# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
- Identity: Brigid, Clachan's Heart is a Duel Commander green-white midrange-tribal singleton deck with a command-zone anchor, creature-heavy acceleration, tutor density, hatebear disruption, and compact permanent engines. Treat the list as a rogue-hybrid strategy rather than a stock Selesnya shell: many decisions depend on exact registered cards such as Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Earthcraft, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, Urza's Saga, Palace Jailer, Walking Ballista, and Pre-War Formalwear, so the pilot should prefer rules-engine legal actions and visible board state over format heuristics.

- Validation: The active format is Duel Commander, the registered main deck contains 100 cards, and the registered sideboard contains 10 cards. The main-deck construction rule is exactly 100 singleton cards outside basic lands; Snow-Covered Forest and Snow-Covered Plains are the only repeated main-deck names, and the format-aware validation contract says the deck passes. The sideboard is a Veles policy sideboard of exactly 10 cards: Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Deafening Silence, Force of Vigor, Collector Ouphe, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Path to Exile, Containment Priest, and Hushbringer.

- Tags: The active archetype tags are midrange and tribal. Interpret midrange as the default game plan: build mana, deploy a relevant body or engine, answer the opponent's public bottleneck, then close before the opponent rebuilds. Interpret tribal as a synergy cue tied to Brigid, Clachan's Heart and creature density, not as permission to keep hands without functional mana, early play, pressure, or interaction.

- Commander status: Brigid, Clachan's Heart is the named commander and deck identity card. Card text check required before assuming any activated ability, combat-control role, creature-type payoff, damage pattern, or commander-damage plan; at runtime, use only legal commander actions exposed by the engine and visible mana/tax information.

- Mana identity: The deck is built to convert early green or white mana into tempo through Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Devoted Druid, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Wild Growth, and Utopia Sprawl. Flag hands that depend on Dryad Arbor as the only land, Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land, or Utopia Sprawl without a legal enchant target. Prioritize functional green access early, but do not ignore white requirements for Swords to Plowshares, On Thin Ice, Stoneforge Mystic, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, Palace Jailer, Skyclave Apparition, and commander deployment.

- Structural role: The deck can become aggressor, stabilizer, prison-hate deck, or toolbox-control deck based on public information. Aggressor hands use fast mana, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Stoneforge Mystic, Urza's Saga, or commander pressure to force action. Stabilizer hands use Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, or Palace Jailer to blunt pressure. Toolbox-control hands spend Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Eldritch Evolution, Stoneforge Mystic, or Heliod's Pilgrim only when the chosen card addresses the visible bottleneck.

- Legality discipline: Legal actions from the rules engine are binding, and this guide must never cause the agent to invent a spell, activation, target, attack, block, search result, or sideboard action. If a card's exact text is unclear, including newer or less familiar names such as Abandoned Air Temple, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Formidable Speaker, Hushwood Verge, Multiversal Passage, Nature's Rhythm, Springheart Nantuko, Starfield Shepherd, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, or Witch Enchanter, use "Card text check required" reasoning and keep lines conditional on displayed legal actions.

- Opponent information status: No fixed opponent decklist is supplied for this strategy specification batch, so matchup assumptions must remain archetype-level until public information appears. Do not infer hidden cards from familiar format patterns, do not name absent staples as if registered here, and do not treat sideboard cards as correct unless the opponent's public permanents, graveyard, stack, revealed cards, commander, or gameplay pattern justify the role.

## Thesis
- Assemble mana, board presence, and a matchup-specific bottleneck answer before trying to dominate. Brigid, Clachan's Heart wants early green or white access, a first meaningful creature or engine, then one selected pressure or control line from the registered toolbox rather than a pile of disconnected efficient cards.

- Win by turning small permanents into compound advantage, protected attacks, commander pressure, or a compact finisher. The clean wins come from mana acceleration into Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat control, Urza's Saga pressure, Palace Jailer advantage, Stoneforge Mystic into Pre-War Formalwear, Walking Ballista reach, or engines such as Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, and Springheart Nantuko producing material before the opponent stabilizes.

- Prioritize functional mana over speculative power. Keep and sequence toward a green source, a white source, acceleration, and a concrete first play; flag hands that lean on Dryad Arbor as the only land, Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land, or Utopia Sprawl without a legal target.

- Prioritize the public bottleneck over maximum abstract value. Use Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, and Eldritch Evolution to find the card that changes the visible game, not the card that looks strongest in isolation.

- Do not play as an all-in combo deck, a draw-go control deck, or a pure prison deck. The deck should rarely spend turns doing nothing while holding interaction, and it should rarely commit every creature into a board where one public answer resets the game; it should build pressure while forcing the opponent to answer the specific axis already visible.

- Treat uncertain card text as conditional until Forge exposes legal actions. Card text check required for Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Abandoned Air Temple, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Formidable Speaker, Hushwood Verge, Multiversal Passage, Nature's Rhythm, Springheart Nantuko, Starfield Shepherd, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, and Witch Enchanter before relying on exact abilities, creature types, combat text, or triggered outcomes.

## Role Package
- Threats: Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Stoneforge Mystic, Urza's Saga, Palace Jailer, Walking Ballista, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, Springheart Nantuko, and Seedcradle Witch are the main ways to make the opponent answer the board. Choose the threat that fits the current role: fast pressure when ahead, resilient pressure when trading resources, and commander or Palace Jailer pressure when the board can be controlled.

- Payoffs: Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Pre-War Formalwear, Walking Ballista, Palace Jailer, Urza's Saga, Parallax Wave, and Brigid, Clachan's Heart are the cards most likely to convert setup into a decisive game state. Commit these through visible removal or counterplay only when the current mana, protection, and clock make waiting worse or when the opponent is already constrained.

- Engines: Skullclamp rewards disposable or outclassed creatures when legal; Earthcraft rewards a board with creatures and mana sinks when legal; Birthing Pod and Eldritch Evolution turn creatures into exact upgrades when the sacrifice cost is acceptable; Survival of the Fittest turns spare creatures into the needed creature if the activation and discard are legal. Do not spend an engine turn if the visible board demands immediate removal, graveyard hate, or a blocker.

- Velocity: Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, and Eldritch Evolution are selection cards, not generic value buttons. Spend them for mana repair, pressure, protection, removal, hate, or a finisher according to the visible bottleneck.

- Interaction: Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, Boseiju, Who Endures, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, Keen-Eyed Curator, Witch Enchanter, and Walking Ballista cover public threats across creatures, permanents, graveyards, and reach. Use the narrow answer first when it cleanly solves the public problem; preserve flexible answers when the opponent has shown multiple threat types.

- Protection: Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Voice of Victory, Melira, the Living Cure, Sanctifier en-Vec, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Delighted Halfling should protect an engine, force damage, or secure a critical spell only when legal text and visible threats support that use. Do not spend protection merely because an activation exists.

- Recursion: Pre-War Formalwear is the main named recursion-style card, but card text check required before assuming its exact return timing or target restrictions. Treat any recursion line as a commitment that must pass visible-target, mana, and removal-risk checks.

- Mana: Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Devoted Druid, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Wild Growth, Utopia Sprawl, Dryad Arbor, Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth, and the green-white land base are the tempo skeleton. Sequence to cast two spells sooner, pay commander tax, and keep white interaction available when the opponent is pressuring the board.

- Sideboard modules: Rest in Peace, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, Keen-Eyed Curator, and Sanctifier en-Vec form graveyard pressure and hate; Stony Silence, Collector Ouphe, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Boseiju, Who Endures, Haywire Mite, and Witch Enchanter answer artifact or enchantment pressure; Deafening Silence, Containment Priest, Hushbringer, Drannith Magistrate, and Ranger-Captain of Eos attack spell-chain, enter-the-battlefield, cast-from-unusual-zone, or timing-dependent plans when public information justifies the role.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Protected creature pressure wins when early mana converts into a threat plus a shield before the opponent stabilizes. Setup with Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Wild Growth, or Utopia Sprawl; execute by deploying Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Stoneforge Mystic, Voice of Victory, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, Brightglass Gearhulk, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart behind Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Melira, the Living Cure, Sanctifier en-Vec, or Ranger-Captain of Eos. Prioritize this line against slower starts, light removal, or hands with acceleration and protection; disruption is spot removal, sweepers, blockers larger than the current board, and mana denial that prevents double-spelling.

- Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat control wins when the commander changes attacks, blocks, or creature sizing in a way Forge exposes as legal. Setup with stable green-white mana, protection, and enough board presence that the opponent must commit creatures; execute only through legal commander actions, combat declarations, or activated abilities shown by the rules engine. Prioritize this line against creature boards where Brigid, Clachan's Heart can make combat unfavorable; disruption is commander tax, removal before combat, tap effects, and boards where the commander is too slow. Card text check required before assuming exact damage, targeting, tribal, or combat-control text.

- Engine advantage wins when one permanent turns small creatures into material every turn. Setup with Skullclamp plus expendable creatures, Earthcraft plus a board and legal mana use, Birthing Pod or Eldritch Evolution plus a creature that can be sacrificed, or Survival of the Fittest plus spare creatures; execute by converting low-impact bodies into cards, mana, upgraded creatures, or exact answers. Prioritize this line in resource trades or stalled boards; disruption is graveyard hate, artifact or enchantment removal, creature removal in response to costs, and tempo pressure that punishes spending mana without affecting combat.

- Selected finisher wins come from using tutors to find the visible bottleneck rather than the largest card. Setup with Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, or Eldritch Evolution; execute by finding Walking Ballista for reach, Palace Jailer for card advantage, Pre-War Formalwear for equipment or recursion-style pressure, Skyclave Apparition or Solitude for a blocker, or protection for an already winning board. Prioritize this line when the game has one clear public problem; disruption is counterplay to the searched card, removal on the required creature, or tutor timing that gives the opponent a full turn to answer.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Urza's Saga pressure is a secondary plan when the land can safely produce material without costing the colored mana needed for interaction. Use it as a threat that also demands a specific answer; do not lean on it if the hand needs green or white immediately to cast removal, acceleration, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart.

- Palace Jailer advantage is a secondary win path when the board can protect the monarchy or when removing a public creature changes the race. Prioritize it after stabilizing, with blockers or protection available; avoid it when becoming the monarch gives the opponent an easy draw engine through open attacks.

- Walking Ballista reach is the cleanest noncombat closer when mana is abundant or small creatures have stalled the board. Use it to finish damaged opponents, remove small creatures, or force awkward blocks only when legal counters, damage, and targets are visible; do not assume lethal if prevention, protection, or damage redirection is public.

- Stoneforge Mystic into Pre-War Formalwear is a backup pressure or recursion-style line when the opponent is trading one-for-one. Card text check required for Pre-War Formalwear before assuming exact equip, return, or trigger text; choose the line when the equipment action is legal and the board has a creature that benefits immediately or can be protected.

- Hatebear pressure closes games when Drannith Magistrate, Voice of Victory, Sanctifier en-Vec, Melira, the Living Cure, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Haywire Mite, Keen-Eyed Curator, or Ranger-Captain of Eos constrains the opponent while attacking. Treat hate as a clock only after it addresses a public axis; otherwise keep building pressure.

## Emergency Lines
- Behind on life: stabilize first with Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, Walking Ballista, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart if legal. Do not spend the turn on Skullclamp, Survival of the Fittest, or Birthing Pod unless the chosen line also creates a blocker, removes pressure, or wins the race.

- Behind on board: trade resources into parity before tutoring for engines. Use Parallax Wave, Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Swords to Plowshares, Palace Jailer, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, or Swift Reconfiguration for the public threat that changes combat most; use Chord of Calling, Green Sun's Zenith, Eladamri's Call, or Recruiter of the Guard for a stabilizer only when the target is legal and timely.

- Behind on cards: choose Skullclamp, Palace Jailer, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, or Stoneforge Mystic only if the board will not collapse before the advantage matters. If pressure is lethal or near-lethal, removal and blockers outrank card flow.

- Behind on mana: tutor or sequence for functional development before expensive payoffs. Prefer lands, one-mana accelerants, Wild Growth, Utopia Sprawl with a legal target, or cheaper interaction; avoid Summoner's Pact unless the payment obligation and following turn are safe by visible mana.

- Engines removed: pivot to commander pressure, Urza's Saga, Palace Jailer, Walking Ballista, Stoneforge Mystic, or protected creature attacks instead of spending tutors to rebuild the same answered axis. If graveyard recursion or library selection is attacked, use battlefield-based threats and clean interaction.

- Facing combo or recursion: stop the public engine before racing if hate is legal. Use Drannith Magistrate, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Haywire Mite, Boseiju, Who Endures, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or sideboard hate when present; if no hate is available, commit the fastest protected clock and hold flexible interaction for the revealed choke point.

## Resource Model
- Life is a stabilizing resource, not a fuel source, because the deck wins by surviving into creature pressure, Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat control, or selected toolbox advantage. Spend life from Brushland, fetchlands, Temple Garden, or combat races when the turn converts into mana development, removal, or a protected clock; preserve life when the opponent has visible pressure and the line is only a slower engine such as Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Skullclamp, or Earthcraft.

- Hand size is the deck's tactical option bank because most cards are singleton and many are narrow. Treat Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, and Eldritch Evolution as ways to turn hand texture into the exact public need: mana, protection, removal, hate, pressure, or reach.

- Mana is the deck's primary tempo conversion because one-mana accelerants let it double-spell and deploy commander pressure ahead of schedule. Value Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Devoted Druid, Wild Growth, and Utopia Sprawl by what they enable next turn, not by their body size.

- Board presence is both pressure and infrastructure, so do not trade small creatures automatically. Preserve creatures when they power Earthcraft, Chord of Calling, Skullclamp, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest discard chains, Ranger of Eos packages, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat leverage; trade them when life total, monarchy protection, or a public attacker makes survival the priority.

- Graveyard and exile are tactical zones only when legal text makes them matter. Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, and Hushbringer can change opponent resources, while Solitude, Force of Vigor, and temporary exile/removal effects may change this deck's own card economy; never assume recursion, prevention, or replacement behavior without Forge legal actions. Card text check required for newer or unfamiliar graveyard/exile interactions.

- Lands are spells in this deck because Urza's Saga, Boseiju, Who Endures, Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth, Ancient Den, Abandoned Air Temple, and fetchlands can change pressure, color access, or interaction. Do not spend utility lands casually when missing green for acceleration, white for removal, or the commander colors needed after tax.

- Sacrifice fodder is valuable when it is explicitly converted by Birthing Pod, Eldritch Evolution, Skullclamp, or other visible legal actions. Use expendable mana creatures, Dryad Arbor, or low-impact bodies only when the resulting card, creature, or board state solves the current public problem; do not sacrifice protection or hate creatures that are actively constraining the opponent.

- Information is a resource because tutors and sideboard bullets punish guessing. Base decisions on visible zones, revealed cards, public actions, and Forge prompts; use sideboard cards such as Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Deafening Silence, Force of Vigor, Collector Ouphe, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Path to Exile, Containment Priest, and Hushbringer only when their axis is public or strongly implied by legal actions and matchup context.

## Mana Guide
- Keep hands with a functional first two turns: at least one real land, a green source for acceleration or selection, and either a white source or a plan to find one before Swords to Plowshares, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Stoneforge Mystic, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart matters. Mulligan hands that rely on Dryad Arbor as the only land, Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land, or Utopia Sprawl without a legal Forest target.

- Sequence green first when the hand contains mana creatures, Wild Growth, Utopia Sprawl, Green Sun's Zenith, Survival of the Fittest, Chord of Calling, Worldly Tutor, Eladamri's Call, or Eldritch Evolution. Sequence white first when the hand must answer a public threat with Swords to Plowshares, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Solitude, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, or Stoneforge Mystic.

- Choose untapped colored lands over utility when the turn requires double-spelling. Command Tower, Savannah, Temple Garden, Brushland, Branchloft Pathway, Razorverge Thicket, Sunpetal Grove, Wooded Bastion, Snow-Covered Forest, and Snow-Covered Plains usually matter more than Urza's Saga or Boseiju, Who Endures if the hand needs both development and interaction.

- Use fetchlands to fix the exact missing color before committing aura acceleration. Wooded Foothills, Windswept Heath, Verdant Catacombs, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Flooded Strand, Prismatic Vista, Arid Mesa, and similar land choices should prioritize a Forest-compatible land for Arbor Elf, Wild Growth, and Utopia Sprawl when those cards are the tempo plan; prioritize white when removal or commander deployment is the bottleneck.

- Play lands after draw or selection when no mana is needed first. If Skullclamp, Palace Jailer, Ranger of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, Stoneforge Mystic, Worldly Tutor follow-up draw, Enlightened Tutor follow-up draw, or another legal action may reveal the land need, delay the land drop; play the land first only when required to cast the draw/selection spell, activate an ability, pay tax, or preserve a legal response.

- Respect tapped and conditional lands before choosing a line. Lush Portico, Hushwood Verge, Sunpetal Grove, Razorverge Thicket, Abandoned Air Temple, Multiversal Passage, and Branchloft Pathway may change whether a turn can hold interaction, cast Brigid, Clachan's Heart, or double-spell; verify Forge's available mana and legal actions instead of assuming a land enters untapped or makes both colors.

- Treat commander tax as a mana-plan constraint from the first cast onward. If Brigid, Clachan's Heart is central to stabilizing combat, preserve colored sources and accelerants; if tax makes the commander too slow, shift mana toward Palace Jailer, Walking Ballista, Urza's Saga, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, or clean interaction.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keeps have two real mana sources, one green source, one white path, and a meaningful first play. Examples include Snow-Covered Forest plus Savannah with Birds of Paradise and Swords to Plowshares, or Temple Garden plus Windswept Heath with Wild Growth and Stoneforge Mystic; these hands develop while preserving interaction.

- Strong engine keeps need acceleration plus a payoff that matters before the opponent’s visible clock becomes dominant. Keep hands such as Snow-Covered Forest, Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Survival of the Fittest, and a creature to discard; keep Skullclamp hands when they also contain disposable bodies such as Dryad Arbor, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, or Ocelot Pride.

- Medium keeps are functional but must identify the first bottleneck. A hand with Command Tower, Snow-Covered Plains, Mother of Runes, Stoneforge Mystic, On Thin Ice, and Palace Jailer is keepable on interaction and pressure, but it needs a green draw soon for Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, or Earthcraft lines.

- Risky keeps need one draw step or one legal tutor action to become coherent. One-land hands are acceptable only with Snow-Covered Forest or another untapped green source plus Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Wild Growth, or Utopia Sprawl; ship if the single land is Dryad Arbor, Urza's Saga, Boseiju, Who Endures, or a land that does not cast the accelerant.

- Automatic ships lack a legal early game. Ship zero-land hands, hands with no green source and no cheap interaction, Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land, Utopia Sprawl without a legal Forest target, Dryad Arbor as the only land, and hands whose first meaningful action is Palace Jailer, Brightglass Gearhulk, Brigid, Clachan's Heart through tax pressure, or Walking Ballista for negligible impact.

- Matchup-dependent keeps should keep the hate only when it maps to known or strongly implied opponent pressure. Drannith Magistrate, Sanctifier en-Vec, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, Keen-Eyed Curator, Haywire Mite, Skyclave Apparition, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, and Solitude are high-value only when their target class is likely or visible; otherwise require normal mana plus pressure.

- Play/draw adjustment favors acceleration on the play and interaction on the draw. On the play, prioritize turn-one mana into Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Stoneforge Mystic, or Ranger-Captain of Eos; on the draw, prioritize Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, or a fast hatebear when the opponent can race.

- Trap hands look powerful but do not act in order. Ship hands with multiple tutors and no creature or mana, Urza's Saga plus colorless utility but no colored development, Birthing Pod with no expendable creature chain, Survival of the Fittest with no creature to discard, Earthcraft with too few creatures, or Skullclamp with only protection creatures you cannot afford to sacrifice.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1 should create mana or protect the turn-two play. Prefer Snow-Covered Forest, Savannah, Temple Garden, Command Tower, or a fetchland into a green source for Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Wild Growth, or Utopia Sprawl; deviate to Swords to Plowshares or On Thin Ice only when a visible threat will invalidate development.

- Turn 1 protection is correct when the hand already has mana and a fragile engine. Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Burrenton Forge-Tender can precede Stoneforge Mystic, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Earthcraft, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart when removal is expected; do not lead protection if it strands green acceleration.

- Turn 2 should convert acceleration into a bottleneck card. Preferred plays are Stoneforge Mystic for Pre-War Formalwear when equipment pressure matters, Survival of the Fittest when the hand has discard fuel, Birthing Pod when a creature chain is available, Drannith Magistrate or Sanctifier en-Vec when the matchup axis calls for it, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart only if Forge legal actions and mana make the commander timely.

- Turn 2 selection should solve a public need, not spend mana abstractly. Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Eldritch Evolution, and Survival of the Fittest should find mana, protection, removal, pressure, or hate according to the visible board.

- Turn 3 should establish the role for the next two turns. If ahead, add Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Urza's Saga pressure, Skullclamp value, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or Stoneforge Mystic equipment pressure; if behind, prioritize Skyclave Apparition, Solitude, Swords to Plowshares, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, On Thin Ice, Parallax Wave, or Palace Jailer only when the monarchy can be defended.

- Turns 4-5 should turn board presence into a lock, clock, or decisive answer. Use Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Chord of Calling, Eldritch Evolution, Green Sun's Zenith, Ranger of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, or Enlightened Tutor to assemble the exact missing piece; commit Walking Ballista, Palace Jailer, Parallax Wave, Urza's Saga constructs, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart when the opponent’s visible interaction and combat math allow it.

- Late game should preserve live topdecks and shorten the clock. Convert excess mana into Walking Ballista, commander recasts, Urza's Saga pressure, Skullclamp cards, Survival of the Fittest chains, Chord of Calling, or activated utility only when legal actions show the line; Card text check required before relying on Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Formidable Speaker, Nature's Rhythm, Springheart Nantuko, Starfield Shepherd, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, or Abandoned Air Temple for specific closing text.

## Card Roles
- Commander role: Brigid, Clachan's Heart is the command-zone pressure and combat-control anchor, but Card text check required before assuming any activated, triggered, tribal, or damage ability. Cast Brigid, Clachan's Heart when mana development can absorb commander tax, protection is visible or available, and the opponent cannot immediately convert one removal spell into a full tempo swing.

- One-mana acceleration role: Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Delighted Halfling, Devoted Druid, Wild Growth, and Utopia Sprawl turn singleton midrange into a turn-ahead deck. Prioritize them before reactive permanents unless a visible threat demands Swords to Plowshares, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, or Solitude; do not keep Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land or Utopia Sprawl without a legal Forest target.

- Protection role: Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Melira, the Living Cure, Voice of Victory, Sanctifier en-Vec, and Ranger-Captain of Eos protect engines, commander pressure, and race math only when their legal text applies to the visible threat. Lead protection before Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Stoneforge Mystic, Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart when removal is likely; avoid spending protection on low-impact mana creatures unless losing the mana source collapses the hand.

- Tutor and selection role: Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Eldritch Evolution, Birthing Pod, and Survival of the Fittest must find the current bottleneck, not the strongest theoretical card. Use them for mana when stuck, protection when an engine matters, removal when behind, hate when the opponent’s plan is public, and a closer only after stabilizing.

- Engine role: Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Urza's Saga, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, and Springheart Nantuko are the main ways to turn small creatures into material advantage. Commit these engines when at least one immediate use is legal or protected; Card text check required before relying on Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Springheart Nantuko, or Urza's Saga for exact token, counter, or chapter outcomes.

- Equipment and aura role: Stoneforge Mystic should usually find Pre-War Formalwear when equipment pressure or recursion is the bottleneck, but Card text check required before treating Pre-War Formalwear as a specific reanimation, pump, or equip pattern. Heliod's Pilgrim should find an aura only when the legal action text and visible board make the target useful; do not spend a tutor on an aura if the creature target is exposed and the opponent has visible removal.

- Removal role: Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, Haywire Mite, Witch Enchanter, Boseiju, Who Endures, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, and Keen-Eyed Curator answer different public threat classes. Use exile or clean removal on threats that stop combat, combo, or engines; use graveyard interaction only when the opponent has public graveyard dependency; Card text check required for Witch Enchanter and Keen-Eyed Curator before relying on exact modes or graveyard timing.

- Hatebear role: Drannith Magistrate, Sanctifier en-Vec, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Haywire Mite, and Burrenton Forge-Tender are matchup tools that belong in the main plan only when they constrain a visible or strongly inferred axis. Do not cast hate into irrelevance just because mana is available; convert dead hate into Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, Eldritch Evolution, or combat pressure when legal actions support that use.

- Board-control role: Parallax Wave, Palace Jailer, Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Skyclave Apparition, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, On Thin Ice, and Solitude stabilize creature boards. Palace Jailer is a commitment card: cast it only when the monarchy can be defended or the removal swing is worth the risk; Parallax Wave and Brigid, Clachan's Heart require visible legal actions and exact text confirmation before assuming a lock or favorable combat wipe.

- Closing role: Walking Ballista, Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Palace Jailer, Urza's Saga, Stoneforge Mystic plus Pre-War Formalwear, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, and commander damage are the main closing candidates. Walking Ballista converts excess mana into reach and board control when legal counters and targets exist; Card text check required for Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, and Formidable Speaker before relying on any specific damage, tutor, combat, or scaling text.

- Creature-utility role: Quirion Ranger, Seedcradle Witch, Dryad Arbor, Devoted Druid, Birds of Paradise, Delighted Halfling, and Earthcraft create mana or tactical untap pressure, but they are fragile and should not be exposed without purpose. Dryad Arbor is a land, creature, tutor target, Skullclamp body, and liability; never treat it as a safe only-land keep or a free attacker into visible blockers.

- Value-creature role: Ranger of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Skyclave Apparition, Palace Jailer, Solitude, Endurance, Witch Enchanter, and Brightglass Gearhulk should leave behind a card, answer, or body that changes the board immediately. When behind, prefer value creatures that also answer the visible threat; when ahead, prefer creatures that protect the lead or shorten the clock.

- Uncertain newer-card role: Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Formidable Speaker, Nature's Rhythm, Springheart Nantuko, Starfield Shepherd, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Abandoned Air Temple, Hushwood Verge, Lush Portico, and Multiversal Passage need Card text check required before any exact tactical claim. Use runtime legal actions to classify them as mana, threat, engine, protection, removal, or selection, then apply the matching role rule rather than inventing text.

- Land role: Snow-Covered Forest and Snow-Covered Plains enable On Thin Ice, basic-heavy fetch sequencing, and stable colors; Command Tower, Savannah, Temple Garden, Brushland, Wooded Bastion, Branchloft Pathway, Sunpetal Grove, Razorverge Thicket, Hushwood Verge, and Lush Portico provide colored development. Fetchlands Wooded Foothills, Windswept Heath, Verdant Catacombs, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Flooded Strand, Prismatic Vista, and Arid Mesa should prioritize untapped green early, white interaction when needed, and snow basics when On Thin Ice is present.

- Utility-land role: Boseiju, Who Endures, Urza's Saga, Ancient Den, Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth, Dryad Arbor, Abandoned Air Temple, and Multiversal Passage are not just mana sources. Use Boseiju, Who Endures as interaction when the target class matters; use Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth to improve Forest-dependent mana when it does not help the opponent more; Card text check required for Abandoned Air Temple and Multiversal Passage before treating them as fixing, pressure, or utility.

## Interaction Priorities
- Remove the card that changes the next full turn cycle first, not the card with the largest stats. Use Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, or Parallax Wave on a public creature or commander that threatens lethal, invalidates Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat control, stops your engines, or makes Palace Jailer impossible to defend.

- Exile recursive or graveyard-dependent threats before trading normally. Use Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Skyclave Apparition, Rest in Peace, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, Keen-Eyed Curator, or Path to Exile when the visible graveyard, command zone, or public recursion plan makes a normal creature trade temporary; Card text check required for Keen-Eyed Curator before relying on exact activation timing.

- Answer noncreature engines with the narrowest live tool that preserves flexible removal. Use Haywire Mite, Boseiju, Who Endures, Witch Enchanter, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Collector Ouphe, Stony Silence, or Skyclave Apparition on artifacts, enchantments, or utility permanents that are already producing mana, cards, lock pressure, or combo material; Card text check required for Witch Enchanter before choosing its exact mode.

- Spend hate only when it constrains the opponent’s public axis. Drannith Magistrate, Sanctifier en-Vec, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, Hushbringer, Collector Ouphe, Stony Silence, Deafening Silence, and Burrenton Forge-Tender are high-impact only when the visible matchup, graveyard, stack, or commander plan makes their text matter; otherwise develop mana, pressure, Skullclamp, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, or Urza's Saga instead.

- Treat counter, discard, and bounce decisions as runtime exceptions because the registered deck has no dedicated counterspell, discard spell, or bounce spell. If a legal action from an acquired object offers one of those effects, aim it at the opponent’s commander, payoff, engine, or immediate lethal enabler before a replaceable mana creature or small attacker.

- Bait removal with redundant permanents before exposing the key engine. Lead with extra mana creatures, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Stoneforge Mystic, or a hatebear whose text is only medium in the matchup before committing Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Earthcraft, Skullclamp, Palace Jailer, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart into open mana and known removal.

- Ignore low-impact permanents when the opponent’s clock is not changing. Do not spend Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Force of Vigor, or Krosan Grip on a small creature, dormant artifact, or irrelevant enchantment if a visible commander, engine, graveyard setup, or protected attacker will decide the game sooner.

- Change archetype posture by matchup texture. Against creature pressure, prioritize removal, Parallax Wave, Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Palace Jailer, and blockers; against spell-combo or commander-centric decks, prioritize Drannith Magistrate, Deafening Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and fast pressure; against artifact or enchantment engines, prioritize Haywire Mite, Boseiju, Who Endures, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Collector Ouphe, and Stony Silence; against graveyard decks, prioritize Rest in Peace, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, Sanctifier en-Vec, and Keen-Eyed Curator.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Attack when the swing advances a protected clock or preserves the initiative. Prefer attacks with Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Palace Jailer-backed boards, Urza's Saga bodies, equipped creatures from Pre-War Formalwear, or expendable token bodies when the legal attack does not expose Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or an engine creature needed next turn.

- Block to protect life total, monarchy, and engine time before chasing small value. Trade mana creatures only when losing life changes the race, protects Palace Jailer monarchy, prevents a lethal follow-up, or buys a decisive turn for Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Walking Ballista, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart.

- Preserve key creatures when their future action is worth more than current damage. Keep Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Devoted Druid, Quirion Ranger, Stoneforge Mystic, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, and Heliod's Pilgrim out of combat if their protection, mana, silence, tutor, or equipment line is the current bottleneck.

- Trade aggressively against faster creature decks once mana is stable. After reaching functional green-white mana and a first engine or commander plan, exchange Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, Boreal Druid, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, or Dryad Arbor for real attackers if the exchange prevents a short clock; do not keep weak accelerants alive after they stop converting into tempo.

- Use protection for decisive combat, not cosmetic damage. Activate or sacrifice Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Melira, the Living Cure, or Ranger-Captain of Eos when it saves a key engine, forces lethal or near-lethal damage, protects Palace Jailer advantage, or stops a public removal/combat trick; avoid spending protection to save a replaceable body.

- Respect life thresholds before setting up. Below roughly six life against visible attackers, prioritize blocks, removal, Solitude, Parallax Wave, Static Prison, On Thin Ice, Swift Reconfiguration, Walking Ballista, and Brigid, Clachan's Heart over tutor setup; below roughly three life, assume any unblocked attacker or public burn-like effect can invalidate slow engines unless the rules engine shows safety.

- Treat Dryad Arbor as fragile material, not a safe land. Do not attack or block with Dryad Arbor unless the exchange is necessary, Skullclamp value is legal, Birthing Pod or Eldritch Evolution conversion is planned, or the body is otherwise expendable; losing it can be a missed land drop as well as a creature loss.

- Shift combat posture after stabilization. Once the opponent’s best attacker is answered and Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Palace Jailer, Walking Ballista, Urza's Saga, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, or equipped pressure is active, stop trading down and shorten the clock; Card text check required before relying on exact combat text from Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, or Formidable Speaker.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Find the bottleneck card, not the flashiest card. Use Worldly Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Eldritch Evolution, and Urza's Saga to solve the visible constraint: mana, pressure, removal, protection, graveyard hate, artifact/enchantment hate, or closing power.

- Sequence topdeck tutors before draw steps and shuffle effects. Cast Worldly Tutor or Enlightened Tutor at the opponent's end step when possible, then avoid cracking Wooded Foothills, Windswept Heath, Verdant Catacombs, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Flooded Strand, Prismatic Vista, Arid Mesa, or similar shuffle effects before drawing the chosen card unless a new emergency overrides the plan.

- Use creature tutors by role. Search for Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, or Burrenton Forge-Tender when a key permanent needs protection; for Haywire Mite, Skyclave Apparition, Witch Enchanter, Endurance, Keen-Eyed Curator, or Solitude when a public threat must be answered; for Walking Ballista, Palace Jailer, Brightglass Gearhulk, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Badgermole Cub, or Formidable Speaker when the game needs a closer. Card text check required for Witch Enchanter, Brightglass Gearhulk, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Badgermole Cub, and Formidable Speaker.

- Use Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, and Summoner's Pact with timing discipline. Prefer mana creatures or Dryad Arbor only when acceleration is the bottleneck; prefer a hatebear or answer when the opponent's visible plan is already online; prefer a finisher only after mana and protection are sufficient. Remember Summoner's Pact creates a future payment obligation if the rules engine exposes it.

- Treat Birthing Pod and Eldritch Evolution as commitment gates. Do not sacrifice a protected engine creature, commander-support creature, or only mana source unless the legal search text and visible board make the upgrade worth the lost body this turn; convert expendable creatures, Dryad Arbor, spent tutors, or redundant mana creatures into the exact role needed.

- Treat Survival of the Fittest as selection plus graveyard cost. Discard only a creature whose loss is acceptable or actively useful, then find the creature that changes the next turn cycle; do not churn for abstract value while under a short clock, while graveyard hate is public, or while the discarded creature is needed for mana, protection, or combat.

- Time land drops around selection. Hold fetchlands when Worldly Tutor or Enlightened Tutor is likely; play Snow-Covered Plains before On Thin Ice lines when legal; play Forest-compatible lands before Arbor Elf, Wild Growth, or Utopia Sprawl lines; avoid relying on Dryad Arbor as the only land unless the opener has no safer functional line.

- Use Stoneforge Mystic and Heliod's Pilgrim as narrow package tutors. Search Pre-War Formalwear, Skullclamp, On Thin Ice, Swift Reconfiguration, Static Prison, Utopia Sprawl, or Wild Growth according to legal options and board need; do not take equipment or aura value when removal, mana, or protection is the actual bottleneck.

- Bottom or decline low-impact selection when survival is at risk. If a scry, surveil, reveal, or choose-card effect appears from legal runtime output, keep land only when mana is missing, keep removal when facing a short clock, keep hate when it matches the opponent's public axis, and bottom redundant mana creatures after mana is already stable.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Pass priority when the stack and board give no useful action. Do not spend Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Endurance, Boseiju, Who Endures, Haywire Mite, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or Walking Ballista just because a window appears; wait for a visible spell, target, attack, graveyard action, or lethal line that matters.

- Respond to removal by protecting the card that decides the game. Use Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Melira, the Living Cure, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or available legal protection only when it saves Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod material, Palace Jailer advantage, Walking Ballista reach, or a lethal attacker; let replaceable mana creatures die when mana is already stable.

- Remove stack-relevant threats before they resolve when the legal action allows it. Use Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Path to Exile, Endurance, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, Boseiju, Who Endures, or Haywire Mite on visible commander, graveyard, artifact, enchantment, or combat-trick threats that will become harder to answer after resolution.

- Use instant-speed tutors at the latest safe window. Prefer Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Chord of Calling, and activated Survival of the Fittest lines after the opponent commits mana or at end step; move earlier only to beat discard, silence effects, lethal combat, or a public stack piece.

- Treat optional payments and activations as resource trades. Pay for Walking Ballista activations, Skullclamp equip lines, Seedcradle Witch activations, Brigid, Clachan's Heart actions, Ranger-Captain of Eos sacrifice, or graveyard-hate activations only when the visible board shows a concrete target, damage threshold, protection need, or lock window. Card text check required for exact Brigid, Clachan's Heart and Seedcradle Witch timing.

- Respect combat trick windows. After attackers, after blockers, before damage, and after damage, prioritize survival, monarchy protection, and decisive trades over engine setup; cast removal or protection only if the legal action improves the current combat or prevents lethal.

- Let harmless spells resolve when your answer is narrower than the threat. Preserve Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Static Prison, On Thin Ice, Parallax Wave, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Boseiju, Who Endures for public cards that change combat, mana, cards, graveyards, or lock texture.

- Track graveyard timing explicitly. Use Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Rest in Peace, or Containment Priest only when the opponent's visible graveyard, stack spell, commander plan, or reanimation window makes the timing matter; otherwise develop pressure and keep the hate available.

## Sideboard Map
- Use sideboarding as role selection, not as automatic hate loading. Brigid, Clachan's Heart wins most post-board games by keeping mana, pressure, and tutor density intact while adding the narrow card that attacks the opponent's public axis; do not dilute the creature count so far that Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Ranger of Eos, and Ranger-Captain of Eos lose functional material.

- Rest in Peace is for graveyard engines, escape/flashback recursion, reanimation, delve pressure, death-trigger loops, and commanders that repeatedly use the graveyard. It is poor when the opponent only incidentally fills the graveyard or when your own Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Survival of the Fittest, and recursion-adjacent lines are more important than a static graveyard reset. When Rest in Peace enters, become more like a pressure-plus-lock deck and use tutors to find threats or protection rather than graveyard value.

- Stony Silence is for artifact mana, equipment-heavy decks, artifact combo, artifact sacrifice engines, and activated artifact engines that are stronger than your own artifacts. It is poor when Skullclamp, Birthing Pod, Walking Ballista, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, Pre-War Formalwear, Ancient Den synergies, or Urza's Saga artifact lines are central to your plan. When Stony Silence enters, reduce emphasis on your artifact engines and lean harder on creature mana, enchantment removal, commander pressure, and hatebears.

- Deafening Silence is for spell-chain combo, cantrip-heavy control, cascade-like turns, and decks that need multiple noncreature spells in one turn to recover. It is poor when the opponent plays mostly creatures or when you need to double-spell with Swords to Plowshares, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Enlightened Tutor, Worldly Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, or equipment/enchantment setup. When Deafening Silence enters, prioritize early board development before it resolves, then trade one spell per turn for tempo advantage.

- Force of Vigor is for artifact or enchantment boards where answering two public permanents at instant speed matters more than preserving a green card. It is poor against low-permanent creature decks, against single targets that Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Haywire Mite, Boseiju, Who Endures, Skyclave Apparition, or Witch Enchanter can answer, and in hands where pitching the only green action would collapse pressure. When Force of Vigor enters, keep enough green cards to support the alternate cost and preserve surprise windows against lock pieces.

- Collector Ouphe is for artifact mana, activated artifact combo, equipment engines, and decks whose artifacts are more important than yours. It is poor with Skullclamp, Birthing Pod, Walking Ballista, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, Pre-War Formalwear, and Urza's Saga lines when those are your clearest path to win. When Collector Ouphe enters, treat it as a protected hatebear: defend it with Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, or Ranger-Captain of Eos only when the opponent's public artifact plan is actually constrained.

- Krosan Grip is for artifacts or enchantments that must not be answered through normal stack interaction. It is poor when the target class is absent or when cheaper answers already cover the board. When Krosan Grip enters, hold it for the permanent that unlocks the opponent's turn or prevents your attack, not for the first minor artifact or enchantment shown.

- Reclamation Sage is for artifact/enchantment matchups where a creature body is valuable with Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, Earthcraft, or creature combat. It is poor when the opponent has no durable targets or when noncreature instant timing is mandatory. When Reclamation Sage enters, the deck becomes more toolbox-control and should preserve tutor access to the answer until a target is public.

- Path to Exile is for creature commanders, fast creature pressure, large blockers, and threats that must be exiled even if the opponent gets a land. It is poor when ramping the opponent is more dangerous than the creature or when Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, or Parallax Wave already answer the relevant board. When Path to Exile enters, keep pressure high so the extra land does not buy the opponent enough time.

- Containment Priest is for reanimation, creature cheating, blink/flicker, tokens entering without being cast if legal text applies, and commanders that put creatures directly onto the battlefield. It is poor against normal creature casting and can conflict with your own Chord of Calling, Green Sun's Zenith, Birthing Pod, Eldritch Evolution, and similar creature-entry lines depending on exact rules text. Card text check required for every self-conflict before selecting a tutor line while Containment Priest is present.

- Hushbringer is for enter-the-battlefield and death-trigger decks, creature-combo engines, and value commanders that depend on triggered bodies. It is poor when your own Skyclave Apparition, Reclamation Sage, Ranger of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, Stoneforge Mystic, Palace Jailer, Solitude, Endurance, Witch Enchanter, Brightglass Gearhulk, or other triggered creatures are more important than the hate effect. Card text check required for uncertain newer creatures before assuming a trigger is stopped.

Graveyard recursion or reanimation pressure
Side in: Rest in Peace; Containment Priest; Path to Exile
Cut: Ghost Vacuum; Pre-War Formalwear; Seedcradle Witch

Artifact engine or equipment pressure
Side in: Stony Silence; Collector Ouphe; Force of Vigor; Krosan Grip; Reclamation Sage
Cut: Skullclamp; Pre-War Formalwear; Ghost Vacuum; Swift Reconfiguration; Nature's Rhythm

Spell-chain combo or low-creature control
Side in: Deafening Silence; Ranger-Captain of Eos is already main-deck; Path to Exile
Cut: On Thin Ice; Parallax Wave

Creature value with enters-or-dies triggers
Side in: Hushbringer; Containment Priest; Path to Exile
Cut: Earthcraft; Nature's Rhythm; Seedcradle Witch

- Add role cards: Against graveyard decks, prefer Rest in Peace when a static reset is worth suppressing your own graveyard tools, prefer Containment Priest when battlefield-entry cheating is the public bottleneck, and prefer Path to Exile when a specific creature threat matters more than the graveyard as a whole. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Ghost Vacuum and Keen-Eyed Curator become less central after Rest in Peace is active, while Endurance shifts from graveyard answer toward body, pitch interaction, or emergency shuffle role.

- Add role cards: Against artifact decks, combine Stony Silence or Collector Ouphe with Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage only when the opponent's artifacts visibly dominate mana or combo texture. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Skullclamp, Birthing Pod, Walking Ballista, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, and Pre-War Formalwear lose value under your own artifact-hate permanents, so choose this plan only when the hate effect is stronger than your artifact package.

- Add role cards: Against enchantment locks, prison permanents, and aura-based engines, prioritize Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage while keeping Boseiju, Who Endures, Haywire Mite, Skyclave Apparition, Witch Enchanter, and Enlightened Tutor context in mind. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only combat tricks and slow engines matter less until the lock permanent is answered.

- Add role cards: Against fast creature decks, Path to Exile is the clean extra answer, while Hushbringer or Containment Priest only belongs if the opponent's creature pressure depends on triggered or noncast entry patterns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow tutor chains and equipment setup should yield to early blockers, exile removal, Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat control, and life-total preservation.

- Add role cards: Against control, select Deafening Silence when the opponent needs multiple noncreature spells per turn, Krosan Grip when a protected permanent is the key, and Path to Exile only for commander or finisher pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow creature removal and slow enchantment removal are less important than resilient threats, protected engines, and end-step tutor timing.

- Add role cards: Against creature-combo and tutor-combo decks, combine the narrow hate that stops the engine with enough pressure to end the game before they rebuild. Reduce main-deck emphasis: value-only Skullclamp, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, and Urza's Saga lines should pause when a hatebear, Rest in Peace, Deafening Silence, Collector Ouphe, Containment Priest, or Hushbringer is the only card preventing a deterministic opponent turn.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro: Become the stabilizer first, then turn the corner with protected bodies and commander pressure. Keep hands with functional mana, an early blocker or accelerator, and one meaningful play before relying on tutor chains. Prioritize Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, and Path to Exile for threats that change the clock, not for low-impact attackers your creatures can trade with. Add role cards: Path to Exile when the opponent presents creature commanders, oversized attackers, or must-exile threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, and Urza's Saga lines when life total or board presence is already under pressure.

- Control: Become the threat-dense pressure deck and make the opponent answer layered permanents rather than one large commitment. Lead with mana creatures or resilient one-drops when removal is not already telegraphed, then sequence Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Voice of Victory, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Sanctifier en-Vec to force through a key engine or attack. Prefer end-step Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, and Chord of Calling windows when the rules engine exposes them. Add role cards: Deafening Silence against noncreature spell chains, Krosan Grip against decisive enchantments or artifacts, and Path to Exile against creature finishers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: removal-only hands, On Thin Ice without a public target, and Parallax Wave when the opponent is not fighting through creatures.

- Combo: Identify the public bottleneck, then deploy hate plus pressure instead of durdling for maximum value. Drannith Magistrate, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Voice of Victory, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Haywire Mite, Skyclave Apparition, Boseiju, Who Endures, and Witch Enchanter should be mapped to the visible combo axis before spending tutors. Add role cards: Deafening Silence for spell-chain combo, Rest in Peace for graveyard combo, Containment Priest for noncast creature entry, Hushbringer for trigger-reliant creature combo, Collector Ouphe or Stony Silence for artifact combo, and Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, or Reclamation Sage for permanent-based engines. Reduce main-deck emphasis: value equipment, slow combat pumps, and tutor lines that do not either find hate or establish a fast clock.

- Tempo: Protect mana efficiency and do not walk premium turns into open interaction without a second plan. Cheap acceleration from Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Wild Growth, and Utopia Sprawl is strong only if it converts into a real turn-two or turn-three play. Treat Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, and Ranger-Captain of Eos as timing tools, not automatic early plays, when the opponent is trying to trade one-for-one and win with a small threat. Reduce main-deck emphasis: expensive tutor chains and commander recasts when the opponent can punish tapped-out turns.

- Midrange: Become the toolbox deck that trades early, preserves engines, and wins by superior card quality. Use Green Sun's Zenith, Worldly Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Eldritch Evolution, and Chord of Calling to find the specific missing piece: removal, protection, pressure, graveyard interaction, or card advantage. Palace Jailer is strongest when the board can defend the monarchy; do not commit it into a board where the opponent can immediately attack back. Add role cards: Path to Exile for hard-to-answer creatures and Reclamation Sage when public artifacts or enchantments matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow hatebears that do not constrain the visible opponent plan.

- Big mana: Shorten the clock while attacking the enabling permanent or payoff shown by the rules engine. Urza's Saga, Stoneforge Mystic for Pre-War Formalwear, Walking Ballista, Brightglass Gearhulk, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, and Brigid, Clachan's Heart can all represent closing pressure, but Card text check required for uncertain newer cards before relying on exact damage, counters, or combat roles. Use Boseiju, Who Endures, Haywire Mite, Skyclave Apparition, Witch Enchanter, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage on the permanent that unlocks the opponent's mana or inevitability. Add role cards: Collector Ouphe or Stony Silence only when the big-mana plan visibly depends on artifacts.

- Graveyard: Decide whether the matchup needs a permanent lock, a timed shuffle/exile effect, or creature-board pressure. Rest in Peace is the cleanest broad hate card but can reduce your own Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Pre-War Formalwear, Survival of the Fittest, and recursion-adjacent value depending on exact board text. Endurance is better when instant timing, a body, or preserving your own graveyard matters. Ghost Vacuum and Keen-Eyed Curator are better when incremental graveyard management is enough. Add role cards: Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, and Path to Exile. Reduce main-deck emphasis: graveyard-dependent value lines once Rest in Peace is active.

- Artifact/enchantment: Identify whether the opponent's permanent is mana, combo, protection, or prison before choosing the answer. Haywire Mite, Boseiju, Who Endures, Skyclave Apparition, Witch Enchanter, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage answer different timing and body needs; use the one that leaves the strongest follow-up board. Stony Silence and Collector Ouphe can be decisive but also suppress Skullclamp, Birthing Pod, Walking Ballista, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, Pre-War Formalwear, and Urza's Saga tokens or artifact lines depending on exact text. Add role cards: Stony Silence, Collector Ouphe, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage. Reduce main-deck emphasis: your own artifact engines when hate is active.

- Go-wide: Preserve sweep-like or multi-body combat control until the opponent commits enough bodies to matter. Card text check required for Brigid, Clachan's Heart before assuming any combat-control effect, but when the rules engine exposes a legal commander action that damages or controls multiple attackers, prioritize it over one-for-one removal. Parallax Wave, Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, and Swords to Plowshares should buy time for blockers and protected pressure. Add role cards: Hushbringer only when the go-wide plan depends on enter-the-battlefield or death triggers, and Path to Exile when a single anthem or commander makes the swarm lethal.

- Single-threat: Save exile removal for the actual threat and use protection to win the follow-up fight. Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Path to Exile, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, and Boseiju, Who Endures should be held until the public threat justifies the cost, unless life total forces immediate action. Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, and Melira, the Living Cure can protect your answer or your clock if the rules engine confirms legal activation. Reduce main-deck emphasis: small trades that do not change the opposing clock.

- Burn: Preserve life total, protect lifegain or blockers, and avoid self-inflicted tempo loss. Fetch and shock decisions matter; do not take unnecessary Temple Garden or Brushland damage when Snow-Covered Forest, Snow-Covered Plains, Savannah, Command Tower, Branchloft Pathway, Sunpetal Grove, Razorverge Thicket, Hushwood Verge, Lush Portico, Wooded Bastion, or Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth produce the needed colors. Burrenton Forge-Tender, Sanctifier en-Vec, Solitude, Swords to Plowshares, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, and Palace Jailer can swing races if the rules text and public board support them. Add role cards: Path to Exile for must-answer creatures, not for every small attacker.

- Removal-heavy: Do not expose the only engine before forcing the opponent to spend removal on lower-value bodies. Lead with redundant mana or pressure, then protect a key permanent with Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Voice of Victory, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Melira, the Living Cure, or Sanctifier en-Vec when legal text supports the shield. Skullclamp can convert dying creatures into resources, while Survival of the Fittest, Birthing Pod, Ranger of Eos, Recruiter of the Guard, Stoneforge Mystic, and Palace Jailer rebuild after exchanges. Reduce main-deck emphasis: all-in commander tax lines and fragile single-threat plans unless the opponent is already low on resources.

## Specific Matchup Notes
- General/archetype-only note: exact opponents are absent, so revealed cards, legal actions, public zones, and rules-engine prompts override all archetype assumptions. Treat early lands, companion-like indicators if any, revealed hand contents, graveyard patterns, and first threat type as the source of truth before committing a tutor, protection spell, or sideboard hate permanent.

- Versus fast creature pressure: prioritize a functional opener with early green mana, a first blocker or removal spell, and a path to stabilize before tutoring for slow engines. Add role cards: Path to Exile, Containment Priest when creature entry timing matters, and Hushbringer when public creature triggers are the pressure engine. Priority targets are the creature or permanent that makes attacks lethal, prevents blocking, or turns small bodies into a two-turn clock; use Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Parallax Wave, Skyclave Apparition, and Brigid, Clachan's Heart only when legal text and visible combat state justify the exchange. Card text check required before relying on Brigid, Clachan's Heart as multi-creature combat control.

- Versus blue or spell-dense control: become resilient pressure with protection rather than a tap-out engine deck. Add role cards: Deafening Silence when public play patterns show multiple-spell turns, Krosan Grip or Reclamation Sage when the control plan rests on a visible artifact or enchantment, and Path to Exile when a single creature threatens to take over. Priority targets are repeatable card-advantage permanents, protected finishers, and engines that blank combat; protect the creature that matters with Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Voice of Victory, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or Burrenton Forge-Tender only if legal actions confirm the shield is relevant.

- Versus artifact or enchantment engines: answer the enabling permanent before spending mana on generic pressure. Add role cards: Stony Silence, Collector Ouphe, Force of Vigor, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage. Priority targets are artifact mana, combo artifacts, prison pieces, or enchantments that invalidate attacks; remember that Stony Silence and Collector Ouphe can suppress your own Skullclamp, Birthing Pod, Walking Ballista, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, Pre-War Formalwear, and Urza's Saga lines depending on exact rules text.

- Versus graveyard decks: choose between permanent hate and timed interaction based on the public graveyard, stack, and clock. Add role cards: Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, and Path to Exile. Priority targets are graveyard-access engines, recursive threats, and graveyard payoffs currently represented by legal actions; use Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, Keen-Eyed Curator, Rest in Peace, or Containment Priest according to timing and whether your own Survival of the Fittest, Pre-War Formalwear, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, and Keen-Eyed Curator plans still matter.

- Versus combo or big mana: shorten the clock while using tutors to find the specific bottleneck answer, not the flashiest engine. Add role cards: Deafening Silence, Force of Vigor, Collector Ouphe, Stony Silence, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Path to Exile, and Containment Priest according to the public combo axis. Priority targets are mana engines, search engines, one-card payoff permanents, and stack windows where Ranger-Captain of Eos or instant interaction can force a skipped turn; do not assume a hate card is correct if the opponent has revealed a creature-combat backup plan.

## Risk Summary
- Mana risk: hands that look explosive can fail if Arbor Elf lacks a Forest-compatible land, Utopia Sprawl lacks a legal target, Dryad Arbor is the only land-like source, or colorless/tapped lands delay both green acceleration and white interaction. Track whether Wild Growth, Utopia Sprawl, Birds of Paradise, Delighted Halfling, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Boreal Druid, Devoted Druid, and Arbor Elf actually convert into second-spell tempo.

- Matchup risk: the deck can draw the wrong half of its toolbox when the opponent changes roles after sideboarding or reveals an unexpected threat axis. Use Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, and Eldritch Evolution to solve the visible bottleneck rather than follow a preselected curve.

- Draw risk: singleton threat density creates games where mana, tutors, and protection appear without a real closer. When stabilized, look for Walking Ballista, Palace Jailer, Urza's Saga, Stoneforge Mystic for Pre-War Formalwear, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, or Brigid, Clachan's Heart pressure; Card text check required for newer or uncertain closers before assuming exact lethal math.

- Over-sideboarding risk: hate cards can weaken your own engines if added just because the opponent is broadly compatible with them. Rest in Peace can reduce your graveyard-adjacent value, Stony Silence and Collector Ouphe can disable artifact lines, Hushbringer can affect creature-trigger plans, and Deafening Silence can constrain multi-spell recovery turns.

- Graveyard risk: relying on Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, or Keen-Eyed Curator as slow control can lose to a graveyard deck that presents a same-turn payoff. Commit Rest in Peace or Containment Priest when the public line demands a lock, but prefer timed interaction when your own graveyard and creature engines are central.

- Sweeper/removal risk: overcommitting mana creatures and engines into visible mass removal or repeated spot removal can turn early acceleration into a liability. Sequence Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Melira, the Living Cure, Sanctifier en-Vec, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Voice of Victory as protection only when the legal activation or static text matters to the current threat.

- Interaction and sequencing risk: spending Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, Boseiju, Who Endures, Witch Enchanter, or Haywire Mite on a low-impact permanent can leave no answer for the real payoff. Delay irreversible tutors, sacrifice costs, and commander recasts until public mana, known cards, and legal priority windows show that waiting is worse.

## Test Feedback Checklist
- Outcome: record the exact deciding turn and the deciding route: protected creature pressure, Brigid, Clachan's Heart combat control, Walking Ballista reach, Palace Jailer advantage, Urza's Saga pressure, or opponent failure to rebuild through hate. For each win, name the card, package, or tactical policy that most contributed; for each loss, name one primary cause and one secondary cause.

- Classification: tag each result as a card quantity problem, card selection problem, mana problem, tempo problem, matchup problem, sideboard problem, pilot sequencing problem, or closing-power problem. Use the tag that changed the legal line, not the tag that merely looked plausible afterward.

- Mulligan: check whether the opener had a functional land, green source, white source, acceleration, and a first meaningful play. Flag keeps that relied on Dryad Arbor as the only land-like source, Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land, or Utopia Sprawl without a legal target.

- Mana: list every turn where color, tapped lands, commander tax, or missing second-spell mana changed the line. Record whether Wild Growth, Utopia Sprawl, Birds of Paradise, Delighted Halfling, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Boreal Druid, Devoted Druid, or Arbor Elf actually created tempo.

- Velocity: ask whether tutors found the matchup bottleneck or merely spent mana. Review Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, and Eldritch Evolution.

- Engines: record whether Skullclamp, Earthcraft, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, Urza's Saga, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, and Springheart Nantuko produced material advantage before removal, tempo pressure, or sideboard hate invalidated them. Card text check required for Nature's Rhythm, Starfield Shepherd, and newer engine-adjacent cards before assigning failure to the pilot.

- Interaction: verify whether Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, Boseiju, Who Endures, Witch Enchanter, Haywire Mite, Ghost Vacuum, Endurance, and Keen-Eyed Curator answered the correct public threat. Mark any removal used on a low-impact permanent while a visible payoff remained unresolved.

- Protection: review whether Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Benevolent Bodyguard, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Voice of Victory, Melira, the Living Cure, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Sanctifier en-Vec protected an engine, forced damage, stopped interaction, or sat stranded.

- Closing: identify games where the deck stabilized but failed to end the game. Check whether Walking Ballista, Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Palace Jailer, Stoneforge Mystic for Pre-War Formalwear, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, or commander pressure would have shortened the clock; Card text check required where exact combat math is uncertain.

- Sideboard: record which of Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Deafening Silence, Force of Vigor, Collector Ouphe, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Path to Exile, Containment Priest, and Hushbringer was drawn, cast, stranded, harmful to your own board, or decisive against the opponent's public plan.

- Role and mistakes: decide whether the pilot correctly became aggressor, stabilizer, prison-hate deck, or toolbox control deck based only on public information. Tag missed land drops, premature tutors, overextended boards, low-impact graveyard hate, unnecessary protection activations, attacks that exposed key creatures, and passes with visible interaction available.

- Stranded and swing cards: list cards stuck in hand because of mana, target absence, timing limits, hate overlap, or commander-zone pressure. Name exact overperformers and underperformers by board impact, not theoretical role.

## First Tuning Questions
- Mana base: are Abandoned Air Temple, Ancient Den, Multiversal Passage, Hushwood Verge, Lush Portico, Branchloft Pathway, Wooded Bastion, Sunpetal Grove, Razorverge Thicket, and fetchland sequencing supporting turn-one green and turn-two white consistently enough? If tempo losses cluster around color or tapped-land constraints, tune mana before changing threat packages.

- Acceleration density: are Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Birds of Paradise, Boreal Druid, Delighted Halfling, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Devoted Druid, Wild Growth, and Utopia Sprawl producing real second-spell turns, or are they becoming fragile low-impact topdecks? If acceleration dies without payoff, ask whether the curve or closers need more emphasis.

- Tutor discipline: are Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling, Summoner's Pact, Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger of Eos, Stoneforge Mystic, Heliod's Pilgrim, Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest, and Eldritch Evolution finding answers to the actual bottleneck? If tutors often find medium engines while the opponent advances, revise matchup target priorities.

- Closing power: does the deck win promptly after stabilizing with Palace Jailer, Walking Ballista, Urza's Saga, Pre-War Formalwear, Brigid, Clachan's Heart, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Brightglass Gearhulk, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, Ocelot Pride, or Guide of Souls? If stabilized losses recur, the issue is likely closing-power or tutor-priority tension rather than raw interaction count.

- Interaction mix: are Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, On Thin Ice, Static Prison, Swift Reconfiguration, Skyclave Apparition, Parallax Wave, Boseiju, Who Endures, Witch Enchanter, Haywire Mite, Endurance, Ghost Vacuum, and Keen-Eyed Curator lining up with the threats actually faced? If answers are stranded, separate target-absence failures from timing and mana failures.

- Sideboard slots: do Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Deafening Silence, Force of Vigor, Collector Ouphe, Krosan Grip, Reclamation Sage, Path to Exile, Containment Priest, and Hushbringer each answer a repeated matchup bottleneck without disabling too much of your own plan? If hate overlap causes self-damage, reduce role conflict rather than adding broader hate.

- Role conflict: is the pilot mixing aggro, toolbox control, hatebear pressure, and engine setup in the same game without a public reason? If losses show half-committed lines, tighten role-selection guidance for when to attack, when to hold protection, when to commit Birthing Pod or Survival of the Fittest, and when to recast Brigid, Clachan's Heart.

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Functional Opener Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan
- Cards: Arbor Elf; Utopia Sprawl; Wild Growth; Dryad Arbor
- Phase windows: pregame; mulligan decisions
- Runtime cues: opening hand; action:keep; action:mulligan
- Use when: deciding whether an opener can make mana and a first meaningful play by turn two.
- Avoid when: the hand relies on Dryad Arbor as the only land-like source, Arbor Elf without a Forest-compatible land, or Utopia Sprawl without a legal enchant target.
- Instructions: Keep hands with functional land, green access, white path, acceleration or interaction, and a first play; mulligan hands with disconnected mana plus no pressure or selection.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Turn-One Green Setup
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Snow-Covered Forest; Savannah; Temple Garden; Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth; Arbor Elf; Avacyn's Pilgrim; Birds of Paradise; Boreal Druid; Delighted Halfling; Elvish Mystic; Fyndhorn Elves; Llanowar Elves; Wild Growth; Utopia Sprawl
- Phase windows: turns one-two main phases
- Runtime cues: legal land plays; legal mana creature or aura actions
- Use when: choosing the first land and first accelerator.
- Avoid when: the line leaves no white path for removal, commander, or hatebear play.
- Instructions: Prioritize untapped green that supports a legal accelerator; prefer aura acceleration only when the enchanted land is resilient enough to produce immediate tempo.
- Pilot skill floor: Low
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Exact Utopia Sprawl Color
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Utopia Sprawl
- Phase windows: Utopia Sprawl resolution
- Runtime cues: action:choose White; action:choose Green
- Use when: the legal prompt is only choosing a color for Utopia Sprawl and the enchanted land already produces green.
- Avoid when: the hand lacks future green access after choosing white, or the engine exposes a different color requirement.
- Instructions: Choose White when the enchanted land already provides green and white is needed for the deck's removal, commander, and hatebear density.
- Pilot skill floor: Low
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Engine Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority; selection
- Cards: Birthing Pod; Survival of the Fittest; Earthcraft; Skullclamp; Urza's Saga
- Phase windows: main phases before attacks; post-combat main phase
- Runtime cues: action:cast Birthing Pod; action:cast Survival of the Fittest; action:cast Earthcraft; action:cast Skullclamp; action:play Urza's Saga
- Use when: deciding whether to spend a turn on an engine instead of board, interaction, or commander development.
- Avoid when: visible pressure threatens lethal, the engine has no immediate material use, or sideboard hate would disable your own plan.
- Instructions: Commit engines when they convert current creatures or lands into immediate cards, mana, tutoring, or threats; delay fragile engines when survival requires removal or blockers.
- Pilot skill floor: High
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Commander Deployment Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; combat
- Cards: Brigid, Clachan's Heart; Mother of Runes; Giver of Runes; Benevolent Bodyguard; Burrenton Forge-Tender; Voice of Victory
- Phase windows: main phases; combat setup turns
- Runtime cues: action:cast Brigid, Clachan's Heart
- Use when: deciding whether to cast or recast the commander.
- Avoid when: commander tax prevents double-spelling or visible removal makes an unprotected commander low impact.
- Instructions: Cast Brigid, Clachan's Heart when legal actions and board state show it can stabilize combat, apply pressure, or force awkward attacks; card text check required before assuming exact activated or triggered effects.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Tutor Bottleneck Discipline
- Priority: High
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Worldly Tutor; Enlightened Tutor; Eladamri's Call; Green Sun's Zenith; Chord of Calling; Summoner's Pact; Recruiter of the Guard; Ranger of Eos; Ranger-Captain of Eos; Stoneforge Mystic; Heliod's Pilgrim; Eldritch Evolution
- Phase windows: tutor resolution; end step before own turn; main phases
- Runtime cues: action:search; action:choose card; action:reveal
- Use when: a tutor or selection spell asks for a card.
- Avoid when: no visible bottleneck exists and spending mana would reduce board survival.
- Instructions: Select the card that addresses the current public bottleneck: mana, protection, removal, hate, engine, or closing pressure; do not tutor a generic engine while a visible threat demands an answer.
- Pilot skill floor: High
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Stoneforge Equipment Line
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection
- Cards: Stoneforge Mystic; Pre-War Formalwear
- Phase windows: Stoneforge Mystic trigger or activated ability; main phases
- Runtime cues: action:choose Pre-War Formalwear; action:put Pre-War Formalwear
- Use when: the legal action text specifically offers Pre-War Formalwear through Stoneforge Mystic and no alternate equipment exists in the registered deck.
- Avoid when: the rules engine exposes multiple non-equivalent equipment or target choices.
- Instructions: Choose Pre-War Formalwear for the Stoneforge Mystic equipment search because it is the registered equipment payoff.
- Pilot skill floor: Low
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Removal Target Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction
- Cards: Swords to Plowshares; Solitude; On Thin Ice; Static Prison; Swift Reconfiguration; Skyclave Apparition; Parallax Wave; Path to Exile
- Phase windows: priority windows; combat; opponent main phase; own main phase for sorcery-speed answers
- Runtime cues: action:target; action:exile; action:destroy; action:enchant
- Use when: choosing whether to spend removal or select a target.
- Avoid when: the target is low impact while a public payoff, lethal attacker, lock piece, or combo engine remains unanswered.
- Instructions: Spend removal on threats that determine the next turn cycle; preserve instant-speed answers when visible stack or combat information can improve target certainty.
- Pilot skill floor: High
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Artifact-Enchantment Answer Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction
- Cards: Boseiju, Who Endures; Witch Enchanter; Haywire Mite; Krosan Grip; Force of Vigor; Reclamation Sage; Collector Ouphe; Stony Silence
- Phase windows: priority windows; main phases; opponent end step
- Runtime cues: action:target artifact; action:target enchantment; action:destroy
- Use when: deciding whether to answer or disable a visible artifact or enchantment.
- Avoid when: your own Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, Urza's Saga, or artifact creature plan is the more important public engine.
- Instructions: Remove lock pieces, mana engines, or win-condition permanents before utility pieces; account for self-hate from Collector Ouphe and Stony Silence.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Graveyard-Hate Timing
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction
- Cards: Endurance; Ghost Vacuum; Keen-Eyed Curator; Rest in Peace
- Phase windows: opponent graveyard setup; stack response windows; own main phase for permanent hate
- Runtime cues: action:cast Endurance; action:activate Ghost Vacuum; action:cast Rest in Peace
- Use when: visible graveyard cards enable opponent recursion, escape, reanimation, delve, or threshold-like pressure.
- Avoid when: graveyard hate does not affect visible resources and board survival requires removal or blockers.
- Instructions: Use graveyard hate when it changes the opponent's next legal line; do not spend it merely because the opponent has cards in graveyard.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Protection Activation Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction; combat
- Cards: Mother of Runes; Giver of Runes; Benevolent Bodyguard; Burrenton Forge-Tender; Melira, the Living Cure; Sanctifier en-Vec; Ranger-Captain of Eos
- Phase windows: removal response; combat damage setup; opponent combo turn
- Runtime cues: action:activate Mother of Runes; action:activate Giver of Runes; action:sacrifice Benevolent Bodyguard; action:sacrifice Burrenton Forge-Tender; action:sacrifice Ranger-Captain of Eos
- Use when: a visible spell, ability, combat exchange, or opponent turn would remove an engine, commander, or lethal-pressure creature.
- Avoid when: the protected creature is replaceable and the protection card is needed for a later public threat.
- Instructions: Protect engines and closing threats over incidental mana creatures; use Ranger-Captain of Eos proactively only when the opponent's next turn depends on noncreature spells.
- Pilot skill floor: High
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Pressure And Preservation
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Brigid, Clachan's Heart; Ocelot Pride; Guide of Souls; Palace Jailer; Walking Ballista; Pre-War Formalwear
- Phase windows: declare attackers; declare blockers; combat tricks
- Runtime cues: action:attack; action:block; action:assign damage
- Use when: deciding attacks, blocks, and trades from visible board state.
- Avoid when: attacking exposes the only blocker to a short-clock opponent or sacrifices an engine creature without closing pressure.
- Instructions: Attack when pressure advances a real clock or protects monarchy-style advantage; block when survival or preserving Palace Jailer advantage matters more than chip damage.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Ballista Reach Commitment
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority; combat; interaction
- Cards: Walking Ballista; Devoted Druid
- Phase windows: main phase; end step; lethal response windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Walking Ballista; action:activate Walking Ballista
- Use when: visible mana and counters make Walking Ballista a removal spell, stabilizer, or lethal closer.
- Avoid when: casting it small does not affect board survival and a tutor or engine line offers a stronger public line.
- Instructions: Treat Walking Ballista as both reach and interaction; count visible damage exactly and let the rules engine determine legal targets and counters.
- Pilot skill floor: High
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Summoner's Pact Payment
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Summoner's Pact
- Phase windows: upkeep pact trigger
- Runtime cues: action:pay Summoner's Pact; action:pay
- Use when: the legal prompt is the Summoner's Pact upkeep payment and available mana can satisfy the displayed cost.
- Avoid when: the engine does not expose a legal pay action.
- Instructions: Pay the Summoner's Pact trigger whenever a legal payment action exists; losing to the trigger is not a strategic line for official piloting.
- Pilot skill floor: Low
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Role Selection
- Priority: High
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Rest in Peace; Stony Silence; Deafening Silence; Force of Vigor; Collector Ouphe; Krosan Grip; Reclamation Sage; Path to Exile; Containment Priest; Hushbringer
- Phase windows: sideboarding between games
- Runtime cues: sideboard plan candidates; opponent archetype; revealed cards
- Use when: choosing a legal sideboard plan after Game 1 or Game 2.
- Avoid when: a hate card disables more of your own active plan than it disrupts the opponent's public plan.
- Instructions: Add graveyard hate against graveyard engines, artifact hate against artifact engines, Deafening Silence against spell-chain decks, Containment Priest or Hushbringer against creature-entry abuse, and Path to Exile when creature removal density matters.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Low-Impact Pass Check
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority
- Cards: Swords to Plowshares; Solitude; Endurance; Boseiju, Who Endures; Chord of Calling; Worldly Tutor; Enlightened Tutor
- Phase windows: opponent end step; combat trick windows; response to stack
- Runtime cues: action:pass; legal instant-speed actions available
- Use when: pass is legal while interaction or selection is also legal.
- Avoid when: the stack is empty, no public threat exists, and using mana would reduce next-turn development.
- Instructions: Before passing, compare visible threat, clock, and mana use; pass only when holding interaction or preserving mana is more valuable than acting now.
- Pilot skill floor: Medium
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
