Selesnya Rabbits is a green-white Alchemy aggro, tokens, and tribal deck built to make early Rabbit-board presence matter before slower opponents can stabilize. The registered main deck is exactly 60 cards and the registered sideboard is 7 cards, matching the active validation contract of at least 60 main-deck cards and at most 15 sideboard cards for Alchemy.
- Validation: Format-aware validation currently passes for Alchemy with 60 main-deck cards and 7 sideboard cards. Treat the registered zone inventory as authoritative for all sideboarding and runtime legality checks.
- Archetype status: Treat this as a deck-specific hybrid or rogue tribal-token shell, not a generic stock Selesnya aggro list. Runtime decisions should follow visible legal actions and this guide’s Rabbit-token pressure plan rather than importing assumptions from other green-white decks.
- Main-deck identity: The maindeck pressure package is 4 Seasoned Warrenguard, 4 Pawpatch Recruit, 4 Valley Mightcaller, 4 Cottontail Caretaker, 4 Valley Questcaller, 4 Burrowguard Mentor, 3 Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, 2 Buxton, Decorated Host, 4 Hop to It, and 4 Case of the Gateway Express. Every plan should preserve the premise that creature density, token count, and board scaling are the deck’s core resources.
- Mana identity: The land package is 7 Plains, 7 Forest, 1 Oakhollow Village, 4 Captivating Crossroads, and 4 Cavern of Souls. Respect the rules engine’s exact mana actions at runtime, especially when Cavern of Souls or other typed/color-limited sources can affect whether creature and noncreature spells are castable.
- Sideboard identity: The sideboard is 2 Requisition Raid, 4 Hard-Hitting Question, and 1 Get Lost. Do not invent additional sideboard tools or use absent format staples as plan anchors.
- Role concern: The default role is proactive pressure, but not mindless all-in aggression. The pilot should weigh whether a legal play increases board width, improves attack quality, protects tempo, or answers a specific visible blocker, threat, artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker-like permanent only when the card text and engine action confirm legality.
- Legality concern: Runtime action lists are binding. The pilot must never assume that a card can target, trigger, or pay a cost unless Veles exposes the legal action or the rules engine has already produced that outcome.
- Card-text concern: Card text check required for exact Alchemy Oracle text on Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Buxton, Decorated Host, Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, and Get Lost before relying on any non-obvious timing, targeting, counter, or bonus interaction. Use visible legal actions as the final source of truth.
- Opponent information status: No specific opponent deck, matchup, or metagame list is supplied in this batch. Matchup assumptions must therefore stay archetype-level until public information, revealed cards, sideboard context, or a supplied opponent label narrows the plan.
- Hidden-information status: Do not infer exact opposing hand contents, removal, sweepers, combat tricks, or counterspells from format familiarity alone. Use visible mana, revealed cards, public zones, prior logged actions, and Veles decision context to decide whether to extend pressure or hold resources.
- Quality gate: This guide is for a decision agent piloting the exact registered Selesnya Rabbits list. Tactical choices should favor legal, visible, deck-specific pressure lines over generic Selesnya advice, and every future section must keep exact registered names when naming cards.
Selesnya Rabbits assembles early green-white creature density, Rabbit-token width, and tribal combat scaling, then wins by forcing the opponent to answer multiple bodies before attacks become too large or too numerous to trade profitably. The deck’s best games start with a one- or two-mana Rabbit presence, add a payoff or board-expanding spell, and use visible combat math to convert a temporary board advantage into damage instead of drifting into a long resource exchange.
The primary priority is board presence that compounds: cast Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, and Burrowguard Mentor in sequences that increase the number or quality of attacking creatures. Hop to It is a key density card because it can create multiple bodies for tribal and combat payoffs if the rules engine exposes that mode or result; Card text check required for exact token count, timing, and any Alchemy-specific wording.
The secondary priority is turning width into decisive attacks with Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Buxton, Decorated Host, Case of the Gateway Express, and any visible static, triggered, or solved-case bonuses the engine exposes. Do not assume a payoff is active from memory alone; treat the rules-engine state, visible counters, solved Case status, legal attack actions, and displayed power/toughness as the binding source of truth.
The deck is not trying to play draw-go, trade one-for-one forever, sit behind a single oversized creature, or conserve every card for perfect value. It should keep pressure high while avoiding unnecessary overextension into known or strongly telegraphed sweepers, bad attacks, and removal windows where a single interaction spell would collapse the only meaningful payoff.
The tactical default is to develop before interacting, attack before durdling, and spend removal-like sideboard tools only when they unlock damage, stop a race, or answer a permanent the creature board cannot beat. Respect visible legality at runtime: if Veles does not expose a target, trigger, payment, attack, block, or selection action, the pilot must not invent that line.
- Threats: Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and Buxton, Decorated Host are the main pressure cards. Prioritize opening sequences that put multiple creatures on board, diversify mana costs when possible, and keep enough attackers available that one removal spell or blocker does not fully stop damage.
- Payoffs: Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Buxton, Decorated Host, and Case of the Gateway Express are the main cards to inspect for visible scaling, counters, anthem-like effects, attack incentives, or case progress. Card text check required for exact abilities on the Alchemy Rabbit cards and Case of the Gateway Express, so use engine-visible power/toughness, legal actions, counters, and triggered prompts instead of memorized text.
- Engines: Hop to It, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and any repeatable or conditional token production from registered Rabbit cards form the deck’s go-wide engine. Favor these when the hand already has a payoff or when the board needs more bodies to make future attacks, blocks, convoke-style costs, or tribal bonuses matter.
- Velocity: The deck has limited traditional card draw or tutoring in the registered main deck, so velocity mostly means spending mana efficiently and sequencing threats so each turn adds material pressure. Avoid keeping hands that rely on drawing a missing color, a specific payoff, or sideboard interaction unless the visible hand already has a functional early plan.
- Interaction: Case of the Gateway Express is the maindeck interactive-looking card, while Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, and Get Lost are the sideboard interaction package. Card text check required for exact target restrictions and modes; use these cards only through legal engine actions and prefer interaction that removes a blocker, stops a lethal threat, answers an artifact or enchantment, or protects a race-changing board state.
- Protection: Cavern of Souls can matter as anti-permission or creature-color fixing only when its chosen type and mana action legally support the spell being cast. The deck has no registered generic protection suite, so protect pressure mainly through sequencing, not by assuming hidden shield effects.
- Recursion: The registered list has no clear recursion plan from the provided names. Do not preserve creatures for graveyard loops or recovery lines unless Veles exposes a legal action from a registered card that explicitly returns, reuses, or casts a card from another zone.
- Mana: Plains, Forest, Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, and Cavern of Souls must support early green and white development. Prioritize land choices that enable the current hand’s first two spells, then preserve Cavern of Souls and any typed/color-limited mana for creature spells when the engine shows relevant restrictions.
- Sideboard modules: Requisition Raid is the artifact/enchantment or board-modification module if legal text confirms it; Hard-Hitting Question is the extra interaction or disruption module if the engine exposes valid targets or choices; Get Lost is the flexible answer module if legal targets exist. Sideboard plans should add only these registered cards and trim only registered main-deck cards.
- Width-into-anthem pressure is the main win path: deploy Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, and Burrowguard Mentor so the board contains multiple Rabbits or token bodies before combat math turns favorable. Prioritize this line when the opening hand has both colors, at least two early creatures, and a payoff that visibly increases power, toughness, counters, token output, or attack quality; Card text check required for exact static and triggered abilities on the Alchemy Rabbit cards.
- Hop to It is the cleanest board-expansion spell when the hand already has Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Buxton, Decorated Host, or Case of the Gateway Express to reward extra bodies. Execute by adding bodies before attacks when the engine shows that doing so changes legal attacks, power/toughness, counters, or case progress; delay only when visible opposing interaction or sweep-like pressure makes committing the extra card worse than forcing damage with the current board.
- Case of the Gateway Express is the pressure-to-removal or pressure-to-payoff win path when its legal actions remove a blocker, advance a solved-case bonus, or convert a wide board into better attacks. Prioritize it over another creature when the visible board is stalled by one important blocker or when Veles shows a case-related action or status that directly improves the current attack step; Card text check required for exact chapter, target, and solved-case behavior.
- Emmara, Voice of the Conclave supports the grindy token win path when she can safely attack, tap, or otherwise participate in visible legal actions that create or improve bodies. Prioritize Emmara, Voice of the Conclave when the opponent is light on blockers or removal, when the board already wants more creatures rather than one larger threat, or when Buxton, Decorated Host and other visible payoffs make each added body materially better.
- Buxton, Decorated Host is the high-impact finisher lane when the board is already wide enough that one payoff can make attacks lethal or force impossible blocks. Prioritize Buxton, Decorated Host when the pilot can spend the turn without falling behind on board, when enough creatures survive to benefit immediately or next combat, and when visible removal is less likely to make the whole turn collapse; Card text check required for exact combat and token-scaling text.
- Backup combat wins come from curving multiple standalone creatures and attacking through ordinary blocks without needing the perfect payoff. Use Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, and Burrowguard Mentor as individual damage sources when token engines are absent, and accept trades that preserve the highest visible scaling creature or leave enough bodies for Hop to It and Case of the Gateway Express to matter later.
- Small-board pressure is acceptable when the opponent answers the first wave but cannot stabilize life total and blockers at the same time. Rebuild with the cheapest creature plus the strongest visible payoff, avoid spending every card into a known sweeper pattern, and make attacks that force blocks rather than waiting for an ideal board that may never return.
- Cavern of Souls enables a secondary anti-permission lane only when the engine-visible chosen type and mana action legally cast the relevant creature. Use Cavern of Souls to resolve Rabbit threats through counter-heavy opponents if Veles exposes that mana line, but do not assume it fixes noncreature spells such as Hop to It or Case of the Gateway Express unless the rules engine shows a legal payment.
- Case of the Gateway Express can be a fallback interaction line when racing fails and the opponent’s board has one permanent that makes attacks impossible. Use it to unlock damage or survival, not as a generic value play, and respect visible target restrictions because Card text check required for exact legality.
- The deck has no registered burn, recursion, hard lock, or creature-land plan from the provided list. Do not chase graveyard loops, direct-damage finishes, prison lines, or utility-land wins unless Veles exposes a legal action from Plains, Forest, Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, or another registered card that explicitly supports that line.
- Behind on life: shift from maximum damage to race math that keeps enough blockers back to survive the next visible attack. Attack only when the damage meaningfully changes the clock or when blocks remain acceptable, and prioritize Case of the Gateway Express or sideboard interaction in later sections if a legal target is the reason the opponent’s attack is lethal.
- Behind on board: rebuild width before committing a fragile payoff unless one payoff immediately changes blocks or kills a key attacker through a legal action. Hop to It, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and cheap Rabbits are the recovery tools; Buxton, Decorated Host should wait until there are enough bodies for its visible effect to matter.
- Behind on cards: convert every draw into board impact and avoid holding creatures for speculative value. The registered main deck has limited card-advantage text known from the provided list, so the emergency plan is mana-efficient deployment, favorable trades, and forcing the opponent to spend removal on replaceable bodies before the highest-impact payoff.
- Behind on mana: prioritize untapped and color-correct development from Plains, Forest, Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, and Cavern of Souls according to legal engine payments. Cast the spell that uses available mana while preserving future green-white access, and do not keep hands that require drawing a specific land to function.
- Engine removed: continue attacking with remaining creatures and rebuild with the next body-producing or scaling card instead of waiting for the same card name. If Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Buxton, Decorated Host, or Case of the Gateway Express is removed, reassess visible power/toughness and legal attacks before assuming the old combat plan still works.
- Win conditions answered: pivot to incremental damage, trade discipline, and post-sideboard answers rather than conceding board agency. The deck can still win with ordinary Rabbit attacks if the opponent is low enough or lacks blockers, but it must stop overcommitting when public information shows the next removal spell or sweeper-like effect would erase the only remaining pressure.
- Life is a pressure resource, not a cushion to waste. Spend life in races only when the resulting attack or board expansion shortens the opponent’s clock more than their visible next attack shortens yours; once the opponent can threaten lethal or near-lethal on board, hold back enough creatures to survive before maximizing damage.
- Hand resources convert best into bodies before payoffs. Prioritize deploying Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, and Burrowguard Mentor early so Hop to It, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Buxton, Decorated Host, and Case of the Gateway Express have a board to reward; avoid keeping reactive-looking hands because the main deck is mostly proactive.
- Mana is the deck’s throttle because double-spell turns often matter more than one expensive turn. Use early turns to establish both white and green access, then prefer lines that spend all available mana while adding the most permanent board presence; do not hold a cheap creature for speculative sequencing if it leaves mana unused and the opponent is not representing a visible punishment.
- Board presence is the primary resource and should be counted as attack power, blocker count, and payoff density. A small creature that enables Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Buxton, Decorated Host, or Case of the Gateway Express can be worth more than a larger isolated threat, but trade it away when the trade protects life total or clears a path for a better next attack.
- Graveyard and exile are not primary engines from the registered main deck. Treat creatures in graveyard or exile as lost pressure unless Veles exposes a legal action that explicitly uses them; do not assume recursion, flashback, or graveyard scaling from Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Buxton, Decorated Host, Hop to It, or Case of the Gateway Express.
- Lands are setup resources after the first four turns. Keep making land drops while hand contains multiple spells or Buxton, Decorated Host plus follow-up plays, but after mana is stable value extra lands mostly as future double-spell insurance rather than tactical leverage; Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, and Cavern of Souls should be interpreted through engine-visible mana actions.
- Sacrifice fodder is incidental, not a planned main-deck exchange. Tokens from Hop to It or Emmara, Voice of the Conclave can absorb combat trades or edict-like pressure, but do not sacrifice or trade bodies casually when the visible plan needs creature count for a payoff.
- Tempo is the deck’s most important hidden budget. Prefer adding two relevant permanents over one slower card when both are legal, prioritize attacks that force the opponent to block before stabilizing, and use Case of the Gateway Express as tempo interaction only when its visible legal action unlocks damage or prevents a losing attack back; Card text check required for exact Case of the Gateway Express behavior.
- Information should be used conservatively because Veles can show only legal actions, visible board state, public zones, and allowed reveal windows. Do not play around exact hidden cards without public evidence, but adjust when the opponent holds up mana, has revealed interaction, or has already demonstrated a specific answer.
- Sideboard bullets are narrow correction tools. Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, and Get Lost should be valued when their legal actions answer the visible problem the main deck cannot race, not because the deck wants to become controlling after sideboard.
- Build every keep around early green-white functionality. A strong opener usually has two or three lands, access to both colors through Plains, Forest, Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, or Cavern of Souls, and at least two early plays among Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Hop to It, or Case of the Gateway Express.
- Mulligan mana that cannot cast the hand’s first two spells on schedule. One-land hands need multiple one-mana legal plays and clear color access before they are acceptable; hands with only Plains or only Forest are risky if they strand half the hand, and Cavern of Souls should not be counted for noncreature spells unless Veles shows the payment is legal.
- Sequence lands to unlock the widest set of immediate legal spells. Play Plains first for white-heavy creature plus Hop to It or Case of the Gateway Express lines, play Forest first for green-heavy creature curves, and choose Captivating Crossroads, Oakhollow Village, or Cavern of Souls based on the current hand’s legal payments rather than abstract color preference.
- Use Cavern of Souls as creature fixing before spell fixing. If Veles exposes a creature-type choice or mana mode, choose the type and payment that casts the most current and near-future creatures, commonly the Rabbit-heavy portion of the deck; do not assume it casts Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, or Get Lost unless the engine lists the action.
- Respect tapped or conditional utility-land output from Oakhollow Village and Captivating Crossroads. If either land enters tapped, has a naming choice, has a restriction, or produces different mana by condition, follow the engine-visible legal mana action and prefer earlier deployment when it does not cost a turn-one or turn-two creature.
- Play land before draw or selection only when the current turn already needs the mana or land choice is forced. If no draw/selection action is pending, make the land drop before committing spells so Veles can expose all legal payments; if a legal action may reveal or draw a card before land choice, consider waiting unless missing the immediate land drop blocks the current planned spell.
- Preserve both colors for double-spell turns. When choosing mana payments, avoid spending the only green or only white source if another legal payment keeps both colors available for a follow-up creature, Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, or sideboard interaction.
- Cast off-curve only when color efficiency improves the next turn. A one-drop plus tapped or conditional land setup can beat a single two-drop if it enables a stronger turn-three board, but do not delay Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or Buxton, Decorated Host when the visible board needs that payoff now.
- Strong keep: keep two or three lands with both colors available and a turn-one or turn-two creature into a board-building follow-up. Plains plus Forest, Captivating Crossroads, Oakhollow Village, or Cavern of Souls is strongest when it casts Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, or Cottontail Caretaker early, then follows with Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, or Buxton, Decorated Host.
- Medium keep: keep color-functional hands with only one early creature when the rest of the hand curves into multiple board-impacting plays. A hand such as two lands, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, and Emmara, Voice of the Conclave is acceptable on the draw if both colors are live, but weaker on the play against fast pressure because the first permanent may arrive too late.
- Risky keep: keep one-land hands only when Veles shows the land casts multiple one-mana legal plays and the hand has immediate pressure. One land with Seasoned Warrenguard plus Pawpatch Recruit can be considered on the draw if the land produces the required color, but one land with Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Buxton, Decorated Host, Hop to It, or Case of the Gateway Express is usually too slow unless the matchup punishes mulligans more than missed land drops.
- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no lands, hands with one land and no legal one-mana play, hands with four or more lands and only one spell, and hands whose lands cannot cast the first two spells. Ship single-color hands that strand several opposite-color cards unless Cavern of Souls or another engine-visible mana action clearly fixes the creature curve.
- Matchup-dependent keep: keep interaction-heavy or sideboard-card hands only when the opponent’s visible archetype makes the answer urgent. After sideboarding, Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, or Get Lost can justify a slower hand only if the rest of the hand still develops pressure; do not keep a hand that answers one possible permanent while failing to deploy Rabbits or token pressure.
- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, prioritize a one-drop or two-drop creature plus a turn-three payoff because the deck wants initiative. On the draw, accept slightly slower two-land hands with Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, or Emmara, Voice of the Conclave when they interact with a creature curve, but do not keep hands that merely react without adding bodies.
- Trap hand: avoid hands full of payoff-looking cards with no early material. Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Buxton, Decorated Host, Case of the Gateway Express, and Hop to It can look powerful together, but without early creatures or reliable mana they risk spending turns without profitable attacks; Card text check required for exact Case of the Gateway Express timing and requirements.
- Turn 1: lead with the land that casts the most immediate legal creature plays and preserves both colors for turn two. Prefer Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, or Cottontail Caretaker when legal, and use Cavern of Souls only according to the engine-visible creature-type and mana actions.
- Turn 1 deviation: play a tapped or conditional Captivating Crossroads or Oakhollow Village early only when it does not skip a legal one-drop that matters. If the hand has no legal one-drop, spend the turn setting up the land that unlocks Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, or Case of the Gateway Express on curve.
- Turn 2: add the highest-board-impact creature or token action that keeps the curve alive. Prefer a second cheap creature plus a payoff setup when legal, otherwise cast Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Hop to It, or Case of the Gateway Express when the action advances attacks or stabilizes visible pressure.
- Turn 2 deviation: choose interaction or Case of the Gateway Express over another creature only when the visible board shows a threat that changes combat math or blocks the deck’s attack plan. Do not spend turn two on a low-impact answer if a creature line would create a stronger turn-three attack.
- Turn 3: commit the deck’s first major pressure turn. Prioritize Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Burrowguard Mentor, Valley Questcaller, Hop to It, or multiple cheap creatures when they increase creature count, attack power, or payoff density; choose Buxton, Decorated Host only when mana and board state make the larger commitment legal and tactically safe.
- Turn 3 deviation: hold back from tapping out when the opponent has visible lethal pressure, a known sweeper-like effect, or a public answer that punishes the exact commitment. If Veles exposes a combat or priority action that preserves life total while still adding a creature, prefer the line that keeps the race from collapsing.
- Turns 4-5: convert board width into damage before the opponent stabilizes. Double-spell when possible, combine Hop to It with creature payoffs when legal, use Case of the Gateway Express as tempo interaction when it opens attacks or prevents a punishing crackback, and preserve enough bodies for future Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or Buxton, Decorated Host turns.
- Turns 4-5 deviation: trade creatures when the exchange protects a payoff, forces damage through, or prevents a lethal return attack. Avoid trading away multiple small creatures for low damage if the visible board needs creature count for the next attack or payoff action.
- Late game: prioritize legal lines that add multiple bodies, maximize immediate attack quality, or answer the single visible blocker or threat stopping lethal. Extra lands matter mainly for double-spell turns; do not hold creatures for speculative value if the current legal attack needs more material.
- Late-game deviation: shift from pure pressure to survival when the opponent’s visible board threatens lethal first. Use Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, Get Lost, Requisition Raid, or Hard-Hitting Question only if their legal action changes combat, removes the decisive obstacle, or buys a turn for the board to attack back.
- Seasoned Warrenguard is an early Rabbit body whose first job is to make one-land or two-land hands functional and start tribal pressure before the payoff turns. Cast it on turn one or turn two when it is the legal play that keeps mana efficient; hold it only when another one-drop has a more urgent board role or when committing an extra body into a visible sweeper-like effect is worse than preserving reload material. Card text check required for exact combat stats and any triggered ability, so treat its tactical value as conditional on the engine-visible text rather than assuming it attacks, blocks, or pumps in a specific way. Its common mistake is overvaluing it as a standalone threat; it is strongest when it supports Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Hop to It, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or Buxton, Decorated Host by keeping creature count high.
- Pawpatch Recruit is a premium early creature because it lets the deck spend the first turn developing pressure instead of waiting for two-mana token engines. Cast it early when legal, especially with Valley Mightcaller or Valley Questcaller already in hand, because every later anthem, counter, token, or attack-scaling effect improves when a Rabbit is already on board. Card text check required for exact ability text; if Veles exposes a later activated, offspring, pump, or combat-relevant action from Pawpatch Recruit, choose it only when the visible attack or block math improves immediately or the action preserves a key creature from a known exchange. The common mistake is holding Pawpatch Recruit for future value while losing the initiative this deck is built to claim.
- Valley Mightcaller is a creature-count payoff that should come down before the deck makes multiple Rabbits or tokens whenever mana and curve allow it. Prioritize casting Valley Mightcaller ahead of Hop to It, Cottontail Caretaker, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or other creature-multiplying plays if the visible legal sequence lets it benefit from those follow-up bodies. Card text check required for exact trigger and counter rules, so do not assume it grows from every token or every Rabbit unless the engine confirms that behavior through visible state changes. In removal-heavy matchups, avoid making Valley Mightcaller the only meaningful threat if the hand can instead split pressure across several bodies; in racing matchups, protect its attack value by declining low-value trades that shrink the board’s payoff ceiling.
- Cottontail Caretaker is an early setup creature whose value depends on whether its engine-visible actions add bodies, improve attacks, or enable future Rabbit turns. Cast it early when it fills the curve and supports Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or Buxton, Decorated Host. Card text check required for exact role; if it creates tokens, grants stats, or has a conditional trigger, use that action only when Veles shows the required legal target or condition and the result changes pressure or survival. The main mistake is treating it as filler when it may be the card that turns payoff-heavy hands into real board presence; the second mistake is spending mana on a low-impact Caretaker line when Hop to It or a payoff creature creates a stronger current board.
- Valley Questcaller is a central pressure card that should be sequenced before wide token turns when the board can use the bonus immediately. Cast it before Hop to It or multiple cheap Rabbits if doing so increases the next attack, protects small creatures in combat, or changes blocks. Card text check required for exact anthem, trigger, or quest condition, so rely on Veles-visible power/toughness and legal actions rather than assuming a static bonus. Against decks with visible removal, decide whether Valley Questcaller is worth exposing by comparing the current attack improvement against the value of waiting to deploy it with an immediate follow-up. The common mistake is casting it after spending the token-maker, which can leave damage on the table and weaken the deck’s best curve.
- Burrowguard Mentor is a payoff or stabilizer slot that should convert the deck’s small creatures into meaningful combat pressure. Cast it when the board already contains Rabbits or tokens, when the opponent’s blockers make raw creature count insufficient, or when the legal action changes the race. Card text check required for exact ability text, so treat any counters, stat boosts, or attack triggers as engine-confirmed only. In creature mirrors, Burrowguard Mentor often matters more than another one-drop because it can change which attacks are profitable; against control or removal, it is better when paired with immediate pressure instead of passed into open mana as the only threat. Avoid trading away bodies just before a Burrowguard Mentor turn unless the trade prevents lethal or removes a blocker that otherwise stops the deck.
- Emmara, Voice of the Conclave is a board-width engine and must be treated as more than a generic three-drop. Cast Emmara, Voice of the Conclave when the battlefield can use additional creature production, convoke-like tapping, attack pressure, or any engine-visible tap synergy; Card text check required for exact Oracle or Alchemy implementation, so do not assume a token is created unless Veles shows the legal trigger or resulting token. Emmara is strongest when the deck can still attack, block, or use a tap action without losing the race. The common mistake is tapping or exposing Emmara for marginal value when her body is needed for combat, or delaying her so long that the opponent stabilizes before the token engine matters.
- Buxton, Decorated Host is a higher-commitment payoff that should be cast when the board already has enough material to exploit its effect or when the hand needs a resilient top-end push. Because the deck runs only two copies, treat Buxton, Decorated Host as a decisive pressure card rather than routine curve filler. Card text check required for exact ability text; if Veles shows triggered, attack, anthem, counter, or token-copying consequences, evaluate whether the current board converts that ability into damage this turn cycle. Do not tap out for Buxton into a visible answer when a double-spell line creates comparable pressure with less risk. Against slower decks, Buxton can justify extending if it threatens a fast clock; against aggressive decks, cast it only if it also improves blocks or stabilizes the board.
- Hop to It is the main wide-board spell and should usually be paired with a payoff already on the battlefield or about to enter. Cast Hop to It when Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or Buxton, Decorated Host turns the generated bodies into immediate pressure, or when the deck needs multiple blockers to survive. Card text check required for exact token count and token characteristics, so trust the engine’s resulting battlefield. Holding Hop to It is correct when the opponent has visible punishment for overextending and the current board already attacks well; casting it is correct when waiting gives the opponent time to stabilize or when a lethal setup requires more bodies. The common mistake is firing Hop to It before a payoff and then drawing the payoff one turn too late.
- Case of the Gateway Express is the deck’s main-deck interaction and should be used to clear the blocker, threat, or combat bottleneck that actually changes the race. Card text check required for exact targeting, damage, solve condition, and reward, so use only legal actions Veles exposes and verify whether the target is a creature, attacker, blocker, or other permanent. Cast it before combat when it opens a high-damage attack; hold it through combat when the opponent may commit a better target or when the deck needs it defensively. Do not spend Case of the Gateway Express on a small creature if the board already attacks profitably and a larger visible threat will decide the next turn. In creature matchups, it is both removal and tempo; in slower matchups, it is a way to keep pressure from stalling.
- Captivating Crossroads is a fixing land whose tactical role is to keep green and white spells castable without losing early tempo. Choose the mana mode or entry option that lets Veles cast the current hand’s one- and two-mana plays, especially Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, and Burrowguard Mentor. Card text check required for exact land text and any chosen type or color behavior. The common mistake is naming or choosing for long-term value while stranding the next spell.
- Cavern of Souls is creature fixing and protection-relevant only to the extent Veles exposes those legal mana properties. Choose the creature type that casts the largest number of Rabbit and tribal creatures in hand when the engine asks for a type; Card text check required for exact supported creature types on every card. Do not rely on Cavern of Souls to cast Hop to It or Case of the Gateway Express unless Veles shows the mana action can legally pay that cost. Its best use is smoothing early creature curves while reducing the chance that creature-heavy hands stumble.
- Oakhollow Village is a one-of utility/fixing land and should be sequenced when its visible mana action unlocks the hand without sacrificing a key early creature turn. Card text check required for exact ability text; if it offers creature-type, color, pump, token, or conditional mana choices, treat them as tactical only when Veles shows a legal action tied to the current board. Because there is only one copy, do not build plans around drawing it; when drawn, use it to support double-spell turns or board scaling if the engine confirms that role.
- Plains and Forest are the baseline resources that make the deck’s curve reliable. Lead with the basic that casts the current legal play while preserving the other color for the next turn. Avoid keeping hands where Plains strands green-heavy cards or Forest strands white-heavy cards unless Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, or Oakhollow Village visibly fixes the sequence. In long games, extra basics mainly support double-spelling; they should not make the pilot hold threats unnecessarily when the board needs bodies.
- Priority: Use Case of the Gateway Express to clear the permanent or creature that changes combat math this turn cycle, not the first legal target. Card text check required for exact Alchemy wording, so follow Veles targeting and resolution output; if it can remove or shrink a blocker before combat, spend it when the attack gains multiple damage or preserves a key creature. Hold it when the current board already attacks profitably and the opponent has a larger visible threat that will decide the next attack step.
- Priority: Preserve Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and Buxton, Decorated Host when their visible static, triggered, or activated effects make several small Rabbits matter. Removal should protect the board engine before it protects a replaceable token. Do not spend Case of the Gateway Express merely to save a single low-impact body if losing that body still leaves a strong attack.
- Priority: Remove blockers before threats when the deck is ahead and can shorten the clock; remove attackers before blockers when life is under pressure or a race turns unfavorable. Against control and slower midrange, the first removal target is the card that stops damage or buys time. Against aggro, the first removal target is the creature that forces bad blocks or threatens lethal next turn.
- Priority: Treat Requisition Raid as sideboard interaction for visible artifacts, enchantments, or other engine-confirmed targets only. Card text check required. Do not fire Requisition Raid at a low-impact permanent if the battlefield race is being decided by creatures; use it when the target is preventing attacks, generating repeated value, or forcing the Rabbit deck to hold back.
- Priority: Treat Get Lost as a flexible sideboard answer for the visible permanent Veles says it can legally target. Card text check required. Use Get Lost on a must-answer blocker, planeswalker-like pressure card, oversized attacker, or engine permanent when Case of the Gateway Express is unavailable or insufficient. Avoid using it on a creature that can be ignored by going wide unless that creature changes lethal math.
- Priority: Treat Hard-Hitting Question as matchup-dependent sideboard disruption only when Veles exposes a legal action and target. Card text check required. If it interacts with hand, spell, or permanent selection, choose the option that protects the current damage plan rather than the option that looks generically powerful. If the legal text is unclear in the prompt, prefer lines that keep mana efficient and board pressure high.
- Priority: This deck does not plan to counter, discard, exile, or bounce as a default main-deck posture unless Veles exposes those exact legal actions from Case of the Gateway Express, sideboard cards, or another resolved effect. Never invent interaction because the matchup calls for it. Bait opposing interaction with redundant Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Cottontail Caretaker, or Hop to It before committing Buxton, Decorated Host when the hand can still apply pressure afterward.
- Priority: Ignore opposing low-power creatures or defensive permanents when the board already attacks for a winning clock through them. The deck loses tempo when it spends removal on cards that do not block profitably, race effectively, or disrupt the Rabbit engine. Change posture only when life total, visible attackers, or a pending engine action makes the ignored card relevant.
- Attack rule: Attack whenever the visible board produces favorable damage without sacrificing the engine that makes future attacks better. Wide Rabbit boards should pressure life totals early, especially with Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Buxton, Decorated Host, or Hop to It involved. If Veles shows only marginal damage and the opponent can crack back harder, keep enough bodies to preserve the race.
- Trade rule: Trade expendable tokens and redundant one-drops for creatures that stop multiple future attacks, but protect engine pieces unless the trade prevents lethal or unlocks immediate lethal. Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Cottontail Caretaker, and Hop to It tokens can be spent more freely than Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, or Buxton, Decorated Host. Do not trade away the last Rabbit body before a payoff turn unless survival requires it.
- Block rule: Block aggressively once life is in a danger range where the opponent’s next attack plus visible board growth can kill or force impossible blocks. Above roughly 12 life, prefer attacks and race pressure unless the opponent has a clearly faster clock. At 8 or less, reassess every attack for whether leaving back one or two bodies prevents lethal. At 4 or less, survival blocks outrank damage unless Veles shows a legal lethal attack now.
- Protection rule: Preserve Valley Mightcaller and Valley Questcaller when they are the reason small creatures can attack through blockers. Preserve Burrowguard Mentor when its visible effect changes multiple combats. Preserve Emmara, Voice of the Conclave when repeated token production or tap synergy is likely to outscale the opponent. Preserve Buxton, Decorated Host when the current board turns it into a decisive payoff; otherwise, do not overprotect it at the cost of losing the race.
- Race rule: Against control, attack with more bodies and force answers before the opponent stabilizes; holding back only makes sense around visible sweep-like or punishment effects, and exact names should come from Veles or public logs. Against creature aggro, attack only when the backswing is acceptable or removal opens a safer line. Against midrange, pressure while refusing trades that convert a wide board into a single exposed threat.
- Token rule: Hop to It should convert into attacks, blocks, or payoff scaling quickly. If tokens are only chump blocking, use them to buy time for Case of the Gateway Express, Buxton, Decorated Host, or another payoff. If tokens can attack through a buff or mentor effect, prioritize damage over preserving perfect board size.
- Lethal rule: Choose exact lethal attacks when Veles shows enough damage through legal blockers, but do not assume hidden tricks or unshown prevention. When multiple attacks are legal, prefer the line that keeps the most engine creatures alive if both still threaten lethal or a two-turn kill.
- Selection rule: This main deck has no true library tutor, so treat selection as mana-base choice, creature deployment order, token timing, and target choice from visible legal actions. Do not claim access to a specific hidden card, and do not hold mana for a card unless it is already in hand, visible from an effect, or represented by Veles as a legal action.
- Land rule: Make land drops before committing multi-spell turns when the extra mana changes legal actions, but delay land choice only if Veles shows multiple lands and the deck must decide creature type, color, or tapped/untapped sequencing. Prioritize green on turn one for Valley Mightcaller or Pawpatch Recruit when available, white for Seasoned Warrenguard, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Hop to It, and Case of the Gateway Express, and both colors by turn two whenever possible.
- Creature-type rule: Use Cavern of Souls for Rabbit when Veles exposes a type choice and the hand contains Rabbit creature spells or Rabbit payoffs. If the only immediate cast requires non-Rabbit mana or Veles exposes a different legally relevant type choice, choose the type that enables the current hand rather than blindly naming Rabbit.
- Crossroads rule: Treat Captivating Crossroads as fixing first and selection second unless Veles exposes specific choice text. Card text check required. If it asks for a color, type, or similar setup choice, choose the option that casts the highest number of current-hand Rabbit creatures and payoffs over the next two turns.
- Pseudo-selection rule: Use early deployment to select which future draws matter. Valley Mightcaller and Valley Questcaller make later Rabbit bodies better, so lead with them when mana and matchup pressure allow. Hop to It becomes stronger after a payoff is already in play, but it is still correct to cast it earlier when the board needs blockers, Case of the Gateway Express needs attackers, or the opponent is likely to remove the payoff before the token turn.
- Target-selection rule: Case of the Gateway Express target choices must follow Veles legal targets and visible power/toughness only. Card text check required. Prefer removing a blocker that prevents the best attack, then an attacker that threatens lethal or a bad race, then an engine creature that will outscale the Rabbit board. Do not target a creature that can be ignored by a wide attack unless the current combat math says it changes damage or survival.
- Sideboard-selection rule: Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, and Get Lost should be used only from visible legal prompts and confirmed target text. Card text check required for all three. When the choice is between disrupting the opponent and adding to the board, choose disruption only when the visible permanent, card, or spell stops the Rabbit damage plan or threatens a faster clock.
- Priority rule: Spend mana proactively on creatures, Hop to It, and board-building effects during main phases unless Veles shows a concrete instant-speed action or the opponent has a visible stack object that must be answered. This deck is not a draw-go deck, and passing with unused mana is normally a concession to legal-action limits, not a plan.
- Response rule: Let opposing spells resolve when the deck has no visible legal response or when the response does not protect damage, survival, or a key payoff. Use Case of the Gateway Express, Get Lost, Requisition Raid, or Hard-Hitting Question only if Veles exposes them as legal at that window; never assume they can answer the stack unless the engine offers the action.
- Removal timing rule: Use sorcery-speed removal before combat when it opens attacks, and use instant-speed removal during combat only when Veles offers it and the timing improves blocks, lethal, or survival. If a blocker must die for the team to attack profitably, remove it before declaring attackers. If an attacker can be removed after blocks to save more damage, wait only when the legal window is explicit.
- Optional trigger rule: Accept optional Rabbit-scaling, token-making, anthem-like, or combat-enhancing triggers when they increase damage, preserve blockers, or improve the board without spending needed mana. Decline optional payments or triggers only when Veles shows a real cost that prevents a stronger current-turn action, such as casting Hop to It, deploying Buxton, Decorated Host, or paying for removal.
- Combat-window rule: After attackers and blockers, reassess visible damage before using any legal action. Cast or activate a trick-like action only if the prompt and board show a concrete result: lethal, saving an engine creature, eating a larger blocker, preventing lethal damage, or converting expendable tokens into lasting advantage. Otherwise keep the line simple and preserve mana for post-combat deployment.
- Stack-order rule: When multiple Rabbit triggers or abilities are offered, order them to maximize visible combat math and legal follow-up actions. Put counters, buffs, or token creation in the order Veles indicates will affect the current creature or attack; if ordering is not strategically meaningful from visible text, choose the deterministic engine-presented order and continue.
- Graveyard timing rule: This deck has no main-deck graveyard plan, so do not spend priority on graveyard-related actions unless a sideboard card or opponent effect creates a visible legal action. If Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, or Get Lost somehow interacts with a graveyard or permanent generated from it, use the action only when it protects the race or removes a visible engine.
- End-step rule: Use end-step actions only when Veles offers a legal instant-speed play that would be worse on the next main phase. Otherwise pass end steps quickly, preserve revealed information accuracy, and prepare to deploy threats or attack on the next turn.
Compiler-checked exact sideboard candidate for legal validation:
Side in: 2 Requisition Raid
Cut: 2 Seasoned Warrenguard
- Sideboard rule: Use sideboard cards to remove specific blockers, punish fragile hands or engines, and answer noncreature permanents only when Veles shows legal text and visible targets. This deck wins by keeping Rabbit bodies and scaling payoffs on board, so every sideboard change must preserve enough cheap creatures for Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, and Buxton, Decorated Host to matter.
- Requisition Raid role: Bring Requisition Raid against artifact, enchantment, or board-stall opponents only when visible targets or expected permanent types justify it. Card text check required. Treat it as interaction plus possible board-development only if Veles exposes that mode or target text; do not assume it removes a permanent, grows the team, or creates a combat edge unless the legal action says so. It is poor when the opponent presents mostly creatures and no relevant artifact/enchantment targets, because spending a card that does not add Rabbit pressure can make Valley Mightcaller and Valley Questcaller weaker.
- Hard-Hitting Question role: Bring Hard-Hitting Question against slower decks, combo-like hands, sweepers, key removal, or opponents whose best cards matter more than battlefield size. Card text check required. Use it when disrupting a visible or likely hand-based plan is worth delaying a creature or Hop to It. It is poor against very fast creature decks when taking a turn away from adding blockers, attackers, or payoff bodies risks falling behind on board.
- Get Lost role: Bring Get Lost when the opponent has must-answer creatures, enchantments, planeswalkers, or other legal target classes that Case of the Gateway Express cannot reliably handle from the current game texture. Card text check required. Respect any compensation the action text gives the opponent, and use it only when the target blocks lethal, threatens lethal, dominates combat, or invalidates the Rabbit board. It is poor when the opponent is full of small creatures where a wide Rabbit attack can race and the extra answer reduces threat density.
- Sideboard structure: Favor the smallest sideboard package that solves the matchup problem. Four-copy Hard-Hitting Question packages are for matchups where disruption is central; one-copy Get Lost is a high-impact answer slot; two-copy Requisition Raid is for artifact/enchantment density or matchups where a legal mode also improves the Rabbit board.
Balanced anti-control or anti-combo hand-disruption plan
add: 4 Hard-Hitting Question; 1 Get Lost
trim: 2 Cottontail Caretaker; 2 Case of the Gateway Express; 1 Buxton, Decorated Host
- Plan logic: Use this plan when the opponent is slower, spell-dense, or visibly dependent on one payoff, sweeper, or stabilizer. Hard-Hitting Question should trade early tempo for removing the card that beats a wide board, while Get Lost gives one clean answer to a resolved permanent that the Rabbit attack cannot ignore. Reducing Cottontail Caretaker lowers low-impact body count, reducing Case of the Gateway Express avoids overloading on situational removal against low-creature decks, and reducing one Buxton, Decorated Host lowers expensive commitment risk while keeping one top-end anthem or finisher effect.
- Plan logic: Use this plan when the opponent presents artifacts, enchantments, or permanent engines that block attacks, generate repeated advantage, or punish tokens. Requisition Raid should answer the permanent only when Veles shows legal target text, while Get Lost covers the larger permanent or creature class that Requisition Raid cannot cover. Reducing Cottontail Caretaker keeps the deck from drawing too many low-impact bodies into interaction-heavy games, and reducing one Buxton, Decorated Host lowers curve pressure while keeping one copy for board states where many Rabbits survive.
Balanced creature-race removal plan
add: 1 Get Lost; 2 Requisition Raid
trim: 1 Buxton, Decorated Host; 1 Cottontail Caretaker; 1 Case of the Gateway Express
- Plan logic: Use this plan against creature decks that also show artifacts, enchantments, or one large threat that must be answered. Get Lost is the clean emergency slot for a creature or permanent that dominates combat, while Requisition Raid is included only because the matchup contains visible or expected permanent targets. Keeping most Case of the Gateway Express copies preserves the main-deck creature-fight or removal plan; reducing one copy acknowledges that extra answers can become clunky when the best plan is still attacking wide.
Balanced low-target aggro plan
add: 1 Get Lost
trim: 1 Buxton, Decorated Host
- Plan logic: Use this plan when the opponent is fast, creature-heavy, and light on artifacts or enchantments. Get Lost gives a single answer to the largest blocker or attacker, while the deck keeps nearly all cheap creatures and token production to compete on board. Buxton, Decorated Host is the preferred reduction when the game is decided before expensive board payoff turns.
- Aggro matchup rule: Add role cards: Get Lost when one opposing creature determines combat, and Requisition Raid only if visible artifacts or enchantments affect racing. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host first when speed matters, then Cottontail Caretaker if the board needs stronger individual cards. Keep Valley Mightcaller, Pawpatch Recruit, Seasoned Warrenguard, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and Hop to It because they are the deck's best way to build a wide battlefield.
- Control matchup rule: Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question and sometimes Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Case of the Gateway Express when legal targets are scarce, Cottontail Caretaker when small bodies do not pressure enough alone, and one Buxton, Decorated Host when tapping out for top end is too risky. Keep hands and sideboard plans that curve early threat into disruption rather than disruption with no clock.
- Midrange matchup rule: Add role cards: Get Lost for high-impact permanents and Hard-Hitting Question when the opponent relies on a small number of removal or stabilizer cards. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the weakest low-impact creature or situational removal according to visible threats. Preserve enough creature density that Hop to It and Rabbit payoffs still create lethal pressure after the first removal exchange.
- Artifact/enchantment matchup rule: Add role cards: Requisition Raid first, then Get Lost if the matchup has a separate must-answer creature or permanent. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host in faster games and Cottontail Caretaker when interaction matters more than another small body. Do not board Requisition Raid only because the opponent might have a target; use it when prior games, revealed cards, or matchup metadata show targets that matter.
- Combo or engine matchup rule: Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question as the primary disruption package, with Get Lost or Requisition Raid only for visible permanent engines. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Case of the Gateway Express against low-creature engines, and low-impact bodies only enough to fit disruption. The pilot should still mulligan and sequence for pressure, because disruption that does not shorten the clock gives the opponent more draw steps.
- Bad-sideboard rule: Do not dilute the Rabbit core below a functional curve. If sideboard cards do not have legal targets or do not affect the opponent's actual route to winning, keep the main deck proactive. The correct sideboard state is often a light one-card or three-card package, not all seven cards.
- Aggro: Race by building the wider board before trading resources. Keep hands with early creatures plus Hop to It or multiple Rabbit payoffs, and use Case of the Gateway Express or Get Lost only when the target changes combat math, prevents lethal, or unlocks a decisive attack. Add role cards: Get Lost against one oversized attacker or blocker, and Requisition Raid only when visible artifacts or enchantments matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host first when speed decides the game.
- Control: Lead with resilient pressure, then use disruption to protect the turn that matters. Prioritize Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and Hop to It as the clock; use Hard-Hitting Question to take sweepers, removal, or stabilizers shown by the runtime action text and revealed information. Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question and sometimes Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Case of the Gateway Express when legal targets are scarce and Cottontail Caretaker when small bodies do not pressure enough alone.
- Combo: Shorten the clock while disrupting the payoff or enabling piece. Mulligan slow hands that contain sideboard disruption but no early pressure, because Selesnya Rabbits wins this matchup by forcing the opponent to act under a fast battlefield. Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question as the main plan, with Get Lost or Requisition Raid only for permanent-based engines that Veles shows as legal targets. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Case of the Gateway Express against low-creature combo and the weakest low-impact bodies only enough to fit disruption.
- Tempo: Make the opponent answer multiple small threats instead of one expensive commitment. Prefer sequencing cheap Rabbits and Hop to It before Buxton, Decorated Host when open mana or bounce/removal is visible, and avoid spending Case of the Gateway Express into a target that can be protected unless the legal action is needed for lethal or survival. Add role cards: Get Lost for a threat that dominates racing. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host when the opponent punishes tap-out turns.
- Midrange: Preserve creature density while answering the card that breaks board parity. Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and Hop to It should keep the Rabbit count high enough that removal exchanges still leave pressure. Add role cards: Get Lost for high-impact creatures or enchantments, Hard-Hitting Question when the opponent relies on a narrow stabilizer, and Requisition Raid for artifact/enchantment engines. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Cottontail Caretaker or a situational Case of the Gateway Express according to visible target quality.
- Big mana: Treat every draw step as dangerous after the opponent begins producing extra mana. Commit enough creatures to threaten a fast kill, but use Hard-Hitting Question before the opponent reaches payoff turns when legal revealed-hand choices exist. Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question, plus Get Lost or Requisition Raid only for resolved permanents that stop attacks or generate repeated advantage. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Case of the Gateway Express if the opponent has few creatures and one Buxton, Decorated Host if the curve is too slow.
- Graveyard: Stay proactive unless the graveyard is visibly central to the opponent's win. This registered sideboard has no dedicated graveyard hate, so the pilot should avoid boarding into low-impact answers that do not touch the graveyard plan. Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question if it can remove enablers or payoffs before they resolve; Get Lost only for battlefield threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Case of the Gateway Express when graveyard decks are spell-based rather than creature-based.
- Artifact/enchantment: Bring targeted answers only when prior games, revealed cards, or visible permanents prove the targets matter. Requisition Raid is for artifact/enchantment density or a permanent that blocks the Rabbit attack, while Get Lost handles the larger permanent class when legal. Add role cards: Requisition Raid first, then Get Lost if needed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host in fast games and Cottontail Caretaker when answer density matters more than another small body.
- Go-wide: Win by making Rabbit synergies larger than opposing token math. Keep the highest density of Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, and early Rabbits; use Case of the Gateway Express only on the creature that changes attacks or blocks. Add role cards: Get Lost if one anthem, lord, or large creature determines combat; Requisition Raid if artifact/enchantment support is visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host only when too slow.
- Single-threat: Answer the one card that invalidates attacks, then attack wide. Get Lost is the clean sideboard card when the opponent's plan centers on one large creature, planeswalker, or enchantment that Veles exposes as a legal target; Case of the Gateway Express should be saved for the same role when it can legally remove or neutralize the threat. Add role cards: Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: one Buxton, Decorated Host or one Cottontail Caretaker depending on speed.
- Burn: Value life total and mana efficiency over expensive board growth. Mulligan hands that cannot affect the board before the opponent's early damage matters, attack when racing is favorable, and block only when preserving life outweighs losing Rabbit synergy. Add role cards: Get Lost only for a recurring damage permanent or large creature, and Hard-Hitting Question only if the revealed hand interaction is fast enough to matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Buxton, Decorated Host first.
- Removal-heavy: Present threats in waves instead of committing every payoff into open removal. Use early creatures to draw answers, then follow with Hop to It, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, or Buxton, Decorated Host when the board can immediately benefit. Add role cards: Hard-Hitting Question to clear sweepers or premium removal, and Get Lost for the stabilizer they resolve after trading resources. Reduce main-deck emphasis: fragile low-impact bodies before trimming the core Rabbit payoff density.
- General/archetype-only notes: Exact opposing decklists are absent, so revealed cards, legal actions, public zones, and Veles engine prompts override every archetype assumption here. Treat sideboarding as role-based: Hard-Hitting Question is for hands or strategies where a revealed noncreature spell, sweeper, combo piece, or stabilizer matters; Requisition Raid is for visible artifact/enchantment pressure; Get Lost is for one resolved permanent that changes combat or invalidates attacks.
- Fast red or burn: Race only when the current board clock is faster than the opponent's visible damage pace. Keep one- and two-mana pressure, prioritize Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, and Hop to It, and avoid keeping hands that first affect combat on turn three. Likely sideboarding is light: Get Lost only for a major recurring permanent or oversized attacker, Hard-Hitting Question only when it can take a visible high-impact burn or sweeper effect before damage matters. Priority targets are creatures that force bad blocks and permanents that continue dealing damage.
- Removal-heavy black or midrange: Sequence threats in waves so one removal turn does not erase the whole plan. Lead with cheap Rabbits, then commit Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Burrowguard Mentor, Valley Questcaller, or Buxton, Decorated Host when the remaining board can attack or rebuild immediately. Hard-Hitting Question is likely important after sideboard if revealed cards show sweepers, premium removal, or stabilizers. Priority targets are sweepers first, then lifegain/stabilizing permanents, then the creature that makes attacks unprofitable.
- Blue tempo or control: Force the opponent to answer multiple bodies before investing in the expensive closer. Cavern of Souls matters most when the legal mana choice can make Rabbit spells resolve through permission; Captivating Crossroads, Plains, Forest, and Oakhollow Village should still preserve smooth green-white sequencing. Hard-Hitting Question is the likely sideboard card when it can clear a sweeper, counterspell, or stabilizer from a revealed hand. Priority targets are sweepers, card-advantage engines, bounce-plus-clock threats, and any permanent that blanks wide attacks.
- Creature mirrors and token decks: Preserve Rabbit density and win the combat math instead of trading away synergy pieces early. Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, and Case of the Gateway Express are the cards most likely to decide board parity, but Card text check required before relying on exact triggered or solved-case timing. Get Lost can enter for one creature, enchantment, or planeswalker that dominates combat. Priority targets are anthem-like effects, evasive clocks, and the largest blocker that prevents profitable attacks.
- Artifact/enchantment engines: Do not board Requisition Raid unless the opponent has shown artifacts, enchantments, or a permanent type that the card can legally answer. Requisition Raid and Get Lost are likely sideboard tools, but their use must follow legal target text from Veles. Priority targets are permanents that stop attacks, generate repeated material, or create a lock before combat damage can finish the game.
- Combo or big-mana: Kill quickly while using disruption only on the actual payoff or enabler Veles exposes. Hard-Hitting Question is likely the best sideboard card when the opponent relies on a small number of noncreature cards; Get Lost and Requisition Raid are conditional for resolved permanent engines. Priority targets are payoff cards, mana engines, sweepers, and permanents that buy enough time for the opponent to overtake the Rabbit board.
- Mana risk: The deck needs early green and white while also using Cavern of Souls and Captivating Crossroads, so do not keep hands that cannot cast early Rabbit pressure on time unless Veles shows a clear compensating curve. Card type choices from Cavern of Souls should follow the spell being cast, not a speculative future draw.
- Matchup risk: Selesnya Rabbits can lose by misidentifying its role. Against faster decks, life total and blocking can matter more than maximizing board size; against slower decks, undercommitting gives the opponent too many draw steps.
- Draw risk: Hands with only payoff cards, too many lands, or no early creature can look functional but fail to apply pressure. Buxton, Decorated Host is strongest after a board exists; it is a liability when the hand cannot produce bodies first.
- Over-sideboarding risk: trimming too many main-deck creatures breaks the tribal-token engine. Sideboard only for proven targets or revealed plans, and keep Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, and Hop to It density high unless the matchup makes a specific subset weak.
- Graveyard risk: The registered sideboard has no dedicated graveyard hate. Do not pretend Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, or Get Lost solves a graveyard engine unless Veles shows a legal card or permanent they can actually affect.
- Sweeper/removal risk: The deck is vulnerable to overcommitting into mass removal or efficient spot removal. Add pressure in waves, and use Hard-Hitting Question on revealed sweepers when available.
- Closer risk: A wide board without a finishing attack can stall against larger blockers. Preserve Case of the Gateway Express and Get Lost for the permanent that changes combat, and commit Buxton, Decorated Host only when the board can use the closer role.
- Interaction risk: Case of the Gateway Express, Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, and Get Lost are only as good as their legal targets. If Veles shows no relevant target or revealed-card choice, continue developing pressure.
- Sequencing risk: Playing payoff before bodies wastes the deck's strongest turns. Prioritize early Rabbits and Hop to It before expensive or conditional scaling cards unless the legal board state demands immediate interaction.
- Deciding factor: Record whether the game was won by early creature pressure, Rabbit-token scaling, Case of the Gateway Express interaction, Buxton, Decorated Host closing power, or sideboard disruption. If the loss came from stalled combat, identify the first turn attacks stopped being favorable.
- Mulligans: Note whether each opener had castable one- or two-mana pressure from Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, or Burrowguard Mentor. Flag keeps that had lands but no early creature, payoff but no bodies, or only one color for multiple turns.
- Mana: Track whether Plains, Forest, Oakhollow Village, Captivating Crossroads, and Cavern of Souls produced the colors needed on the turns they mattered. Record every game where Cavern of Souls naming or Captivating Crossroads sequencing prevented or enabled an on-curve play.
- Velocity: Count whether Hop to It and Emmara, Voice of the Conclave increased pressure fast enough before the opponent stabilized. If the deck spent a turn adding bodies but still could not attack, mark whether the missing piece was anthem pressure, removal, or a closer.
- Engine pressure: Record whether Valley Mightcaller, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, and Cottontail Caretaker rewarded Rabbit density or sat behind an already-losing board. Card text check required for exact trigger and scaling evaluations when the log does not expose the complete rules text.
- Removal and disruption: Identify every Case of the Gateway Express, Get Lost, Hard-Hitting Question, and Requisition Raid decision by target, timing, and result. Mark whether the action removed a blocker, stopped a sweeper or stabilizer, answered a visible artifact/enchantment, or delayed the main pressure plan.
- Sideboard impact: After sideboarded games, record whether Hard-Hitting Question found relevant revealed cards, whether Requisition Raid had legal high-impact targets, and whether Get Lost answered the permanent that mattered most. Flag any sideboard card that remained stranded in hand or reduced creature density without changing the matchup.
- Closing: Note whether Buxton, Decorated Host, Case of the Gateway Express, and wide attacks converted a board advantage into lethal damage. If the opponent survived at low life, identify whether the deck lacked evasion, removal, enough bodies, or correct attack timing.
- Role accuracy: Record whether the pilot played as the beatdown, the stabilizer, or the attrition deck at the right time. Against faster starts, mark missed blocks or races; against slower decks, mark turns where the pilot passed or interacted instead of adding pressure.
- Mistakes: Capture illegal-action rejections, stale-action choices, missed lethal, attacks into clearly bad blocks, unnecessary trades involving key synergy creatures, and passes with a useful legal action available. Separate pilot mistakes from lines where Veles did not expose enough tactical context.
- Stranded cards: List every game where Buxton, Decorated Host, Case of the Gateway Express, Hard-Hitting Question, Requisition Raid, or Get Lost stayed in hand because no legal or useful target appeared. Also record hands where too many lands or too many noncreature spells slowed the opening curve.
- Overperformers and underperformers: Tag the cards that most often caused wins, stabilized losses, or failed in context. Compare Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, Burrowguard Mentor, Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, Hop to It, Case of the Gateway Express, and Buxton, Decorated Host separately instead of grouping all Rabbit cards together.
- Creature quantity: Does the deck need all four copies of Seasoned Warrenguard, Pawpatch Recruit, Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, Valley Questcaller, and Burrowguard Mentor to keep the Rabbit engine reliable, or did any four-of repeatedly fail to affect combat on time?
- Top-end quantity: Did two Buxton, Decorated Host copies close games without clogging openers, or did the second copy appear too often before the deck had a board? If Buxton, Decorated Host was stranded, ask whether the deck needs fewer expensive closers or more ways to maintain bodies.
- Token velocity: Did Hop to It and Emmara, Voice of the Conclave create enough material to overwhelm removal and blockers, or did the deck need more independent threats instead of more board-wide commitment? Track whether these cards were strong before or after a sweeper.
- Interaction count: Did four Case of the Gateway Express provide enough main-deck interaction, or did the deck lose too often to one blocker, engine permanent, or planeswalker-style threat? Card text check required before changing quantities based on assumed removal mode or solved-case timing.
- Mana base: Did 7 Plains, 7 Forest, 1 Oakhollow Village, 4 Captivating Crossroads, and 4 Cavern of Souls cast the early curve consistently? If losses involved color delay, ask whether the special lands are helping more with tribal certainty than they cost in untapped colored access.
- Aggro plan: Did the deck win most games where it played a turn-one or turn-two creature, or did opposing cheap interaction still blunt the clock? If early pressure was not enough, identify whether the missing piece was larger scaling, removal timing, or a stronger sideboard disruption plan.
- Control plan: Did Hard-Hitting Question materially improve games against sweepers, counterspells, or stabilizers, or was it too slow compared with adding another creature? If it succeeded only when drawn early, ask whether four sideboard copies are correct or excessive.
- Permanent-answer plan: Did Requisition Raid and Get Lost cover the resolved permanents that mattered, or were there common threats they could not legally answer? Keep this question tied to visible legal targets, not expected metagame cards that never appeared in logs.
- Sideboard slot pressure: Did the 7-card sideboard need more artifact/enchantment coverage, more broad permanent answers, or more hand disruption, or did over-sideboarding weaken Rabbit density? Evaluate Requisition Raid, Hard-Hitting Question, and Get Lost by actual games, not theoretical matchups.
- Role conflict: Did post-board configurations pull the deck toward control when the main deck still needed to attack? If sideboarded losses involved slow hands, ask whether the plan should reduce main-deck emphasis on expensive or conditional cards rather than dilute early Rabbit counts.
- Closing failure: Did stalled boards need a different closer, more removal, or tighter attack sequencing with existing cards? Before changing the list, verify whether Buxton, Decorated Host, Case of the Gateway Express, and wide Rabbit attacks were used at the correct commitment windows.
- Runtime guidance gap: Did Veles decision requests expose enough battlefield, mana, and combat context for the pilot to choose attacks, blocks, Case of the Gateway Express targets, and sideboard-card targets correctly? If not, prioritize context improvements before judging card quantities.
## Veles Tactical Policy
### Policy: Opening Hand Creature Density Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan
- Cards: Seasoned Warrenguard; Pawpatch Recruit; Valley Mightcaller; Cottontail Caretaker; Valley Questcaller; Burrowguard Mentor; Emmara, Voice of the Conclave
- Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan decisions
- Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible opening hand
- Use when: choose keep or mulligan for a seven-card or reduced hand.
- Avoid when: the rules engine already requires a London mulligan bottom choice.
- Instructions: Keep hands with two lands and at least two early creatures when colors are castable. Mulligan one-land hands without multiple one- or two-mana plays, five-land hands without strong curve pressure, and hands where the first legal play is delayed past turn two.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: London Bottom Preserve Curve
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mulligan, selection
- Cards: Buxton, Decorated Host; Case of the Gateway Express; Hop to It
- Use when: the kept hand must put cards on the bottom of the library.
- Avoid when: Veles does not expose all candidate card names.
- Instructions: Bottom excess lands above the third, duplicate expensive cards before early creatures, and conditional interaction before castable threats. Preserve a one-drop, a two-drop, and both colors whenever possible.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Early Rabbit Setup
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mana, priority
- Cards: Seasoned Warrenguard; Pawpatch Recruit; Valley Mightcaller; Cottontail Caretaker; Valley Questcaller
- Use when: multiple early creatures or token enablers are legal.
- Avoid when: a visible opposing threat requires immediate Case of the Gateway Express or Get Lost.
- Instructions: Establish a creature before holding mana for later options. Prefer castable low-cost Rabbits that increase future creature or token pressure. Card text check required for exact scaling priority among Valley Mightcaller, Cottontail Caretaker, and Valley Questcaller.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Tribal Mana Naming
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Cavern of Souls; Captivating Crossroads; Oakhollow Village
- Phase windows: land entry, mana ability choices
- Runtime cues: action:choose Rabbit; action:add mana; action:choose color
- Use when: the legal action text offers Rabbit or a color choice for casting visible Rabbit spells.
- Avoid when: the hand has no Rabbit spell and the choice would prevent casting a non-Rabbit spell this turn.
- Instructions: Choose Rabbit for tribal naming when the hand contains Rabbit creatures. Choose the color that casts the current turn's legal creature while preserving the other color for the next castable card.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Deterministic Rabbit Name
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: mana
- Cards: Cavern of Souls
- Phase windows: land entry naming prompt
- Runtime cues: action:choose Rabbit
- Use when: exactly one legal action contains `Rabbit` and Cavern of Souls is the source of the naming prompt.
- Avoid when: more than one creature type action is legal or no Rabbit action is shown.
- Instructions: Select the visible Rabbit naming action.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Hop To It Commitment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority
- Cards: Hop to It; Valley Mightcaller; Valley Questcaller; Burrowguard Mentor; Buxton, Decorated Host
- Phase windows: precombat main phase, postcombat main phase
- Runtime cues: action:cast Hop to It
- Use when: deciding whether to spend mana on token production instead of another legal creature or interaction spell.
- Avoid when: the opponent represents visible lethal next turn and a defensive or removal action is legal.
- Instructions: Cast Hop to It before combat when extra bodies immediately change attacks, scaling, or lethal math. Cast after combat when attacking first avoids exposing tokens to precombat interaction or when mana sequencing requires other creatures first. Card text check required for exact token count and triggers.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Emmara Attack And Tap Use
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: combat, priority
- Cards: Emmara, Voice of the Conclave
- Phase windows: combat, convoke/tap prompts, main phases
- Runtime cues: action:attack with Emmara, Voice of the Conclave; action:tap Emmara, Voice of the Conclave
- Use when: Emmara, Voice of the Conclave can attack, block, or be tapped by a legal cost.
- Avoid when: combat math shows Emmara dies without improving the board or damage race.
- Instructions: Treat Emmara, Voice of the Conclave as a token engine, not just a body. Attack or tap her when the resulting board material advances lethal pressure or stabilizes blockers; hold her back when preserving the engine is more important than minor damage.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Buxton Closing Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mana, priority, combat
- Cards: Buxton, Decorated Host
- Phase windows: midgame main phases, precombat main phase
- Use when: Buxton, Decorated Host is legal and the board has multiple creatures or tokens.
- Avoid when: casting Buxton, Decorated Host uses the whole turn while the board is empty or a required answer is legal.
- Instructions: Commit Buxton, Decorated Host when it converts an existing wide board into a near-term kill or forces strong blocks. Do not tap out for it into a board where losing one turn of development leaves the deck behind. Card text check required for exact attack or pump effect.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Case Removal Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction, priority
- Cards: Case of the Gateway Express
- Phase windows: main phases, combat-adjacent priority windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Case of the Gateway Express; action:target
- Use when: Case of the Gateway Express is legal and visible targets exist.
- Avoid when: the target does not affect combat, lethal pressure, or the opponent's engine this turn cycle.
- Instructions: Use Case of the Gateway Express to remove the blocker or permanent that prevents a strong attack, stops lethal, or threatens to dominate the board. Do not spend it on a low-impact target while creature deployment is still the stronger pressure line. Card text check required for exact target legality and solved-case effects.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Wide Attack Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Seasoned Warrenguard; Pawpatch Recruit; Valley Mightcaller; Cottontail Caretaker; Valley Questcaller; Burrowguard Mentor; Emmara, Voice of the Conclave; Buxton, Decorated Host
- Use when: the board has multiple attackers and at least one visible blocker or possible crack-back.
- Avoid when: exactly one attack action is legal and it is forced by the engine.
- Instructions: Attack when damage, triggers, and post-combat board state beat holding blockers. Keep key scaling creatures back if their death removes more future damage than the attack creates. Count visible return damage before sending all creatures.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Single Forced Attack
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: none
- Phase windows: declare attackers
- Runtime cues: action:attack with
- Use when: exactly one legal attack action is listed and no legal no-attack action is listed.
- Avoid when: a no-attack action, multiple attack sets, or any target choice is listed.
- Instructions: Submit the single visible attack action.
- Pilot skill floor: no-api
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Blocking Survival Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Seasoned Warrenguard; Pawpatch Recruit; Valley Mightcaller; Cottontail Caretaker; Valley Questcaller; Burrowguard Mentor; Emmara, Voice of the Conclave
- Use when: opposing attackers threaten a short clock or lethal damage.
- Avoid when: blocking sacrifices the only engine creature and the pilot can win on the next attack from visible board state.
- Instructions: Block to prevent lethal first, preserve the largest future damage engine second, and trade expendable tokens before important synergy creatures. Do not take damage merely to keep pressure if the visible clock becomes unwinnable.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Priority Pass With Board Development
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority
- Cards: Seasoned Warrenguard; Pawpatch Recruit; Valley Mightcaller; Cottontail Caretaker; Valley Questcaller; Burrowguard Mentor; Hop to It
- Use when: pass is legal while castable threats are also legal.
- Avoid when: holding mana for visible interaction is the selected plan or the hand has no useful legal play.
- Instructions: Do not pass through main phase with unused mana and castable pressure unless interaction or combat timing gives a concrete reason. This deck wins by board presence, so default to adding threats before passing.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Sideboard Disruption Plan
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Hard-Hitting Question; Requisition Raid; Get Lost; Buxton, Decorated Host; Case of the Gateway Express; Hop to It
- Phase windows: sideboarding
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; matchup context; revealed opponent plan
- Use when: selecting a post-board plan against removal-heavy, artifact/enchantment, or large-permanent decks.
- Avoid when: the plan trims too many early creatures and leaves fewer reliable turn-one or turn-two plays.
- Instructions: Add Hard-Hitting Question against hands or spells that must be disrupted before they resolve. Add Requisition Raid only when visible or expected public matchup data supports artifact/enchantment targets. Add Get Lost against single high-impact permanents, then reduce slower or conditional main-deck cards without breaking creature density.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Hard-Hitting Question Cast Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction, selection
- Cards: Hard-Hitting Question
- Phase windows: early main phases, pre-combat main phase
- Runtime cues: action:cast Hard-Hitting Question
- Use when: Hard-Hitting Question is legal and the opponent has hidden hand cards.
- Avoid when: adding a creature creates a faster visible lethal clock and the opponent's current board is already under pressure.
- Instructions: Cast Hard-Hitting Question before committing into suspected sweepers or stabilizers when disruption matters more than one body. Card text check required for exact reveal, discard, or question mechanics; follow only legal revealed-card choices.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Requisition Raid Target Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: interaction
- Cards: Requisition Raid
- Phase windows: main phases, priority windows with legal target
- Use when: Requisition Raid is legal and visible artifacts or enchantments are legal targets.
- Avoid when: no visible legal target changes the opponent's next turn or combat math.
- Instructions: Use Requisition Raid on the artifact or enchantment that blocks attacks, enables the opponent's engine, or prevents lethal. Card text check required for exact modes and any token or counter rider.
- Pilot skill floor: light model
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Get Lost Emergency Answer
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction
- Cards: Get Lost
- Phase windows: main phases, combat-adjacent priority windows, opponent threat windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Get Lost; action:target
- Use when: Get Lost is legal and a visible permanent threatens lethal, blanks the attack, or dominates the board.
- Avoid when: the target is replaceable and giving the opponent any compensation would matter more than the removal. Card text check required for exact compensation.
- Instructions: Save Get Lost for the permanent Case of the Gateway Express or combat cannot answer cleanly. Use it immediately when waiting risks losing the game or missing a lethal attack window.
