensnaring Bridge` and top-card control are already the real axis. It is bad against decks attacking through creatures, destroying artifacts directly, or winning with non-targeting pressure. Its role changes from protection to mulligan anchor only when the matchup can beat a normal low-hand `Ensnaring Bridge` setup before discard or `Thoughtseize` can interact.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Nature's Claim` role: Add both copies against opposing artifacts or enchantments that stop the lock, remove `Ensnaring Bridge`, shut off activated artifacts, or present a fast noncombat engine. Treat the life gain as mostly irrelevant unless the opponent is at a reachable poison-free damage total through `Urza's Saga` constructs or combat from artifacts created by Saga. It is bad against creature-only decks with few artifacts or enchantments and against boards where a four-life boost materially extends a damage race. Use it as a stack or battlefield answer only when the rules engine presents a legal target; do not assume it can answer planeswalkers, creatures, or lands unless they are also legal artifacts or enchantments.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Welding Jar` role: Add one or two copies against decks whose cleanest path is destroying `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, `Pithing Needle`, `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, or `Grafdigger's Cage`. It is a protection piece, a Saga-findable artifact, and an improvise enabler for `Whir of Invention`; it is bad against exile, bounce, sacrifice, counterspells, -X/-X, and non-destroy artifact answers. Role change: when `Urza's Saga` is expected to resolve, the first `Welding Jar` can be treated as a searchable shield for the lock rather than a card that must be naturally drawn.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Damping Sphere` role: Bring both copies against decks relying on many spells in one turn or lands that produce unusually large mana relative to normal land drops. It buys time for discard, `Pithing Needle`, `Ensnaring Bridge`, and top-library denial by taxing spell chains or mana engines. It is bad when the opponent is a fair one-spell-per-turn creature deck or when the tax materially slows your own `Whir of Invention` and multi-artifact deployment more than it slows them. Role change: against spell-chain combo it is a prison piece; against big-mana decks it is a time-buying artifact that still needs `Pithing Needle`, `Surgical Extraction`, or top-card control to prevent recovery.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Collective Brutality` role: Add both copies against burn, low-resource spell decks, small creature pressure, and matchups where discard plus life buffer matters. Escalation can convert excess lock artifacts or redundant legends of effect into interaction, but only discard cards that are not required for immediate `Ensnaring Bridge` deployment, `Glimmervoid` survival, or `Whir of Invention` improvise count. It is bad against large creatures, permanent-heavy engines with few instants or sorceries, and matchups where spending two mana sorcery-speed leaves the lock exposed. Role change: on the play it can be disruption; on low life it becomes stabilization.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Pithing Needle` sideboard role: Add the third copy against activated abilities that beat `Ensnaring Bridge`, remove lock artifacts, create recurring noncombat pressure, or convert a known permanent into a win condition. It is strongest with `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, or prior public information confirming the name. It is bad against decks whose threats are mostly triggered abilities, static abilities, combat bodies already blanked by `Ensnaring Bridge`, or spells on the stack. Role change: post-board it can become a proactive first search from `Urza's Saga` when a single named ability is the known fail point.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Grafdigger's Cage` role: Add it against graveyard-cast, library-cast, creature-enter-from-library, or creature-enter-from-graveyard plans when the exact opposing engine is known or strongly visible from public information. It is Saga-findable and low hand-size friendly, making it attractive when a single artifact hate piece protects the lock. It is bad against graveyard decks that mainly use the graveyard as a resource without casting or entering from it, and against fair decks where `Surgical Extraction` plus mill control already covers the relevant card. Role change: it is not generic artifact hate; it is a narrow graveyard/library-entry constraint that should not displace broader interaction without a target plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Tormod's Crypt` role: Add it against graveyard decks where exiling the entire graveyard at zero mana matters more than naming one card with `Surgical Extraction`. It is best when `Urza's Saga` can find it before the opponent converts the graveyard into threats, or when keeping mana open for `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, or `Whir of Invention` is important. It is bad against decks with minimal graveyard reliance or threats already on the battlefield. Role change: against graveyard combo it is a timing-sensitive hate piece; against fair recursion it is a reset button that should be held until the opponent commits enough cards or presents a legal graveyard-dependent action.
|
||||
|
||||
- `Assassin's Trophy` role: Add the singleton when the opponent has a resolved permanent type this deck otherwise struggles to answer, especially a permanent that breaks `Ensnaring Bridge`, shuts down artifact activations, invalidates `Pithing Needle`, or wins outside combat. It is bad when giving the opponent a basic land accelerates a more dangerous plan and the target can instead be controlled by discard, `Pithing Needle`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Nature's Claim`, or top-library denial. Role change: it is an emergency catch-all, not a routine removal spell; preserve it for a permanent that the current lock cannot ignore.
|
||||
|
||||
Burn and targeted-discard pressure
|
||||
Side in: 3 Leyline of Sanctity; 2 Collective Brutality; 2 Welding Jar
|
||||
Cut: 2 Pyxis of Pandemonium; 3 Surgical Extraction; 2 Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
|
||||
Creature rush with artifact removal
|
||||
Side in: 2 Welding Jar; 2 Collective Brutality; 1 Assassin's Trophy
|
||||
Cut: 3 Surgical Extraction; 2 Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
|
||||
Graveyard engine or graveyard combo
|
||||
Side in: 1 Grafdigger's Cage; 1 Tormod's Crypt; 1 Pithing Needle; 1 Assassin's Trophy
|
||||
Cut: 2 Pyxis of Pandemonium; 2 Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
|
||||
Artifact or enchantment prison mirror
|
||||
Side in: 2 Nature's Claim; 1 Assassin's Trophy; 1 Pithing Needle; 2 Welding Jar
|
||||
Cut: 3 Surgical Extraction; 2 Inquisition of Kozilek; 1 Ghoulcaller's Bell
|
||||
|
||||
Spell-chain combo or big-mana engine
|
||||
Side in: 2 Damping Sphere; 1 Pithing Needle; 1 Assassin's Trophy; 3 Leyline of Sanctity
|
||||
Cut: 2 Pyxis of Pandemonium; 2 Mishra's Bauble; 3 Ensnaring Bridge
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype rule, fast creatures: Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Collective Brutality`, and sometimes `Assassin's Trophy`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow graveyard extraction and lower-impact information artifacts. Keep all four `Ensnaring Bridge` unless the opponent has almost no attacking creatures; the bridge is the main stabilizer and should not be weakened just to gain marginal interaction.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype rule, targeted burn or discard: Add role cards: `Leyline of Sanctity`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Welding Jar` when artifact destruction is expected. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Surgical Extraction`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, and excess `Mishra's Bauble` when they do not change the life-total or hand-disruption race. Do not keep an opening hand only because it has `Leyline of Sanctity` if it lacks mana or a plausible lock path.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype rule, graveyard decks: Add role cards: `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, `Pithing Needle`, and sometimes `Assassin's Trophy`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow exile rocks or information-only artifacts when the matchup is about one graveyard conversion turn. Keep `Surgical Extraction` when discard or mill can put the key card into a graveyard before the opponent uses it.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype rule, artifact/enchantment hate battles: Add role cards: `Nature's Claim`, `Welding Jar`, and `Assassin's Trophy`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow discard after the opponent becomes top-deck dependent, and extra mill rocks beyond the first repeatable control pair. Prioritize protecting `Ensnaring Bridge` and `Lantern of Insight` over assembling redundant mill pieces.
|
||||
|
||||
- Archetype rule, planeswalker or activated-ability threats: Add role cards: sideboard `Pithing Needle` and `Assassin's Trophy`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards that only affect combat if the opposing plan wins through loyalty abilities, lands, or artifact activations. Use discard or visible battlefield information before choosing a `Pithing Needle` name; blind naming is acceptable only when the matchup's decisive activated ability is already known from public deck identity and no better information window is available.
|
||||
|
||||
## Matchup Guidance
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro: Treat `Ensnaring Bridge` plus an empty or near-empty hand as the stabilization plan, not a backup plan. Mulligan hands that only inspect with `Mishra's Bauble` and discard but do not produce a lock artifact, a fast `Ensnaring Bridge`, or `Ancient Stirrings`/`Whir of Invention` access to one. Use `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` to remove artifact hate, reach, or the creature that matters before combat damage makes `Ensnaring Bridge` too late. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Assassin's Trophy` when the opposing pressure includes artifact removal or a resolved permanent that ignores `Ensnaring Bridge`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow `Surgical Extraction`, extra `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, and information-only `Mishra's Bauble` when the game is decided by battlefield stabilization.
|
||||
|
||||
- Go-wide creature decks: Prioritize `Ensnaring Bridge` over perfect top-library control because many small attackers can make each draw step less important than shrinking your hand. Keep `Lantern of Insight` plus one of `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` when the hand can deploy `Ensnaring Bridge` quickly; do not spend early turns milling marginal draws while taking preventable damage. `Pithing Needle` is useful only if a visible activated ability creates bodies, pumps attackers, removes `Ensnaring Bridge`, or wins through combat constraints. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Collective Brutality`, and sometimes `Assassin's Trophy`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Surgical Extraction` unless discard or mill can remove the exact card that lets the go-wide deck beat `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Single-threat decks: Build the game around knowing, naming, or denying the one threat instead of milling randomly. `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Mishra's Bauble`, and `Lantern of Insight` should identify whether `Pithing Needle`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Assassin's Trophy`, or `Ensnaring Bridge` is the correct answer. When the threat attacks, `Ensnaring Bridge` is often enough; when it has an activated ability or noncombat pressure, use `Pithing Needle` only after the legal name is known from hand, battlefield, graveyard, exile, or top-library information. Add role cards: sideboard `Pithing Needle`, `Assassin's Trophy`, and `Welding Jar` if the opponent can answer bridge. Reduce main-deck emphasis: redundant mill rocks after one repeatable top-control engine is active.
|
||||
|
||||
- Burn: Race life-total loss with prevention and hand-size reduction, not with slow extraction loops. `Leyline of Sanctity` is strongest in opening hands but does not replace the need for lands, artifacts, and a path to `Ensnaring Bridge` or top-library control. `Collective Brutality` is premium when it can trade for a burn spell and affect life totals; do not hold it for speculative extra modes if casting it now prevents a lethal window. `Thoughtseize` becomes more expensive in life than `Inquisition of Kozilek`, so prefer `Inquisition of Kozilek` for early legal targets when both are available and life is under pressure. Add role cards: `Leyline of Sanctity`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Welding Jar` if artifact destruction is visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Surgical Extraction`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, and excess `Mishra's Bauble`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Tempo: Protect the first real lock piece from soft permission, bounce, and cheap threat pressure by sequencing discard before `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, or `Whir of Invention` when mana allows. Do not assume `Ensnaring Bridge` alone is safe if the opponent has open mana and visible cards that can remove or bounce it; use `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, or top-library denial to clear the window. `Whir of Invention` should often be held until the opponent's end step or a low-risk window, but cast it earlier when waiting exposes lethal combat or known artifact hate. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Assassin's Trophy` for resolved threat or hate permanents. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow graveyard plans and extra artifacts that do not change the immediate bridge or permission fight.
|
||||
|
||||
- Control: Win by exhausting draw steps and forcing the opponent to answer artifacts that do not require attacks. `Lantern of Insight` plus `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` should deny high-impact draws once hands are known or mostly spent. Use `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` to take counterspells, artifact removal, or win conditions before committing `Whir of Invention` or `Ensnaring Bridge`. `Surgical Extraction` is strongest after discard or mill exposes the small number of cards that actually beat the lock; do not fire it on a low-impact graveyard card just because it is legal. Add role cards: `Pithing Needle`, `Assassin's Trophy`, `Welding Jar`, and sometimes `Nature's Claim` if opposing artifacts or enchantments matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only bridge dependence when the opponent wins through noncombat permanents.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal-heavy decks: Expect `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, and mill artifacts to be attacked, so redundancy and protection outrank speed once the first lock is assembled. `Welding Jar` protects an artifact from destruction effects only when regeneration is applicable under the rules-engine output; do not treat it as protection from exile, sacrifice, bounce, counterspells, or non-destruction effects. Use `Pithing Needle` for repeatable activated removal or utility permanents only after the name is known or publicly deterministic. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Nature's Claim`, `Assassin's Trophy`, and the third `Pithing Needle`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: extra discard once the opponent is top-deck dependent, but keep enough discard to clear hate before committing the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Midrange: Trade early discard for the card that breaks the lock, then make top decks low-impact with `Lantern of Insight` plus repeatable mill. `Ensnaring Bridge` blanks many creature draws, so use mill rocks on removal, planeswalker-like noncombat engines, artifact hate, or discard that strips the last protection card. `Surgical Extraction` becomes strong after `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Codex Shredder`, or `Ghoulcaller's Bell` puts the recurring threat or hate card into the graveyard. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Assassin's Trophy`, and sideboard `Pithing Needle`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Pyxis of Pandemonium` when exile timing is too slow or when graveyard interaction from `Surgical Extraction` is more important.
|
||||
|
||||
- Combo: Identify the exact resource that matters before spending disruption. `Thoughtseize` and `Inquisition of Kozilek` should take the enabler, payoff, protection, or artifact hate based on visible hand context, not card fame. `Lantern of Insight` plus mill rocks should deny the next combo piece once the opponent's current hand is contained. `Surgical Extraction` is high value only after a combo card reaches the graveyard and extracting it changes future legal lines. Add role cards: `Damping Sphere`, `Leyline of Sanctity` against targeted combo or discard pressure, `Pithing Needle` for activated combo pieces, `Grafdigger's Cage` or `Tormod's Crypt` only when the graveyard/library-entry text matters, and `Assassin's Trophy` for resolved permanents. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Ensnaring Bridge` when combat is not a meaningful win path.
|
||||
|
||||
- Big mana: Deny engines and payoff access before worrying about creature combat. `Damping Sphere` is a priority sideboard card when the opponent's mana engine relies on producing extra mana or chaining spells, but it should be paired with discard or top-library control so the opponent cannot simply answer it and continue. `Pithing Needle` names a known activated land, artifact, or permanent only when that ability is the visible route around the lock. `Whir of Invention` can find `Lantern of Insight`, `Pithing Needle`, or a lock artifact depending on battlefield needs; do not use it only for redundancy when a specific hate artifact is required. Add role cards: `Damping Sphere`, `Pithing Needle`, `Assassin's Trophy`, and `Welding Jar`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only `Ensnaring Bridge` copies if the opponent mostly wins with noncombat inevitability.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard decks: Choose between surgical precision and whole-graveyard denial based on timing. `Surgical Extraction` is best after discard or mill puts the exact key card into the graveyard before it is used. `Tormod's Crypt` is best when the whole graveyard matters or when zero mana lets this deck keep activating `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, or holding `Whir of Invention`. `Grafdigger's Cage` is best against plans that cast cards from graveyards or libraries, or put creatures onto the battlefield from those zones, when the rules text applies. Add role cards: `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, `Pithing Needle`, and `Assassin's Trophy`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow lock pieces that do not stop the conversion turn.
|
||||
|
||||
- Artifact/enchantment decks: Treat `Nature's Claim` and `Assassin's Trophy` as answers to lock-breaking permanents, not general-purpose tempo plays. Use `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Lantern of Insight`, and `Mishra's Bauble` to learn whether the opposing permanent matters before spending scarce answers. `Pithing Needle` is often stronger than removal when a known activated ability is the engine, but it does nothing to static abilities, triggered abilities, or spells on the stack. Add role cards: `Nature's Claim`, `Assassin's Trophy`, `Pithing Needle`, and `Welding Jar`. Reduce main-deck emphasis: `Surgical Extraction` unless the opposing artifact or enchantment plan depends on recurring or assembling a specific card from graveyard information.
|
||||
|
||||
## Specific Matchup Notes
|
||||
|
||||
- General/archetype-only note: exact opponents are absent, so revealed cards, hand information from `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek`, top-library information from `Lantern of Insight`, and rules-engine legal actions override archetype assumptions. Use matchup labels as default priorities only until public information proves a different threat axis.
|
||||
|
||||
- Fast creature aggro: Prioritize `Ensnaring Bridge` access, empty-hand sequencing, and denial of artifact removal over perfect top-library control. `Ancient Stirrings`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga` should bias toward `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, or a missing mill artifact when combat damage is the visible kill path. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Collective Brutality`, and sometimes `Nature's Claim` if revealed permanents matter. Priority targets: artifact removal, reach damage, pump effects, and creatures or permanents that ignore `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
|
||||
- Burn or targeted damage: Treat life total as the primary resource until `Leyline of Sanctity` or discard has reduced direct-target pressure. `Thoughtseize` is powerful but life-costly, so prefer it when it removes a card that represents more damage or protects the lock; do not spend life for marginal information if the opponent's top card is already known and harmless. Add role cards: `Leyline of Sanctity`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Nature's Claim` only when the life gain or target permanent matters. Priority targets: direct damage to player, artifact destruction, and low-cost pressure that ends the game before the lock stabilizes.
|
||||
|
||||
- Blue tempo or counterspell decks: Commit `Whir of Invention` and `Ensnaring Bridge` only after discard, known top-card control, or redundancy makes the exchange acceptable. `Mishra's Bauble` plus `Lantern of Insight` can decide whether to mill the opponent or preserve a dead draw; do not crack informational tools blindly when the next draw step matters. Add role cards: `Welding Jar`, `Pithing Needle`, and `Assassin's Trophy` for resolved pressure or activated threats. Priority targets: counterspells before key artifacts, evasive threats before bridge is online, and artifact hate after bridge is online.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard combo or recursion: Choose `Surgical Extraction`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, or `Tormod's Crypt` based on the visible card and timing window. `Surgical Extraction` needs a specific card in a graveyard and is strongest when discard or mill exposes a card whose removal changes future legal lines. `Tormod's Crypt` covers broad graveyard volume before costs are paid, while `Grafdigger's Cage` applies only when its text matches the opponent's graveyard or library-entry plan. Add role cards: `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, and `Assassin's Trophy`. Priority targets: the card that converts the graveyard into a win, protection for that conversion, and artifact hate.
|
||||
|
||||
- Big mana and spell-chain combo: Make `Damping Sphere` matter by pairing it with discard and top-library denial. A lone hate artifact is fragile if the opponent can draw removal, so `Lantern of Insight` plus `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium` should deny the answer after the hate piece resolves. Add role cards: `Damping Sphere`, `Pithing Needle`, `Assassin's Trophy`, and `Welding Jar`. Priority targets: mana-engine cards, payoff cards that ignore combat, and activated abilities that bypass the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
## Risk Summary
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana risk: This deck has only `Forest` and `Swamp` as basics, and many colored spells require green, black, or blue at specific windows. `Glimmervoid` and `Spire of Industry` depend on artifact density or life payment context, so do not keep hands that lose colored access if the first artifact is destroyed unless the hand already has a working lock plan.
|
||||
|
||||
- Matchup risk: `Ensnaring Bridge` is not a universal answer, so noncombat combo, direct damage, planeswalker-like engines, activated abilities, and resolved hate permanents require discard, `Pithing Needle`, `Assassin's Trophy`, or sideboard artifacts instead of bridge-only play.
|
||||
|
||||
- Draw risk: `Lantern of Insight` can create false certainty if only one library is controlled. Use mill rocks on the opponent when the top card is dangerous, but preserve your own known draw when it finds `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, `Ancient Stirrings`, or the missing lock piece.
|
||||
|
||||
- Over-sideboarding risk: Removing too much artifact density weakens `Whir of Invention`, `Urza's Saga`, `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, and lock redundancy. Add sideboard cards only when their text directly answers the opponent's revealed route through the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Graveyard risk: `Surgical Extraction` is precise, not broad graveyard hate. Do not spend it on a low-impact card while the graveyard deck still has a visible converter, and do not confuse preemptive graveyard exile with responding after a spell has already been legally cast.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sweeper/removal risk: Opposing artifact destruction can collapse multiple resources at once. `Welding Jar` helps only against destruction where regeneration applies, while exile, sacrifice, bounce, counterspells, and non-destruction answers require discard, top-deck denial, or a different answer.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closer risk: Winning often means maintaining a lock until the opponent cannot draw relevant cards, not rushing damage. Avoid sacrificing lock pieces to `Pyxis of Pandemonium` or recurring low-impact cards with `Codex Shredder` if doing so opens a known draw step.
|
||||
|
||||
- Interaction risk: `Pithing Needle` only stops activated abilities of the named card, so it should not be treated as an answer to static abilities, triggered abilities, spells on the stack, or unknown names without public information.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sequencing risk: Activate mill artifacts at the latest safe point when draw-step information matters. Early activations are correct only when the dangerous card is already known and the opponent has no visible shuffle, draw, or instant-speed response that changes the top-library decision.
|
||||
|
||||
## Test Feedback Checklist
|
||||
|
||||
- Deciding factor: Identify whether the match was decided by `Ensnaring Bridge`, top-library denial with `Lantern of Insight` plus `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, discard disruption, sideboard hate, mana failure, or the opponent resolving a permanent or spell that bypassed the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mulligan quality: Record whether the opener had a plausible lock path, early interaction, artifact density, and colored mana for `Ancient Stirrings`, `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, or `Whir of Invention`; flag keeps that depended on drawing a missing artifact or colored source without `Mishra's Bauble`, `Lantern of Insight`, or `Ancient Stirrings` support.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana stability: Note every game where `Glimmervoid` or `Spire of Industry` became unreliable because artifacts were absent or removed, and every game where `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Forest`, or `Swamp` failed to support the needed green, black, or blue spell at the critical window.
|
||||
|
||||
- Velocity check: Track whether `Mishra's Bauble`, `Ancient Stirrings`, `Urza's Saga`, and `Whir of Invention` found the missing lock component quickly enough, or whether the deck spent too many turns seeing cards without creating a protected board state.
|
||||
|
||||
- Engine assembly: For each game, record the first turn with `Lantern of Insight`, the first usable mill artifact, the first `Ensnaring Bridge`, and whether the pilot controlled both players' draw steps before the opponent found removal, pressure, or a noncombat route.
|
||||
|
||||
- Removal and disruption: Evaluate whether `Thoughtseize`, `Inquisition of Kozilek`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Pithing Needle`, `Nature's Claim`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Assassin's Trophy` were pointed at cards that actually changed the opponent's visible route through the lock.
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard impact: After sideboarding, list which of `Leyline of Sanctity`, `Welding Jar`, `Damping Sphere`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, `Nature's Claim`, `Collective Brutality`, `Pithing Needle`, and `Assassin's Trophy` affected a game action, sat unused, or arrived after the relevant window had passed.
|
||||
|
||||
- Closing discipline: Check whether the pilot maintained the lock until the opponent was functionally denied relevant draws, or whether `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Codex Shredder`, `Urza's Saga`, or unnecessary artifact activations opened a draw step or weakened `Ensnaring Bridge` protection.
|
||||
|
||||
- Role recognition: Record whether the pilot correctly played as prison against combat decks, discard-control against combo, life-preservation against targeted damage, and hate-piece protection against big mana or graveyard decks.
|
||||
|
||||
- Mistake review: Flag early mill activations without a known dangerous top card, `Pithing Needle` names without public information, `Surgical Extraction` on low-impact graveyard cards, and `Thoughtseize` life payments that did not remove more damage or protect a decisive lock piece.
|
||||
|
||||
- Stranded card review: Note any copies of `Whir of Invention`, `Surgical Extraction`, `Pithing Needle`, `Pyxis of Pandemonium`, `Leyline of Sanctity`, `Damping Sphere`, `Grafdigger's Cage`, `Tormod's Crypt`, or `Assassin's Trophy` that were stranded by mana, timing, missing targets, or matchup irrelevance.
|
||||
|
||||
- Overperformer and underperformer log: For every match, name the main-deck and sideboard cards that most affected the result, and distinguish cards that were weak because of quantity, matchup, sequencing, mana, or missing rules-engine/card-reference metadata.
|
||||
|
||||
## First Tuning Questions
|
||||
|
||||
- Card quantities: Are four `Lantern of Insight`, four `Codex Shredder`, four `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, and two `Pyxis of Pandemonium` producing enough redundant top-library control, or are too many mill artifacts appearing without `Ensnaring Bridge`, discard, or protection?
|
||||
|
||||
- Bridge density: Is four `Ensnaring Bridge` enough against fast creature pressure, or are losses coming from not finding it before combat damage matters despite `Ancient Stirrings`, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga`?
|
||||
|
||||
- Tutor balance: Are three `Whir of Invention` decisive often enough to justify blue requirements and artifact-count pressure, or does the deck more often need cheaper artifacts, discard, or sideboard hate in those slots?
|
||||
|
||||
- Discard mix: Do four `Thoughtseize` and four `Inquisition of Kozilek` correctly balance reach against combo and control, or does `Thoughtseize` life loss create too many losses against targeted damage and fast aggro?
|
||||
|
||||
- Surgical precision: Are three `Surgical Extraction` winning games after discard or mill exposes the right card, or are copies stranded because matchups require broader graveyard hate from `Grafdigger's Cage` and `Tormod's Crypt`?
|
||||
|
||||
- Mana base: Do `Glimmervoid`, `Spire of Industry`, `Blooming Marsh`, `Darkslick Shores`, `Forest`, `Swamp`, and `Urza's Saga` support early black, green, and blue windows, or are artifact dependence and tapped-land timing costing too many games?
|
||||
|
||||
- Aggro plan: Are `Welding Jar`, `Collective Brutality`, and `Nature's Claim` enough to survive artifact removal, reach damage, and fast boards, or does the sideboard need more cards that protect `Ensnaring Bridge` or buy life without weakening artifact density?
|
||||
|
||||
- Control plan: Are `Pithing Needle`, `Welding Jar`, discard, and top-library denial enough against counterspells and resolved engines, or does the deck need more resilient answers to noncombat permanents and activated abilities?
|
||||
|
||||
- Combo plan: Does `Damping Sphere` plus discard and mill control reliably stop big mana and spell-chain combo, or are two copies too few when `Whir of Invention` cannot find it quickly enough or the opponent removes it?
|
||||
|
||||
- Closing plan: Is winning through sustained library denial acceptable in match length and agent reliability, or does the deck need a clearer endgame path that does not require sacrificing core lock pieces or exposing known draw steps?
|
||||
|
||||
- Sideboard allocation: Are three `Leyline of Sanctity`, two `Nature's Claim`, two `Welding Jar`, two `Damping Sphere`, two `Collective Brutality`, one `Pithing Needle`, one `Grafdigger's Cage`, one `Tormod's Crypt`, and one `Assassin's Trophy` covering the actual loss patterns, or are some cards repeatedly inactive?
|
||||
|
||||
- Role conflict: Are `Urza's Saga` constructs, hand-emptying for `Ensnaring Bridge`, and artifact tutoring pulling the pilot in conflicting directions, and should the guide bias more strongly toward bridge-lock maintenance over pressure when both lines are legal?
|
||||
|
||||
## Veles Tactical Policy
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Opening-Hand Engine Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: mulligan
|
||||
- Cards: Lantern of Insight; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium; Ensnaring Bridge; Ancient Stirrings; Thoughtseize; Inquisition of Kozilek; Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
- Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions, pregame scry.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: opening hand contents, land count, castable one-mana plays, known opponent archetype.
|
||||
- Use when: evaluating whether the hand can create either discard plus lock progress, `Lantern of Insight` plus a mill artifact, or fast `Ensnaring Bridge` access.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the hand needs multiple unobserved draws to find both mana and a lock piece.
|
||||
- Instructions: Keep hands with stable mana and at least one early engine, discard, or selection path; ship hands that only contain reactive artifacts without `Lantern of Insight`, `Ancient Stirrings`, discard, or bridge access. Prioritize hands that can empty quickly for `Ensnaring Bridge` against creature pressure.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Pregame Leyline Deployment
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: pregame
|
||||
- Cards: Leyline of Sanctity
|
||||
- Phase windows: start-of-game replacement action after sideboarding.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:put Leyline of Sanctity onto the battlefield
|
||||
- Use when: `Leyline of Sanctity` is in the opening hand and the legal action offers putting it onto the battlefield before the game starts.
|
||||
- Avoid when: no legal pregame action for `Leyline of Sanctity` is present.
|
||||
- Instructions: Put `Leyline of Sanctity` onto the battlefield because this uses no mana, reduces targeted discard or direct-damage exposure, and helps protect the lock plan before draw steps begin.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 1.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: First Lock Piece Sequencing
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority
|
||||
- Cards: Lantern of Insight; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium; Mishra's Bauble; Ancient Stirrings
|
||||
- Phase windows: turns 1-3 main phases, especially before the opponent's draw step can be controlled.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: legal cast/play actions, visible top cards from `Lantern of Insight`, available mana.
|
||||
- Use when: choosing the first permanent or selection spell that starts known-top-library control.
|
||||
- Avoid when: immediate discard must remove a visible lethal or combo-enabling card before deploying artifacts.
|
||||
- Instructions: Establish `Lantern of Insight` early when possible, then pair it with `Codex Shredder`, `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or `Pyxis of Pandemonium`; cast `Ancient Stirrings` when the hand lacks the missing artifact, bridge, or land needed to assemble that pair.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Artifact-Dependent Mana Safety
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana
|
||||
- Cards: Glimmervoid; Spire of Industry; Blooming Marsh; Darkslick Shores; Forest; Swamp; Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Phase windows: land play decisions, mana payment prompts, turns 1-4.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: land choices, artifact count, colored spell costs in hand.
|
||||
- Use when: selecting land drops or paying for black discard, green `Ancient Stirrings`, or blue `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the rules engine exposes only one legal mana payment.
|
||||
- Instructions: Do not rely on `Glimmervoid` without an artifact that will remain through the end step. Use `Spire of Industry` as colored mana only when artifact presence and life payment are acceptable. Preserve untapped black for `Thoughtseize` or `Inquisition of Kozilek`, green for `Ancient Stirrings`, and enough blue/artifact support for `Whir of Invention`.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Discard Before Lock Commitment
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Thoughtseize; Inquisition of Kozilek
|
||||
- Phase windows: early main phases before committing `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, or a fragile lock piece.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: discard spell legal actions, revealed opponent hand, opponent archetype.
|
||||
- Use when: a discard spell can remove artifact removal, a combo piece, counterspell pressure, or a card that beats `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
- Avoid when: life loss from `Thoughtseize` exposes the pilot to visible lethal and `Inquisition of Kozilek` can legally take the same relevant card.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use discard to clear the path for lock assembly rather than to take the most expensive card. Prefer removing cards that answer `Ensnaring Bridge`, break `Lantern of Insight`, ignore combat, or create an immediate noncombat win.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Ensnaring Bridge Commitment Gate
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority
|
||||
- Cards: Ensnaring Bridge; Whir of Invention; Welding Jar
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phase before combat, opponent end step for `Whir of Invention`, response windows to removal when `Welding Jar` is present.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: legal cast or tutor actions, hand size, opponent battlefield power, visible attack step risk.
|
||||
- Use when: creature combat is a primary loss route or the pilot can empty hand enough for `Ensnaring Bridge` to matter.
|
||||
- Avoid when: bridge will not restrict current attackers because hand size remains too high and the turn offers a safer discard, selection, or mana-emptying line.
|
||||
- Instructions: Commit `Ensnaring Bridge` before taking unnecessary damage, but sequence cheap artifacts and discard first when that lowers hand size without exposing the bridge. With `Whir of Invention`, treat finding bridge as a survival commitment when combat damage threatens the next turn.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Known Top-Card Denial
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: priority
|
||||
- Cards: Lantern of Insight; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium; Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent upkeep, opponent draw step before draw if legal, end steps after top-card information changes.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: visible top card, legal mill or exile activations, opponent graveyard and battlefield context.
|
||||
- Use when: `Lantern of Insight` or another effect reveals a specific opponent top card that advances their combat, removal, combo, mana, or hate-piece plan.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the opponent top card is land or low-impact and milling could reveal an unknown higher-impact card before draw.
|
||||
- Instructions: Activate a mill artifact to deny a known dangerous top card, then reassess the newly revealed card before using another activation. Do not fire blind mill effects merely because mana is available unless library depletion is the selected endgame.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Deterministic Opponent Mill Execution
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority
|
||||
- Cards: Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent upkeep or draw step control window.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: action:target opponent mills; action:each player mills; action:exile top card face down
|
||||
- Use when: a previous same-window policy decision selected denying the currently revealed opponent top card and the legal action text matches the selected artifact activation.
|
||||
- Avoid when: no prior selected deny-draw decision exists for the currently revealed opponent top card.
|
||||
- Instructions: Execute the selected activation exactly once, then return to evaluation before activating another mill artifact.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 1.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: yes
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Self-Mill And Recursion Caution
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: selection
|
||||
- Cards: Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium
|
||||
- Phase windows: own upkeep, main phase, end step, late game recursion windows.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: own top card visibility, graveyard contents, activation choices.
|
||||
- Use when: considering milling self, using symmetric `Ghoulcaller's Bell`, or preserving `Codex Shredder` for its graveyard-return ability.
|
||||
- Avoid when: self-mill would remove the only visible land, `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Whir of Invention`, or needed sideboard card from the top of library.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat self-mill as a cost unless the top card is known unwanted or a late-game `Codex Shredder` recursion line has been selected. Preserve `Codex Shredder` when its return ability can recover a destroyed lock piece.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Whir Search Commitment
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: selection
|
||||
- Cards: Whir of Invention; Ensnaring Bridge; Lantern of Insight; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium; Pithing Needle; Grafdigger's Cage; Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
- Phase windows: opponent end step, own main phase, emergency combat-prevention windows if legal.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: `Whir of Invention` cast or search prompt, available artifacts for improvise, visible threat route.
|
||||
- Use when: selecting which artifact converts available mana and artifacts into a lock, hate piece, or survival piece.
|
||||
- Avoid when: tapping artifacts for improvise disables required mill activations before the opponent draw step.
|
||||
- Instructions: Search for `Ensnaring Bridge` against combat pressure, `Lantern of Insight` when top-library information is missing, a mill artifact when information exists but control is missing, and sideboard artifacts only when their text addresses the visible matchup route.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Pithing Needle Naming Gate
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Pithing Needle
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phase cast, search resolution from `Whir of Invention` or `Urza's Saga` if legal.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: name-a-card prompt, revealed hand, battlefield permanents, known deck information.
|
||||
- Use when: a visible or strongly identified activated ability threatens the lock, mana denial plan, graveyard plan, or bridge safety.
|
||||
- Avoid when: there is no public information supporting a name or the named card's ability is not an activated ability affected by `Pithing Needle`.
|
||||
- Instructions: Name the exact card creating the relevant activated ability, not a generic archetype role. Recheck card-reference metadata if unsure whether the opposing ability is activated, triggered, mana, or static.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Surgical Extraction Target Gate
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Surgical Extraction; Thoughtseize; Inquisition of Kozilek; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium
|
||||
- Phase windows: after discard, after mill, in response to graveyard-use windows when legal.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: target-card-in-graveyard prompt, visible opponent graveyard, revealed hand or library information.
|
||||
- Use when: removing all copies of a visible graveyard card cuts off a combo route, key removal, recurring threat, or lock-breaking card.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the target is replaceable, already spent, or not part of the opponent's visible route through the lock.
|
||||
- Instructions: Pair `Surgical Extraction` with discard or top-card mill to remove the card that matters most to the current lock state. Do not spend it just because a card entered the graveyard.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Urza's Saga Chapter Planning
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: mana; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Urza's Saga; Lantern of Insight; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Mishra's Bauble; Pithing Needle; Welding Jar; Grafdigger's Cage; Tormod's Crypt
|
||||
- Phase windows: land play, chapter triggers, construct activation windows, chapter III search.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: saga chapter trigger, artifact search prompt, available land drops.
|
||||
- Use when: `Urza's Saga` can supply mana, a construct, or a one-mana artifact without weakening bridge safety.
|
||||
- Avoid when: making constructs raises combat focus over an urgent `Ensnaring Bridge` lock or leaves colored spells uncastable.
|
||||
- Instructions: Plan the chapter III search before playing later lands. Search exact one-mana artifacts that solve the current problem: information, mill control, protection, graveyard hate, or `Pithing Needle` naming.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Bridge Combat Discipline
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: combat
|
||||
- Cards: Ensnaring Bridge; Urza's Saga
|
||||
- Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, precombat main phase.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: hand size, opposing creature power, construct power, legal attack actions.
|
||||
- Use when: deciding whether to attack with constructs or preserve a low hand size for `Ensnaring Bridge`.
|
||||
- Avoid when: attacking does not change the clock before the opponent can break the lock.
|
||||
- Instructions: Treat combat as secondary to prison maintenance. Do not make attacks or construct lines that keep cards in hand, expose the pilot to crackback, or distract from denying draw steps unless the attack is part of a visible lethal or forced race.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 2.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Sideboard Configuration Discipline
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: sideboard
|
||||
- Cards: Leyline of Sanctity; Nature's Claim; Welding Jar; Damping Sphere; Collective Brutality; Pithing Needle; Grafdigger's Cage; Tormod's Crypt; Assassin's Trophy; Surgical Extraction; Pyxis of Pandemonium; Mishra's Bauble
|
||||
- Phase windows: sideboarding between games.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: known opponent archetype, cards seen, loss route from previous game.
|
||||
- Use when: choosing sideboard changes for targeted damage, artifact removal, big mana, graveyard, spell-chain, permanent-based, or fast creature matchups.
|
||||
- Avoid when: adding narrow cards without a seen or expected target, or cutting below functional lock density.
|
||||
- Instructions: Bring in sideboard cards only for the route they answer, and cut slow or low-impact main-deck pieces before cutting the core `Lantern of Insight`, mill artifacts, and `Ensnaring Bridge` structure. Keep enough artifacts for mana, `Whir of Invention`, and `Urza's Saga` searches.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Artifact Protection And Removal Response
|
||||
- Priority: High
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; priority
|
||||
- Cards: Welding Jar; Nature's Claim; Assassin's Trophy; Ensnaring Bridge; Lantern of Insight; Pithing Needle
|
||||
- Phase windows: response windows to removal, own main phase for proactive answers, opponent end step.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: stack contains spell or ability targeting a lock artifact, visible permanent breaking the lock.
|
||||
- Use when: protecting `Ensnaring Bridge`, `Lantern of Insight`, a decisive hate artifact, or answering a permanent that bypasses the lock.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the threatened artifact is redundant and saving `Welding Jar`, `Nature's Claim`, or `Assassin's Trophy` protects a more decisive lock piece later.
|
||||
- Instructions: Use `Welding Jar` on the artifact that maintains survival or draw control. Use `Nature's Claim` and `Assassin's Trophy` on permanents that immediately break the lock or create a noncombat loss route, accepting resource costs only when the visible threat warrants it.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Collective Brutality Mode Selection
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Collective Brutality
|
||||
- Phase windows: main phase with legal sorcery timing.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: mode-choice prompt, opponent hand visibility if available, life total, creature targets.
|
||||
- Use when: sideboarded games need discard, creature shrink, or life swing from the exact legal modes available.
|
||||
- Avoid when: escalating discards a lock piece needed for the next turn or when no selected mode has a legal relevant target.
|
||||
- Instructions: Choose modes based on the visible problem: disrupt noncreature spells, reduce a creature threat, or change life totals against reach pressure. Escalate only when the discarded card is redundant or unusable under the current lock plan.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Graveyard Hate Timing
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: interaction
|
||||
- Cards: Grafdigger's Cage; Tormod's Crypt; Surgical Extraction
|
||||
- Phase windows: preemptive main phase, response windows before graveyard costs or abilities resolve when legal.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: opponent graveyard, cast-from-graveyard or library-use patterns, exile activation prompt.
|
||||
- Use when: the opponent's visible route depends on graveyard access, library casting, or a named card in graveyard.
|
||||
- Avoid when: the opponent has already paid costs for a spell and the hate action would not affect that spell on the stack.
|
||||
- Instructions: Deploy `Grafdigger's Cage` before the opponent uses the prohibited zone access. Activate `Tormod's Crypt` before the opponent converts graveyard cards into costs or actions. Use `Surgical Extraction` for the exact card whose remaining copies matter.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
|
||||
### Policy: Library-Lock Endgame Discipline
|
||||
- Priority: Medium
|
||||
- Decision families: priority; selection
|
||||
- Cards: Lantern of Insight; Codex Shredder; Ghoulcaller's Bell; Pyxis of Pandemonium; Ensnaring Bridge
|
||||
- Phase windows: every upkeep and end step after the lock is assembled.
|
||||
- Runtime cues: both top cards known, opponent hand size, remaining libraries, available activations.
|
||||
- Use when: the pilot controls combat and can deny relevant draw steps repeatedly.
|
||||
- Avoid when: sacrificing or activating a lock piece opens an immediate draw, combat, or permanent-based escape route.
|
||||
- Instructions: Win by maintaining information and denying relevant opponent draws, not by rushing low-value activations. Keep `Ensnaring Bridge` active, preserve at least one top-card control artifact, and use `Pyxis of Pandemonium` conservatively because exiling face down can reduce future certainty.
|
||||
- Pilot skill floor: Level 3.
|
||||
- No-API allowed: no
|
||||
- Light-model allowed: yes
|
||||
37
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1/metadata.json
Normal file
37
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_lantern_control/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"B",
|
||||
"G"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_lantern_control.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_lantern_control_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_lantern_control",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Lantern Control",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/decklist.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
# Strategy id: edge_1v1_storm
|
||||
# Format: modern
|
||||
# Commander:
|
||||
# Colors: UR
|
||||
# Tags: edge-case, draft-only, storm, ritual sequencing, mana pool tracking, flashback
|
||||
# Unresolved legality/support: validate current Modern Gifts Storm legality and storm-copy logging.
|
||||
Main (60)
|
||||
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
|
||||
4 Goblin Electromancer
|
||||
4 Consider
|
||||
4 Sleight of Hand
|
||||
4 Serum Visions
|
||||
4 Desperate Ritual
|
||||
4 Pyretic Ritual
|
||||
4 Manamorphose
|
||||
4 Gifts Ungiven
|
||||
2 Past in Flames
|
||||
2 Grapeshot
|
||||
2 Remand
|
||||
4 Spirebluff Canal
|
||||
4 Steam Vents
|
||||
4 Shivan Reef
|
||||
2 Fiery Islet
|
||||
2 Island
|
||||
1 Mountain
|
||||
1 Otawara, Soaring City
|
||||
|
||||
Sideboard (15)
|
||||
3 Pieces of the Puzzle
|
||||
3 Lightning Bolt
|
||||
2 Abrade
|
||||
2 Empty the Warrens
|
||||
2 Blood Moon
|
||||
1 Echoing Truth
|
||||
1 Mystical Dispute
|
||||
1 Shattering Spree
|
||||
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/first_principles.md
Normal file
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/first_principles.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
TODO: Generate first-principles strategy notes for this edge-case seed.
|
||||
1007
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/guide.md
Normal file
1007
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/guide.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/metadata.json
Normal file
36
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/metadata.json
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
|
||||
{
|
||||
"archetype_tags": [],
|
||||
"colors": [
|
||||
"U",
|
||||
"R"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"concept_text": "",
|
||||
"created_at": 0,
|
||||
"files": {
|
||||
"decklist": "decklist.txt",
|
||||
"first_principles": "first_principles.md",
|
||||
"guide": "guide.md",
|
||||
"reflection": "reflection.md"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"formats": [
|
||||
"modern"
|
||||
],
|
||||
"mechanic_tags": [],
|
||||
"source_metadata": {
|
||||
"decklist": "sanctioned_1v1/edge_1v1_storm.txt",
|
||||
"guide_report": "reports/edge_case_guides/edge_1v1_storm_codex_exec_v1_report.json",
|
||||
"promoted_from": "edge_case_generated_guide",
|
||||
"provenance": "edge_case_eval_suite",
|
||||
"source": "edge_case_eval",
|
||||
"source_name": "Veles Edge-Case Evaluation Suite",
|
||||
"source_type": "internal_eval_suite"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"strategy_id": "edge_1v1_storm",
|
||||
"strategy_label": "Storm",
|
||||
"tags": [],
|
||||
"validation_warnings": [],
|
||||
"version_id": "v1",
|
||||
"version_label": "Draft seed v1",
|
||||
"version_note": "",
|
||||
"version_number": 1
|
||||
}
|
||||
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/reflection.md
Normal file
1
strategies/modern/edge_1v1_storm/1/reflection.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
||||
|
||||
@ -335,6 +335,17 @@
|
||||
- Failure modes: Cannot find `Mistrise Village`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, or `Mountain`; careless fetching can leave red missing for `Violent Outburst`, `Dead // Gone`, `Fire // Ice`, or `Brotherhood's End`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Fetch basics against life pressure or nonbasic punishment when colors remain functional; fetch shock or surveil duals when turn-three cascade colors matter more than life.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Island
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, basic blue mana resource and fetchable Island.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: `Island` gives untapped blue without life loss for `Shardless Agent`, `Force of Negation` hard-cast lines, `Subtlety`, `Fire // Ice` Ice, `Quantum Riddler`, `Sink into Stupor`, `Mistrise Village` activation support, and sideboard `Mystical Dispute`.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch or play when preserving life or insulating blue access from nonbasic pressure matters; avoid Island-only sequencing when turn-three `Violent Outburst` still needs both red and green.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop or fetch target and taps for {U}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Misty Rainforest` and `Scalding Tarn`; pairs with `Stomping Ground`, `Commercial District`, `Forest`, or `Mountain` to complete cascade-color planning.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Steam Vents`, `Thundering Falls`, `Breeding Pool`, and `Hedge Maze` also provide blue with a second color; `Forest` and `Mountain` are the other basic safety valves.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not produce red or green, so extra Island access can strand `Violent Outburst`, `Dead // Gone`, `Endurance`, `Wistfulness`, `Vibrance`, `Force of Vigor`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, `Brotherhood's End`, and `Obsidian Charmaw`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest value against Burn, fast aggro, and nonbasic hate when blue interaction is still required; lower priority when the hand already has blue and needs red-green cascade colors.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Force of Negation
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, core free stack protection.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-stack; protection/evasion.
|
||||
@ -471,6 +482,28 @@
|
||||
- Failure modes: Cannot find basic `Forest`, `Boseiju, Who Endures`, or `Mistrise Village`; fetching blue-red without green can delay both cascade spells.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong when holding blue stack interaction or red removal; fetch green-inclusive typed lands when turn-three cascade is the priority.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Forest
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic green mana resource and fetchable Forest.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: `Forest` supplies untapped green without life loss for `Shardless Agent`, `Violent Outburst`, `Endurance`, `Wistfulness`, `Vibrance`, `Force of Vigor`, and `Boseiju, Who Endures` channel costs while keeping a basic target available.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch when green is the missing cascade color and life or nonbasic exposure matters; prefer typed duals when the same land must also provide blue or red immediately.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop or fetch target and taps for {G}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Misty Rainforest` and `Wooded Foothills`; pairs with `Steam Vents`, `Thundering Falls`, `Island`, or `Mountain` depending on whether `Shardless Agent` or `Violent Outburst` is the next cascade spell.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Breeding Pool`, `Hedge Maze`, `Stomping Ground`, and `Commercial District` provide green with another Temur color; `Island` and `Mountain` cover the other basic colors.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not produce blue or red, so relying on Forest alone can strand `Force of Negation` hard-cast lines, `Subtlety`, `Fire // Ice`, `Dead // Gone`, `Brotherhood's End`, and `Obsidian Charmaw`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Important against Burn, Path-to-basic effects, and nonbasic hate when the hand still casts cascade; lower priority when immediate double-color fixing is worth shock or tapped-land risk.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Mountain
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic red mana resource and fetchable Mountain.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: `Mountain` provides untapped red without life loss for `Violent Outburst`, `Dead // Gone`, `Fire // Ice` Fire, `Vibrance` red-red lines, `Brotherhood's End`, `Obsidian Charmaw`, and `Fable of the Mirror-Breaker`.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch when red is missing for instant-speed cascade or removal and a shock land's life payment is costly; avoid Mountain-only starts when `Shardless Agent` or blue protection is the next requirement.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop or fetch target and taps for {R}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by `Wooded Foothills` and `Scalding Tarn`; pairs with `Breeding Pool`, `Hedge Maze`, `Forest`, or `Island` to complete red-green or blue-red turns.
|
||||
- Role peers: `Steam Vents`, `Thundering Falls`, `Stomping Ground`, and `Commercial District` provide red with another Temur color; `Forest` and `Island` are the other basic safety valves.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not produce green or blue, so fetching it too early can strand `Shardless Agent`, `Endurance`, `Force of Vigor`, `Force of Negation` hard-cast lines, `Subtlety`, and `Mystical Dispute`.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Valuable against Burn, fast creature decks, and nonbasic pressure when red interaction must stay live; lower priority when the game is about protected `Shardless Agent` rather than `Violent Outburst`.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Breeding Pool
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, mana resource and fetchable Forest/Island shock land.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
|
||||
@ -301,6 +301,17 @@
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not provide black, so a Hallowed Fountain-only start can strand Goryo's Vengeance, Psychic Frog's black cost, Quest for the Nihil Stone, and Nihil Spellbomb's draw payment.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Valuable against interactive decks where Teferi, Time Raveler and Faithful Mending define setup; against aggro, weigh 2 life against whether Solitude/Ephemerate/removal must be live immediately.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Island
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic blue mana resource and fetchable Island.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped blue without life loss for Faithful Mending with white, Psychic Frog with black, Force of Negation hard-cast lines, Teferi, Time Raveler, Quantum Riddler, Winternight Stories, Consign to Memory, Mystical Dispute, and Subtlety.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch when blue is needed and preserving life matters for Griselbrand activations, fetch/shock sequencing, or racing; avoid Island-only development when Goryo's Vengeance needs black immediately.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop or fetch target and taps for {U}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by Flooded Strand and Polluted Delta; pairs with Godless Shrine, Shadowy Backstreet, Plains, or Swamp depending on whether the next turn needs white blink/removal or black reanimation.
|
||||
- Role peers: Hallowed Fountain, Meticulous Archive, Watery Grave, and Undercity Sewers also provide blue with another Esper color; Plains and Swamp are the other basic safety valves.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not provide white or black, so relying on it alone can strand Goryo's Vengeance, Ephemerate, March of Otherworldly Light, Prismatic Ending, Pest Control, Solitude hard-cast planning, Quest for the Nihil Stone, and Nihil Spellbomb's black draw payment.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: High value against Burn, tempo, and nonbasic pressure when blue setup or stack interaction is required; lower priority when the hand already has blue and must protect black-white combo access.
|
||||
|
||||
#### March of Otherworldly Light
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck 1 copy and sideboard 1 copy, flexible exile answer.
|
||||
- Role type: interaction-removal; post-board named bullet; role glue.
|
||||
@ -334,6 +345,17 @@
|
||||
- Failure modes: Entering tapped is a real tempo cost; do not keep a hand relying on it for immediate turn-two black unless another land supplies black.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Excellent in slower games where surveil selection improves graveyard setup; dangerous against fast starts if it delays Solitude support, Prismatic Ending, or Faithful Mending.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Plains
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic white mana resource and fetchable Plains.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped white without life loss for Ephemerate, March of Otherworldly Light, Prismatic Ending, Solitude hard-cast planning, Pest Control with black, Faithful Mending with blue, and Teferi, Time Raveler.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch when white interaction or Ephemerate conversion is needed and life preservation matters; avoid Plains-only sequencing when the live combo turn needs black for Goryo's Vengeance.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop or fetch target and taps for {W}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by Flooded Strand and Marsh Flats; pairs with Watery Grave, Undercity Sewers, Island, or Swamp to support blue setup or black reanimation turns.
|
||||
- Role peers: Hallowed Fountain, Meticulous Archive, Godless Shrine, and Shadowy Backstreet also provide white with another Esper color; Island and Swamp are the other basic safety valves.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not provide blue or black, so relying on Plains alone can strand Faithful Mending, Psychic Frog, Goryo's Vengeance, Force of Negation hard-cast lines, Quantum Riddler, Winternight Stories, Quest for the Nihil Stone, and Nihil Spellbomb's black draw payment.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest value against creature pressure, Burn, and nonbasic hate when white removal or Ephemerate must stay live; lower priority in hands already white-rich but missing black.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Polluted Delta
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 4 copies, mana resource and fetchland fixer.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp; card selection.
|
||||
@ -403,6 +425,17 @@
|
||||
- Failure modes: It targets “other target creature,” so Solitude cannot target itself; giving life to the targeted player or planeswalker can matter if the fair damage plan is close.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Excellent versus aggro, creature combo, and key blockers; lower priority versus spell combo unless a creature or planeswalker spell/creature is the decisive axis.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Swamp
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 1 copy, basic black mana resource and fetchable Swamp.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped black without life loss for Goryo's Vengeance, Psychic Frog with blue, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Nihil Spellbomb's optional draw payment, Pest Control with white, and Surgical Extraction when paying black instead of 2 life.
|
||||
- Timing: Fetch when black reanimation access is the bottleneck and a shock land's life payment would endanger Griselbrand, fetch-heavy turns, or survival; avoid Swamp-only development when Faithful Mending or Ephemerate is the immediate setup.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop or fetch target and taps for {B}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Found by Marsh Flats and Polluted Delta; pairs with Hallowed Fountain, Meticulous Archive, Plains, or Island to support white blink/removal and blue setup.
|
||||
- Role peers: Godless Shrine, Shadowy Backstreet, Watery Grave, and Undercity Sewers also provide black with another Esper color; Island and Plains are the other basic safety valves.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Does not provide white or blue, so relying on Swamp alone can strand Ephemerate, Faithful Mending, March of Otherworldly Light, Prismatic Ending, Solitude hard-cast planning, Teferi, Time Raveler, Force of Negation hard-cast lines, and Quantum Riddler.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: High value against Burn, graveyard-hate pressure, and nonbasic punishment when Goryo's Vengeance must stay live; lower priority when black is already covered and white-blue interaction decides the turn.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Teferi, Time Raveler
|
||||
- Deck role: Main deck, 2 copies, protection bridge and tempo planeswalker.
|
||||
- Role type: protection/evasion; interaction-removal; card selection; role glue.
|
||||
|
||||
@ -532,6 +532,28 @@ Do not pilot this list as hard control, fast aggro, or a hidden-card combo deck.
|
||||
- Failure modes: No basic land types and no late-game utility; tempo loss is its only real cost.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Reliable in midrange; less desirable in openers against aggressive decks requiring immediate action.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Plains
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 8 copies, basic white mana resource and basic-land search target.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped white for Elite Vanguard, Savannah Lions, Jasmine Boreal of the Seven, Journey to Nowhere, Banishing Light, Crib Swap, Generous Gift, Rebellious Strike, Disenchant, Dust to Dust, Standard Bearer, Obsidian Acolyte, Crimson Acolyte, Prismatic Strands, and Weather the Storm sideboard sequencing when white must remain available.
|
||||
- Timing: Play early when white one-drops, commander access, or removal are the bottleneck; prioritize Forest first when the hand needs Llanowar Elves, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, Nature's Claim, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, or large green creatures.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop and taps for {W}; can be found by Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Terramorphic Expanse, and Evolving Wilds as a basic land card.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Works with Forest for Jasmine Boreal of the Seven and green-white removal turns; exact basic search partners are Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Terramorphic Expanse, and Evolving Wilds.
|
||||
- Role peers: Forest is the primary green basic; Arctic Treeline and Radiant Grove have Plains plus Forest types but enter tapped, while Command Tower fixes both colors untapped without being searchable as a basic.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Plains cannot be enchanted by Utopia Sprawl and does not cast green ramp or large green threats by itself; Plains-heavy hands can fail to reach the deck's top-end plan.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest value against fast creature decks and removal-heavy boards where white answers or Prismatic Strands matter; lower priority when green ramp is the only way to keep pace.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Forest
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 12 copies, primary basic green mana resource and basic-land search target.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped green for Llanowar Elves, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, Nature's Claim, Adventure Awaits, Track Down, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Overgrowth, Jasmine Boreal of the Seven, and the deck's large green creatures.
|
||||
- Timing: Lead on Forest when it enables one-mana acceleration or early green setup; choose Plains first only when a white one-drop or white interaction is the immediate play and green is already covered.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop and taps for {G}; can be found by Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Terramorphic Expanse, and Evolving Wilds as a basic land card; is a legal Utopia Sprawl target because it is a Forest.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Supports Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, Overgrowth, Llanowar Elves, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, and Jasmine Boreal of the Seven's green-white commander plan.
|
||||
- Role peers: Plains supplies white basics; Arctic Treeline and Radiant Grove are typed Forest Plains duals that enter tapped; Thriving Grove and Manor Gate are green-base fixers without basic land status.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Forest-only hands can strand Elite Vanguard, Savannah Lions, Journey to Nowhere, Banishing Light, Crib Swap, Generous Gift, Rebellious Strike, Disenchant, Dust to Dust, Standard Bearer, and Prismatic Strands.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest priority against fair and midrange decks where early ramp into Jasmine Boreal of the Seven or large no-ability creatures wins; balance with Plains against aggro when white removal is needed now.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Selesnya Guildgate
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 1 copy, tapped Gate mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
|
||||
@ -326,6 +326,17 @@ Do not play this deck as a generic Azorius control deck that trades one-for-one
|
||||
- Failure modes: Umbra armor does not stop exile, bounce, sacrifice, -N/-N, or Auras being removed directly; first strike is less relevant on unblockable Wraith than on backup carriers.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Strong against destroy removal and combat; weaker against edict-heavy or bounce-heavy opponents.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Island
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 12 copies, basic blue mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped blue for Wraith, Vicious Vigilante with white, Counterspell, Spell Pierce, Dizzy Spell, Turn Aside, Muddle the Mixture, Drift of Phantasms, Ophidian Eye, Sigil of Sleep, Eel Umbra, Vanishing, Shore Up, You Come to a River, Magic Damper, Cartouche of Knowledge, Hidden Strings, Tandem Lookout, Last Thoughts, Saiba Cryptomancer, One With the Wind, Spectral Flight, Dispel, Intervene, and Keep Safe.
|
||||
- Timing: Play early when blue interaction or Wraith's blue pip is the bottleneck; keep Island untapped when Turn Aside, Spell Pierce, Shore Up, Dispel, Intervene, or Keep Safe can protect the carrier.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop and taps for {U}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Pairs with Plains, Command Tower, Path of Ancestry, Razortide Bridge, Skybridge Towers, North Pole Gates, University Campus, and Abandoned Campground to assemble Wraith colors.
|
||||
- Role peers: Plains supplies the white half of Wraith and protection; Command Tower fixes both colors untapped, while Path of Ancestry, Razortide Bridge, Skybridge Towers, North Pole Gates, and University Campus usually enter tapped.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Island-only hands can strand Spirit Link, Hyena Umbra, Ethereal Armor, All That Glitters, Steel of the Godhead's white side, Benevolent Blessing, Blacksmith's Skill, Karametra's Blessing, Recommission, Take Up the Shield, and white sideboard tricks.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest value against removal and stack-pressure decks where holding blue protection matters; balance with Plains when white Auras or commander recasts decide the clock.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Ophidian Eye
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 1 copy, card-flow aura and flash connection engine.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; card selection.
|
||||
@ -348,6 +359,17 @@ Do not play this deck as a generic Azorius control deck that trades one-for-one
|
||||
- Failure modes: A free cast does not mean free impact; equipping can still consume the mana needed for Spell Pierce, Turn Aside, or Blacksmith's Skill.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Better in tempo games where cheap pressure matters; poor as a topdeck if no creature is safe to carry it.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Plains
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 16 copies, primary basic white mana resource.
|
||||
- Role type: mana/fixing/ramp.
|
||||
- Deck-specific job: Provides untapped white for Wraith, Vicious Vigilante with blue, Aven Squire, Spirit Link, Hyena Umbra, Ethereal Armor, All That Glitters, Steel of the Godhead's white side, Benevolent Blessing, Chains of Custody, Greatsword of Tyr, Blacksmith's Skill, Crumb and Get It, Sentinel's Eyes, Cartouche of Solidarity, Take Up the Shield, Defiant Strike, Recommission, Karametra's Blessing, Mammoth Umbra, Kor Halberd, Dig Site Inventory, Akrasan Squire, Ethercaste Knight, and white sideboard tricks.
|
||||
- Timing: Play early when white Aura layering, protection, or Wraith's white pip is the bottleneck; keep Plains untapped when Blacksmith's Skill, Karametra's Blessing, Defiant Strike, Guided Strike, Flare of Faith, Beaming Defiance, or Moment of Triumph can swing combat or removal.
|
||||
- Inputs / outputs: Uses a land drop and taps for {W}; enters untapped and costs no life.
|
||||
- Partners / packages: Pairs with Island, Command Tower, Path of Ancestry, Razortide Bridge, Skybridge Towers, North Pole Gates, University Campus, and Abandoned Campground to assemble Wraith colors.
|
||||
- Role peers: Island supplies blue protection and card flow; Command Tower fixes both colors untapped, while Razortide Bridge adds artifact count and the other Azorius duals trade tempo for fixing or late utility.
|
||||
- Failure modes: Plains-only hands can strand Counterspell, Spell Pierce, Turn Aside, Muddle the Mixture, Ophidian Eye, Sigil of Sleep, Eel Umbra, Vanishing, Shore Up, You Come to a River, Cartouche of Knowledge, Hidden Strings, Last Thoughts, and blue sideboard protection.
|
||||
- Matchup / visibility hooks: Highest value in races and creature fights where white Auras, lifegain, and protection decide Wraith's first hit; balance with Island against counterspell or instant-removal opponents.
|
||||
|
||||
#### Goldvein Pick
|
||||
- Deck role: Main, 1 copy, equipment role player for damage and Treasure.
|
||||
- Role type: engine piece; mana/fixing/ramp; threat/clock.
|
||||
|
||||
Loading…
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user