Sneak and Show is a Legacy combo deck with a verified 60-card main deck and 15-card sideboard under the supplied active validation contract. The registered plan is to convert fast mana, card selection, and stack protection into a small number of decisive battlefield commitments built around Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
The format status is Legacy, and the supplied format-aware validation result is pass. Treat this guide as strategy guidance for the exact registered list only; if Veles later receives a banlist, card-database, or deck-registration warning from the rules engine, legal actions and engine output override every strategic preference here.
The archetype tags are combo and combo, with the practical role of a fast protected cheat-threat deck. The deck is not a fair blue-red control deck, not a prison deck, and not a long-game value shell, even though it can use Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Prismari Charm, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, and Force of Will to sculpt or defend a slower setup.
The stock status is hybrid-stock. The core of Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Lotus Petal, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, Brainstorm, Ponder, Force of Will, Spell Pierce, and Flusterstorm is a recognizable Sneak and Show structure, while Stock Up, Prismari Charm, Thundering Falls, maindeck Through the Breach, and the sideboard package of Hexing Squelcher, Disruptor Flute, Crash, Fury, Blood Moon, Hydroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Abrade, Grafdigger's Cage, and a second Through the Breach make the exact runtime priorities list-specific rather than generic.
The mana base is legal by count and role but tactically fragile. Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors create explosive combo turns but punish unnecessary delays, while Island, Mountain, Volcanic Island, Thundering Falls, Scalding Tarn, Flooded Strand, and Misty Rainforest must support blue setup, red payoff activation, and protection windows without assuming perfect color access.
The primary role concern is commitment timing. Veles should not treat every legal Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach as automatically correct, because visible opposing mana, known stack interaction, the available payoff, protection density, and whether Omniscience or a creature is the put-in target materially change the risk of acting now.
The legality concern is runtime-specific rather than decklist-specific. Veles must choose only actions the rules engine exposes, must not infer that a hidden Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, or Force of Will exists, and must not assume a spell can be cast or protected unless the current legal action list and visible resources support that line.
The opponent information status is unknown. No matchup, opponent decklist, play/draw assignment, opening hand, revealed card, or public battlefield state is supplied in this specification batch, so early decisions should use only visible archetype signals from public game actions and the registered Sneak and Show plan until Veles logs concrete opponent information.
Sneak and Show assembles a protected cheat-permanent turn, not incremental battlefield control. The deck’s default objective is to use Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, fetch lands, Lotus Petal, Ancient Tomb, and City of Traitors to find a payoff pair, then force through Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach with Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience as the decisive object.
Prioritize hands that combine acceleration, a live enabler, a payoff, and at least one way to resist disruption. A fast Show and Tell without a strong object is not a plan, a payoff-heavy hand without blue selection is risky, and a protected setup hand that cannot produce the needed red or two-mana burst must be judged by draw steps and visible pressure.
Win by converting one resolved commitment into an overwhelming board or immediate attack sequence. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the cleanest pressure payoff when Sneak Attack or Through the Breach can attack the same turn; Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the stabilizing and refueling payoff when life total, removal pressure, or missing follow-up pieces make raw card volume more important; Omniscience is the engine payoff when Show and Tell can turn the hand into a chain of free spells or free threats.
Do not play as a generic blue control deck. Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Prismari Charm, Red Elemental Blast, Hydroblast, Abrade, Fury, Crash, Disruptor Flute, Grafdigger's Cage, Hexing Squelcher, and Blood Moon are tools to protect or unlock the combo plan, not invitations to trade one-for-one indefinitely unless the visible game state makes waiting clearly safer than committing.
Value commitment timing above raw speed when the opponent has visible mana, known interaction, or a threatening permanent that changes what Show and Tell gives them. Value speed above sculpting when the opponent’s visible clock, discard pattern, prison pressure, or resource development suggests that another turn makes the combo less likely to resolve.
- Threats: Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn are the primary creature payloads. Prefer Emrakul, the Aeons Torn when an attack is available now or when the opponent is unlikely to answer a single huge threat; prefer Atraxa, Grand Unifier when the deck needs cards, a stabilizing body, or a second wave after partial disruption.
- Payoffs: Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, and Omniscience are the cards that turn hidden resources into winning battlefield states. Treat Show and Tell as powerful but opponent-symmetric, Sneak Attack as mana-intensive but tactically immediate, Through the Breach as a surprise one-shot threat line, and Omniscience as the highest-upside Show and Tell object when the hand can exploit free casting.
- Engines: Sneak Attack plus red mana converts every Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn drawn later into a live threat, while Omniscience converts stocked hands into cascading action. Stock Up is part of the setup engine because it digs toward missing halves and protection, but it should not displace a legal protected kill or stabilizing commitment.
- Velocity: Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Scalding Tarn, Flooded Strand, and Misty Rainforest sculpt the exact combo pair and protect against payoff clumping. Use Brainstorm with shuffle access when possible, use Ponder to decide whether the current top cards support a near-term commitment, and use Stock Up when the game permits a deeper setup turn.
- Interaction: Prismari Charm, Abrade, Fury, Crash, Hydroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Blood Moon, Disruptor Flute, Grafdigger's Cage, and Hexing Squelcher are matchup tools rather than a unified control suite. Card text check required for Hexing Squelcher; use it only according to rules-engine legal actions and visible targets or choices.
- Protection: Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Red Elemental Blast, and Hydroblast defend the decisive stack exchange. Preserve Force of Will for the combo turn when possible, spend Spell Pierce and Flusterstorm when the opponent’s visible mana makes them live, and sideboard blasts only into conflicts where their legal targets matter.
- Recursion: This registered list has no graveyard-recursion package. Do not plan to rebuy Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Force of Will, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn from the graveyard unless a rules-engine action explicitly offers that line.
- Mana: Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Lotus Petal, Volcanic Island, Island, Mountain, Thundering Falls, Scalding Tarn, Flooded Strand, and Misty Rainforest are the deck’s real constraint system. Prioritize blue early for selection and protection, red for Sneak Attack and Through the Breach turns, and colorless burst for Show and Tell or Sneak Attack without ignoring life loss from Ancient Tomb.
- Sideboard modules: Abrade, Crash, Fury, and Hydroblast answer pressure or disruptive permanents; Red Elemental Blast and Hydroblast fight stack or color-specific battles; Grafdigger's Cage and Disruptor Flute constrain opposing engines; Blood Moon attacks mana; Hexing Squelcher is conditional pending card text check; the sideboard Through the Breach increases threat access when instant-speed or non-permanent enabler density matters.
- Show and Tell plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the cleanest permanent-based kill when the opponent cannot present a better battlefield object from hand. Setup requires three mana, a legal Show and Tell action, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in hand, and enough stack protection to beat visible or known disruption; execution puts Emrakul, the Aeons Torn onto the battlefield and shifts the game to one or two attack steps. Prioritize this line when the opponent is low on visible pressure, has few cards or constrained mana, or when waiting exposes the hand to discard, mana denial, or a faster opposing combo.
- Show and Tell plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the stabilizing win path when raw immediate damage is less important than rebuilding resources. Setup is similar to Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, but Atraxa, Grand Unifier is preferred when the deck needs a large blocker, a fresh grip, or a way to find Sneak Attack, Force of Will, Lotus Petal, or another payoff after the first commitment. Prioritize this line when behind on cards, under creature pressure, or missing the second piece for an Omniscience or Sneak Attack chain.
- Show and Tell plus Omniscience is the highest-upside engine line when the hand contains spells or threats that become decisive after free casting is available. Setup requires Omniscience in hand, Show and Tell, and enough follow-up cards to justify exposing a noncreature payoff to the opponent’s simultaneous permanent. Execute by resolving Omniscience, then using legal follow-up actions to cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, cantrips, protection, or another enabler; prioritize it when the hand is dense with action and a single creature would be vulnerable or insufficient.
- Sneak Attack plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the fastest attack-now kill path when red mana and activation mana are available. Setup requires Sneak Attack, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, a red source from Volcanic Island, Mountain, Lotus Petal, or Thundering Falls if legal, and enough mana from Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, lands, or Lotus Petal to cast and activate. Prioritize this line over Show and Tell when the opponent’s hand could contain a dangerous permanent, when immediate combat damage matters, or when the opponent is likely to answer a creature only after sorcery-speed windows.
- Sneak Attack plus Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the pressure-and-refuel line when Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is absent or when the game demands a new hand more than a single massive attack. Execute it when a legal Sneak Attack activation can put Atraxa, Grand Unifier onto the battlefield and the resulting card selection can find protection, another threat, or a second activation. Prioritize it when behind on cards, when one attack is unlikely to end the game, or when life total pressure makes Atraxa, Grand Unifier’s body and resource swing tactically important.
- Through the Breach plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the backup instant-speed cheat line. Setup requires five mana including red, the creature in hand, and a legal Through the Breach action; Lotus Petal, Ancient Tomb, and City of Traitors often determine whether this line exists. Prioritize it when Sneak Attack is unavailable, when a surprise attack punishes tapped-out opponents, or when a sideboarded second Through the Breach increases density after permanent hate appears.
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier hard pressure becomes a real plan only when the rules engine offers legal casting or cheat actions and the opponent cannot safely ignore a large battlefield body. Use Atraxa, Grand Unifier to stabilize combat, reload protection, and find another enabler; do not spend protection on low-impact setup if Atraxa, Grand Unifier resolving now is the only visible way to stop a lethal or near-lethal board.
- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn as a delayed battlefield threat is still a win path after Show and Tell when immediate attack is not available. Protect the first attack step by countering removal, bounce, sacrifice setup, or opposing combo actions that visibly race the clock; do not assume Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is unbeatable against unknown hidden cards.
- Prismari Charm can support fallback wins by filtering toward missing combo pieces, interacting with small disruptive permanents or creatures if the legal action confirms that mode, or producing mana only when the rules engine exposes that option. Card text check required for exact mode availability at runtime; treat it as bridge material to a real enabler, not as a primary damage plan.
- Force of Will, Spell Pierce, and Flusterstorm can create a temporary soft lock only around a decisive combo turn. Use them to force through Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, or Omniscience; avoid trading them for marginal setup spells unless the opponent’s visible action would immediately end the game or remove the only win path.
- Brainstorm, Ponder, and Stock Up are secondary engine cards because they transform stranded halves into a protected commitment. Prioritize them when the hand lacks either payoff, enabler, or protection; stop sculpting when a legal protected win is available and visible pressure makes another setup turn dangerous.
- When behind on life, choose the line that changes combat immediately. Atraxa, Grand Unifier through Show and Tell or Sneak Attack is often better than waiting for Emrakul, the Aeons Torn if a blocker, card burst, or follow-up protection is needed now; Through the Breach should be considered when a one-shot attack can force the opponent off lethal.
- When behind on board, do not rely on counterspells to answer creatures already in play. Use Show and Tell into Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Sneak Attack activation, Prismari Charm interaction if legal, or sideboard cards in later games; if no stabilizing legal action exists, preserve cantrips for finding the fastest cheat line rather than incremental exchanges.
- When behind on cards, prefer Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Omniscience lines over single-use threat lines unless lethal pressure demands immediacy. A lone Through the Breach for Atraxa, Grand Unifier can be correct if it replenishes a nearly empty hand, while Show and Tell into Omniscience without follow-up is usually too exposed.
- When constrained on mana, identify whether the bottleneck is blue setup, red activation, colorless burst, or total count. Lotus Petal should be spent aggressively only to execute or protect a commitment; Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors should be used when speed matters, but do not sacrifice City of Traitors sequencing unless the current legal line justifies losing it.
- When win conditions are removed or stranded, pivot to rebuilding rather than forcing a weak enabler. Use Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, fetch lands, and Atraxa, Grand Unifier triggers from any legal cheat line to locate remaining copies of Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Omniscience, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Atraxa, Grand Unifier.
- When the opponent is a faster combo or lock deck, shorten the setup window. Prioritize the earliest protected Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach line, and spend Force of Will, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm on visible actions that stop the commitment or end the game before it can happen.
- Life is a speed resource, not a cushion. Spend life through Ancient Tomb when it creates a same-turn Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, protected cantrip chain, or decisive interaction window; conserve it when the opponent’s visible battlefield already threatens a short clock and the extra colorless mana does not change the legal line.
- Hand size is the deck’s main combo inventory. Treat Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Force of Will, Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, and Prismari Charm as roles to assemble, not as individually precious cards; a protected two-card commitment matters more than preserving every blue card or payoff.
- Mana converts directly into threat timing. Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, and Lotus Petal enable early commitments, while Volcanic Island, Island, Mountain, Thundering Falls, Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, and Misty Rainforest determine whether blue setup, red activation, and protection can coexist in one turn.
- Board presence is mostly binary before the combo. A resolved Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is a major board resource; otherwise the deck should not spend decisions trying to trade on board unless Prismari Charm or sideboard cards such as Abrade, Fury, Hydroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Crash, Disruptor Flute, Hexing Squelcher, Grafdigger's Cage, Blood Moon, or the extra Through the Breach have a legal, matchup-relevant function.
- Graveyard and exile are usually accounting zones, not engines. Track Force of Will exiles, spent Lotus Petal, fetch lands, countered enablers, and used payoffs because they change remaining density; do not assume any graveyard recursion or exile-cast line unless the rules engine explicitly offers it.
- Lands are both permanent mana and sequencing liabilities. City of Traitors can disappear when another land is played, Ancient Tomb pressures life total, Thundering Falls may cost tempo if it enters tapped, and fetch lands protect Brainstorm quality by converting unwanted cards into fresh looks.
- Sacrifice fodder is almost nonexistent. Do not treat Lotus Petal, City of Traitors, or a cheated creature as disposable unless the legal action is already executing the combo or the permanent would be lost by the rules-defined line.
- Tempo is the deck’s advantage over fair interaction. Prefer early protected commitments when the opponent is tapped low, shields are down, or a clock is visible; prefer sculpting with Brainstorm, Ponder, and Stock Up when mana, payoff, enabler, or protection is missing.
- Information is gained from visible actions, public zones, and selection spells. Use Brainstorm, Ponder, and Stock Up to clarify whether the hand is a Show and Tell hand, Sneak Attack hand, Through the Breach hand, or Omniscience hand; do not infer hidden counterspells, hate permanents, or removal beyond archetype guidance and public play patterns.
- Sideboard bullets are narrow resources, not generic upgrades. Bring them to answer specific visible or expected pressures, but preserve the main deck’s density of enablers, payoffs, fast mana, blue cards, and protection.
- Blue mana is required early for Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Show and Tell, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Force of Will support decisions, and often post-combo chaining. Keep hands that can produce blue quickly or have Lotus Petal bridging into a decisive line; mulligan hands that only produce colorless mana unless they already have a legal red-based Sneak Attack or Through the Breach plan with payoff and timing.
- Red mana is required for Sneak Attack, Sneak Attack activation, Through the Breach, Prismari Charm, and several sideboard cards. Prioritize Volcanic Island, Mountain, Lotus Petal, and Thundering Falls when the hand’s enabler is Sneak Attack or Through the Breach; do not fetch only Island if doing so strands the red combo half.
- Colorless burst mana is strongest when it shortens the combo clock. Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors should cast Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Stock Up, or pay activation and protection costs; avoid using them for low-impact setup when the life loss or City of Traitors drawback reduces future commitment quality.
- Lotus Petal should be saved for commitment turns unless it unlocks essential setup. Spend Lotus Petal to cast Show and Tell with protection, cast or activate Sneak Attack, reach Through the Breach, hold up Spell Pierce or Flusterstorm, or fix red/blue under pressure; avoid burning it on a cantrip when normal land sequencing can do the same job.
- Fetch lands should usually preserve Brainstorm and Ponder quality. With Brainstorm available, delay Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, or Misty Rainforest when the current turn does not require the mana; after putting back unwanted cards, fetch before the next draw when legal. With Ponder, shuffle only when the visible top-card choice fails to produce the needed role.
- Play lands before draw or selection only when the mana changes the current legal action. If Brainstorm, Ponder, or Stock Up might find a better land or determine whether City of Traitors should be exposed, cast the selection spell first when legal and safe; if Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Show and Tell, or Sneak Attack must be available now, play the required land first.
- Sequence City of Traitors as a commitment land. Play it when the current turn uses the extra mana for Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach setup, Omniscience support, or protected interaction; avoid playing it before a fetch land or missing land drop unless losing it later is acceptable.
- Sequence Thundering Falls as a tempo cost unless the hand needs its colors or card selection. If it enters tapped or otherwise delays a key turn, choose Volcanic Island, Island, Mountain, or a fetch land instead when available; fetch or play Thundering Falls when the game state allows a slower setup turn.
- Keep/mulligan mana rules should identify the bottleneck. Keep fast hands with enabler, payoff, and enough blue/red/colorless mana to act; keep slower hands with blue selection and protection if the mana develops cleanly; mulligan hands with only payoffs, only protection, no blue source, no enabler, or mana that cannot cast the hand’s actual spells.
- Strong keep: keep Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors plus Lotus Petal, Show and Tell, Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and Force of Will or a cheap counter when blue card support exists. This hand has a fast commitment, a payoff, and protection; prefer it over a slower hand with more cantrips but no decisive line.
- Strong keep: keep blue source plus Brainstorm or Ponder, Show and Tell or Sneak Attack, a payoff, and one of Force of Will, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm. This hand can sculpt without losing the combo thesis and can choose between committing early or waiting for protection.
- Medium keep: keep Volcanic Island or fetch land, Brainstorm or Ponder, Stock Up, Force of Will, and either an enabler or a payoff. This hand is acceptable when it has enough blue mana to see multiple cards, but it must aggressively find the missing half instead of hoarding selection.
- Risky keep: keep Sneak Attack plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Atraxa, Grand Unifier only when red mana, acceleration, and a realistic activation path are present. Sneak Attack without red mana, activation mana, or a payoff is a trap even if the hand looks powerful.
- Risky keep: keep Omniscience only with Show and Tell, blue mana, and a follow-up payoff or selection spell. Omniscience stranded without Show and Tell is not a plan, and Omniscience without payoff can still fail to convert.
- Automatic ship: mulligan hands with no blue source and no immediate legal combo line. Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Lotus Petal, payoffs, and counters do not compensate for being unable to cast Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Show and Tell, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm.
- Automatic ship: mulligan hands containing only Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, and reactive spells without Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Brainstorm, Ponder, or Stock Up. The deck cannot win by drawing naturally into mana for large creatures.
- Matchup-dependent keep: keep Force of Will-heavy hands with Brainstorm or Ponder against fast combo or unknown explosive starts, even if the kill is slower. Against fair pressure, prefer a hand with a faster Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach line unless the visible matchup demands interaction first.
- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, favor Ancient Tomb, Lotus Petal, Show and Tell, payoff, and protection because the opponent has fewer visible resources. On the draw, raise the value of Brainstorm, Ponder, Force of Will, Spell Pierce, and Flusterstorm because the opponent may act before the first commitment window.
- Trap hand: do not keep multiple Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Atraxa, Grand Unifier with no enabler just because the payoff quality is high. One payoff is enough; the missing resource is the legal way to put it onto the battlefield or cast around interaction.
- Trap hand: do not keep a hand that needs Lotus Petal for both color fixing and protection unless the first two turns still produce a coherent line. If Lotus Petal must cast Show and Tell, activate Sneak Attack, and hold up Spell Pierce, the hand is overpromised.
- Turn 1: prefer blue setup when the hand lacks a complete protected combo. Cast Ponder or Brainstorm off Island, Volcanic Island, Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, or Misty Rainforest to find the missing enabler, payoff, mana, or protection; preserve fetch lands for Brainstorm when the current legal action does not require mana immediately.
- Turn 1: prefer fast commitment only when the hand is already assembled and the opponent is unlikely to punish the specific visible line. Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors plus Lotus Petal into Show and Tell is strongest with Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience and Force of Will, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm support.
- Turn 1 deviation: deploy Lotus Petal only when it creates a same-turn combo, protects a commitment, or fixes a critical color. Spending Lotus Petal on routine Brainstorm or Ponder is usually wrong if a land can cast the spell.
- Turn 2: assemble and test the first real commitment window. If Show and Tell plus payoff is available, decide whether protection and opponent posture justify acting now; if Sneak Attack is available, prioritize red mana plus enough mana to activate soon rather than casting it into a turn where it cannot matter.
- Turn 2 deviation: cast Stock Up when the hand needs card selection more than speed and the mana is stable. If Ancient Tomb enables Stock Up while blue/red sources remain available, use it to find Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, or protection.
- Turn 3: convert sculpting into a protected threat. Show and Tell should usually put in Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience; Sneak Attack should be cast or activated when red mana and payoff are aligned; Through the Breach is a backup burst line when the rules engine presents the legal action.
- Turn 3 deviation: hold priority interaction when the opponent’s visible line threatens to win or stop the combo. Use Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Prismari Charm, or sideboard interaction only for stack fights, hate, or pressure that materially changes the combo turn.
- Turns 4-5: shift from pure speed to resource discipline. Protect life total from Ancient Tomb when possible, use Brainstorm and Ponder to clear redundant payoffs, use Stock Up to rebuild after counters or discard, and avoid exposing City of Traitors unless its mana is used immediately.
- Turns 4-5 deviation: accept a less protected commitment when waiting is worse. If the opponent has a growing clock, known pressure, or repeated disruption, a legal Show and Tell, Sneak Attack activation, or Through the Breach line may be better than passing with cantrips.
- Late game: prioritize density management and exact windows. Count remaining Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in public zones, preserve Force of Will blue cards deliberately, and take the first legal protected payoff line that can realistically end the game before the opponent’s board or stack pressure overtakes the hand.
- Show and Tell is the cleanest enabler and should be treated as a commitment card, not a value spell. Cast it when the visible hand or battlefield supports putting in Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience and the stack fight is acceptable; do not fire it merely because it is legal if the opponent can plausibly put in a stronger visible permanent or the hand cannot convert afterward.
- Sneak Attack is the repeatable red engine and rewards waiting until activation mana and a payoff are aligned. Cast Sneak Attack early only when it is protected, when the opponent is unlikely to remove or invalidate it before activation, or when the game requires a durable threat engine; otherwise keep it hidden until the same turn it can put Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn into combat.
- Through the Breach is the backup burst enabler and should be valued as a surprise line when Show and Tell is risky or Sneak Attack is too slow. Use it to convert a single payoff through visible pressure, to punish tapped-low opponents, or to dodge battlefield-based hate when the rules engine presents a legal cast and target sequence.
- Omniscience is a Show and Tell payoff that turns the hand into the battlefield or stack engine, but it is weak without follow-up. Put in Omniscience when the hand already contains Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Stock Up, Brainstorm, Ponder, or another legal spell chain; avoid selecting it over a creature when the hand cannot immediately exploit free casting.
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier is the stabilizing payoff and the preferred Show and Tell creature when the game needs resources, a blocker, or recovery after interaction. Choose Atraxa, Grand Unifier when drawing into protection, another enabler, or a second payoff matters more than immediate annihilation pressure; after resolving it, use the gained cards to set a protected second wave rather than assuming the first body is enough.
- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the highest-impact single payoff and the best choice when one attack is expected to end or functionally end the game. Prioritize Emrakul, the Aeons Torn with Sneak Attack or Through the Breach when combat can connect, and with Show and Tell when the opponent’s visible board cannot race or answer the permanent cleanly; avoid overvaluing extra copies because redundant Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in hand do not solve missing enablers.
- Force of Will is the main protection spell and emergency stop, not a card to spend on minor friction. Pitch a blue card to Force of Will for opposing stack interaction that stops Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Omniscience, or a lethal opponent line; preserve it when the opposing spell is only inconvenient and the hand still needs blue material for selection or protection.
- Spell Pierce is the efficient protection piece for early commitment turns. Hold Spell Pierce when planning Show and Tell or Sneak Attack through open mana, and spend it on opposing discard, permission, hate, or fast combo only when the target changes the next combo window; recognize that it loses value as the opponent develops mana.
- Flusterstorm is the stack-fight specialist and is strongest against opposing instants, sorceries, and storm-like exchanges. Use Flusterstorm to defend a decisive enabler or to stop a visible opponent combo spell; do not rely on it against permanent-based hate or abilities unless the rules engine exposes a legal target.
- Brainstorm is protection for hand quality and a payoff-density valve. Cast Brainstorm when a fetch land can clear redundant Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, extra lands, or dead interaction; hold it when the hand is functional and the next draw step or discard pressure may make the card selection more valuable.
- Ponder is the early setup cantrip and should actively search for the missing half of the combo. Use Ponder to find Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, a payoff, a blue source, red source, Lotus Petal, or protection; shuffle when the visible top cards do not create a coherent two-turn line.
- Stock Up is the deeper setup or rebuild spell; Card text check required for exact resolution details. Cast Stock Up when the hand needs more than one card of improvement or after discard/countermagic has broken the first plan, but do not let a legal Stock Up distract from an already protected Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach line.
- Prismari Charm is a flexible interaction and filtering card; Card text check required for exact modes. Use it only through legal modes exposed by the engine: prioritize modes that protect the combo, answer a relevant permanent or creature, or convert dead payoffs into action; avoid spending it as low-impact smoothing when it is the only interactive card against a visible threat.
- Lotus Petal is acceleration, color fixing, and protection fuel. Spend Lotus Petal for a same-turn Show and Tell, Sneak Attack activation, Through the Breach line, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, or critical red/blue fixing; avoid using it on routine Brainstorm, Ponder, or Stock Up when land mana can do the job.
- Ancient Tomb is the fastest mana source and the main reason early Show and Tell or Sneak Attack is realistic. Use Ancient Tomb when the life payment creates a decisive enabler, Stock Up, or activation turn; shift away from repeated Ancient Tomb use when the opponent’s visible clock makes life total a real resource.
- City of Traitors is burst mana with sequencing risk. Play City of Traitors only when its mana is used immediately for Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Stock Up, or a protected acceleration turn; avoid exposing it before making ordinary land drops if losing it would cut off the next combo window.
- Volcanic Island is the best colored land because it casts blue setup and enables red combo lines. Fetch or play Volcanic Island when the hand needs both cantrips/protection and Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, or Prismari Charm access, but respect visible land-denial or Blood Moon-style plans after sideboarding.
- Island is the safest blue source and is important when the hand needs stable Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Force of Will support, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm. Prefer Island when red is not immediately required or when preserving mana through opposing nonbasic pressure matters.
- Mountain is the basic red source for Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, and Prismari Charm access. Fetch or play Mountain when red mana is the bottleneck and blue can already be covered, but do not strand Brainstorm, Ponder, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm by taking Mountain too early.
- Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, and Misty Rainforest are Brainstorm partners and mana-shape tools. Hold fetch lands when Brainstorm can turn excess payoffs or dead cards into fresh looks, and crack them immediately only when the current turn needs a specific Island, Mountain, Volcanic Island, or Thundering Falls.
- Thundering Falls is a colored source with tactical timing constraints; Card text check required for exact land characteristics. Use it when the legal mana context says it supplies the needed colors without slowing the combo turn, and avoid treating it as interchangeable with Volcanic Island unless the rules engine confirms the mana and timing work.
- Counter the spell or ability that stops the commitment turn before countering generic pressure. Use Force of Will, Spell Pierce, and Flusterstorm first on opposing permission, discard, hate permanents on the stack, fast combo payoffs, or effects that make Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn fail this turn.
- Protect the enabler more than the payoff when only one protection spell is available. Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, and Through the Breach are the bottleneck; extra Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn often do nothing if the enabler is countered or discarded.
- Spend Force of Will on decisive threats, not on minor card advantage. Pitch a blue card when the opposing spell wins the game, strips the only functional enabler, resolves a lock piece, or counters the current combo; decline Force of Will against routine cantrips, small creatures, or low-impact value when the hand still has time to sculpt.
- Use Spell Pierce early and Flusterstorm in stack fights. Spell Pierce is best before the opponent has spare mana, especially defending Show and Tell or Sneak Attack; Flusterstorm is best against opposing instant/sorcery interaction and combo chains, and should not be treated as an answer to permanent abilities unless Veles exposes a legal target.
- Treat Prismari Charm as conditional interaction because exact mode text needs runtime confirmation. Card text check required; choose legal modes that stop a relevant creature, permanent, stack exchange, or convert dead cards into a live combo line, but do not spend it on low-impact filtering when it is the only visible answer to a lethal clock or hate piece.
- Bait with cantrips and slower setup when the hand can afford a delay. Brainstorm, Ponder, and Stock Up can draw counters or discard attention before committing Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach; do not bait if waiting gives a fast opponent another lethal turn or if the current hand already has protection.
- Ignore small creature damage until it changes the combo clock. Preserve cards for the enabler turn when opposing attackers do not threaten lethal before the next commitment; shift to interaction or Atraxa, Grand Unifier stabilization when repeated Ancient Tomb damage plus visible attackers puts life under immediate pressure.
- Prioritize opposing permanent hate by whether it blocks the actual line. Answer or counter artifacts, enchantments, creatures, or lands only when they stop the chosen route, tax the available mana, prevent attacks, shut off graveyard or library access relevant to the current game, or create a faster kill than the combo can beat.
- Change interaction posture by archetype. Against blue decks, bank Force of Will, Spell Pierce, and Flusterstorm for the commitment stack; against fast combo, counter the first decisive engine or payoff even if it delays your own plan; against creature pressure, prefer Atraxa, Grand Unifier lines and conserve life from Ancient Tomb; against prison or land-denial shells, value basic Island, basic Mountain, Lotus Petal, and immediate windows before mana is constrained.
- Attack with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn whenever a legal attack is expected to connect or force a decisive sacrifice collapse. Do not hold Emrakul, the Aeons Torn back for defense unless the rules engine shows attacking fails to improve the race or a visible effect prevents meaningful combat damage.
- Attack with Atraxa, Grand Unifier when pressure matters and blocking is not required for survival. Atraxa, Grand Unifier is also the stabilizer, so keep it back when the opponent’s visible attack would otherwise produce lethal, remove the only blocker, or make Ancient Tomb unusable on the next turn.
- Preserve Sneak Attack activations for payoff creatures that end the game or stabilize immediately. If Sneak Attack is active, prioritize Emrakul, the Aeons Torn for a finishing attack and Atraxa, Grand Unifier when lifelink, vigilance, card selection, or blocking after a previous turn matters; do not spend the last red source unless the activation materially changes the board.
- Treat Through the Breach as a one-shot combat commitment. Use it when Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Atraxa, Grand Unifier produces immediate lethal pressure, a decisive attack trigger, or enough stabilization to survive; wait when visible blockers, prevention, bounce, or open interaction make the single attack unlikely to matter.
- Respect life thresholds created by Ancient Tomb. Above roughly 10 life, repeated Ancient Tomb use is acceptable for a protected combo turn; at 6 or less against visible attackers or burn pressure, prioritize lines that stop the clock, use Lotus Petal or colored lands instead, or deploy Atraxa, Grand Unifier before taking more avoidable damage.
- Block only to preserve a live combo turn or protect a key life threshold. Atraxa, Grand Unifier can block profitably when the opponent’s board would otherwise force lethal or make Ancient Tomb unusable; avoid unnecessary trades with a resolved payoff when attacking next turn is the cleaner win.
- Do not trade payoff creatures for ordinary attackers unless survival requires it. Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn are not normal midrange creatures; their job is to end the game or buy a decisive second wave, so combat choices should keep them alive unless the alternative is losing before the next turn.
- Sequence protection around combat trick windows after committing a creature. If the opponent receives priority before blocks, before damage, or after combat, hold Force of Will, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm for legal interaction that removes, bounces, counters, taps, or otherwise invalidates the payoff attack.
- Adjust combat posture by matchup speed. Against creature decks, Atraxa, Grand Unifier is often both payoff and shield; against combo, combat is mostly a clock after disruption; against control, avoid exposing extra payoff bodies into visible answers when one protected threat already demands an answer; against prison, attack during any window before combat restrictions or mana denial close the game.
- Use selection to assemble exactly three resources before committing: an enabler, a payoff, and enough mana/protection to resolve or activate it. Prioritize Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach when the hand already has Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience; prioritize payoff creatures when the hand has the enabler but no decisive permanent to put in.
- Treat the deck as having pseudo-selection, not broad tutoring. Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, and Misty Rainforest find mana, while Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Prismari Charm, and Atraxa, Grand Unifier improve card access; none should be assumed to find a specific nonland card unless the rules engine presents that exact legal choice.
- Sequence Brainstorm with fetchlands when hand quality matters more than immediate mana. If Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, or Misty Rainforest is available, cast Brainstorm before cracking the fetch when the goal is to hide or clear dead copies, extra payoffs, excess lands, or matchup-weak interaction; crack first only when the needed color, shuffle timing, or life/mana constraint is more important.
- Use Ponder to decide whether the next turn is a commitment turn. Keep piles that supply missing enabler, payoff, protection, or mana in time for Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach; shuffle or bottom equivalent choices when the visible pile does not change the speed or safety of the hand.
- Use Stock Up as a deeper setup tool, not as permission camouflage by default. Card text check required; when legal choices are exposed, prefer cards that complete a protected combo line, then cards that rebuild after disruption, then redundant payoffs, and avoid spending the turn on Stock Up if the opponent’s visible clock or stack threat demands immediate action.
- Use Prismari Charm selection only when the legal mode text supports it and the current role can afford a filtering turn. Card text check required; discard redundant Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, extra Omniscience, or excess lands only when doing so advances a live Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach line.
- Use Atraxa, Grand Unifier selection to rebuild the second wave. When Atraxa resolves and Veles exposes card-choice options, prefer the missing enabler or protection for the next turn, then mana that supports Sneak Attack activation or hard protection, then a second payoff; do not assume hidden future draws beyond the shown selection.
- Time land drops around visible colors and Brainstorm discipline. Play Island when blue setup or protection is needed through land pressure, play Volcanic Island or Thundering Falls when red is required for Sneak Attack, Prismari Charm, or Through the Breach, and use Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors when the two-mana burst enables the same-turn commitment.
- Commit on the stack only when the current legal action advances a protected or urgent win attempt. Show and Tell and Sneak Attack are sorcery-speed commitments; Through the Breach can be held for an end-step, combat, or response window only when the rules engine confirms the legal timing.
- Protect the enabler first in counter exchanges. Use Force of Will, Spell Pierce, and Flusterstorm to defend Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, or a decisive Sneak Attack activation before defending routine Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, or nonlethal interaction.
- Let low-impact opposing spells resolve when the hand is already assembled. Do not spend Force of Will, Spell Pierce, or Flusterstorm on opposing setup unless the visible spell finds disruption, wins the race, removes the only enabler, or makes the selected combo line illegal or too slow.
- Use Force of Will for threats that beat the current plan, not for convenience. Pitch a blue card only when the opposing spell counters the combo, strips the only functional piece, creates a lock, presents a faster kill, or stops a resolved payoff from ending the game.
- Use Spell Pierce before the opponent can pay and Flusterstorm during dense stack fights. Spell Pierce is strongest on early turns and against tapped-out interaction; Flusterstorm is strongest against instant and sorcery exchanges, opposing combo chains, and counter wars where storm count changes the exchange.
- Activate Sneak Attack at the latest safe window that still produces the needed attack or stabilization. Prefer waiting until the opponent is constrained or combat is imminent, but activate earlier if visible removal, mana denial, discard timing, or a required blocker makes delay worse.
- Cast Through the Breach when the one-shot creature matters this turn. Use it before combat to attack with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Atraxa, Grand Unifier, at end step when setting up a safer next turn is legal and useful, or in response only if Veles shows a legal stack window and the creature effect changes the outcome.
- Resolve Show and Tell choices according to the selected line. Put Omniscience onto the battlefield when it enables immediate or protected follow-up spells; put Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn onto the battlefield when the creature itself is the highest-impact legal permanent; do not assume the opponent’s hidden choice.
- Manage Lotus Petal and fetchland priority as real costs. Sacrifice Lotus Petal only when the mana is needed for the current spell, protection, Sneak Attack activation, or a known follow-up; crack Flooded Strand, Scalding Tarn, or Misty Rainforest before a shuffle-sensitive selection only when the desired shuffle or mana is visible and legal.
- Treat optional payments and triggers as conditional, not automatic. If Veles exposes optional costs, triggers, or replacement choices, accept only those that protect the combo, improve lethal/stabilization, or preserve a required mana line; decline choices that spend the last protection mana without changing the turn.
- Keep graveyard and combat timing narrow. This deck has little graveyard dependence in the main deck, so respond to graveyard actions only when they affect Force of Will, visible recursion, or the opponent’s active plan; use combat priority to protect a payoff attack or fire Through the Breach only when the legal action is explicitly available.
- Treat sideboarding as role compression, not transformation. Keep the core of Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, Lotus Petal, Brainstorm, Ponder, Force of Will, and enough mana intact unless the matchup specifically punishes one enabler or one interaction package.
- Preserve a fast protected combo plan after every sideboard choice. A hand with sideboard cards but no enabler, payoff, mana, or protection is still a mulligan candidate; do not keep reactive hands only because the added card is strong in the matchup.
- Add Abrade against artifact locks, cheap artifact pressure, and small creatures that matter before the combo turn. Abrade is at its worst against spell-combo and creature-light blue control where destroying an artifact or creature is not tied to the opponent’s visible plan.
- Add Grafdigger's Cage against graveyard or library-cast engines when its text is relevant to the opponent’s public plan. Card text check required; avoid prioritizing Grafdigger's Cage when the opponent is attacking through the stack, mana denial, or battlefield pressure that does not care about the Cage effect.
- Add Red Elemental Blast against blue permission, blue cantrips that find disruption, and blue permanents that constrain Show and Tell or Sneak Attack. Red Elemental Blast becomes a protection spell in blue matchups and a low-value card against nonblue creature decks, artifact decks, and graveyard decks without key blue spells.
- Add Crash when the opponent’s artifact is a specific visible obstacle or their archetype is built around artifacts. Card text check required; treat Crash as narrow and avoid emphasizing it when artifact targets are incidental or when spending a card does not improve the combo window.
- Add Disruptor Flute against decks where naming or constraining a specific card class can buy a combo turn. Card text check required; it is weaker when the opponent’s pressure is already on board, when the threatening card is unknown, or when the game demands mana for Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or protection immediately.
- Add Hexing Squelcher when the opponent relies on targeted disruption, activated abilities, or another text box that the card actually answers. Card text check required; use it only after confirming its legal effect in Veles, and deprioritize it against broad creature pressure or stack fights where Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Red Elemental Blast, or Hydroblast line up better.
- Add Hydroblast against red pressure, red blast effects, red prison pieces, and red removal or reach that can race Atraxa, Grand Unifier. Hydroblast is defensive protection in red tempo and aggressive matchups, but it should not displace too many combo pieces against nonred strategies.
- Add Fury against small-creature boards where buying time or clearing hate creatures matters. Card text check required; Fury is poor against creature-light combo, hard control, and decks where the relevant permanent is not a creature or cannot be answered by the exposed legal Fury mode.
- Add the sideboard Through the Breach when the matchup pressures Show and Tell, leans on sorcery-speed answers, or rewards instant-speed one-shot kills. Through the Breach is less attractive when mana denial makes five mana unrealistic or when the opponent can survive a single attack and punish the resource loss.
- Add Blood Moon against greedy mana, land-combo, and nonbasic-heavy control when the deck can still cast cantrips, protection, or red enablers. Blood Moon is weaker when it strands this deck’s own blue interaction, when basic Island is not available, or when the opponent’s battlefield clock is already decisive.
Blue Tempo / Delver Balanced Plan
Side in: 2 Red Elemental Blast; 2 Hydroblast; 1 Fury
Cut: 1 Stock Up; 1 Prismari Charm; 1 Omniscience; 1 Through the Breach; 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Plan rule: against blue tempo, lower the curve and defend the commitment turn. Red Elemental Blast fights blue counters and pressure-enabling cantrips, Hydroblast answers red pressure or red interaction when visible, and Fury can stabilize small-creature starts; keep enough payoffs so Show and Tell and Sneak Attack remain lethal.
- Plan rule: against artifact-heavy prison or artifact aggro, answer the permanent that blocks the combo turn. Abrade and Crash address artifact constraints, Disruptor Flute is for named or known lock pieces only after card text confirmation, and Blood Moon punishes nonbasic-heavy shells; keep Force of Will for the most damaging lock or fast kill.
- Plan rule: against graveyard combo, add hate only when it attacks the opponent’s actual engine. Grafdigger's Cage is the cleanest dedicated card if its text applies, while Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher need card text and visible-action confirmation; keep fast Show and Tell hands because sideboard hate without a clock gives combo opponents time to rebuild.
Red Prison / Red Aggro Balanced Plan
Side in: 2 Hydroblast; 1 Abrade; 1 Fury; 1 Through the Breach
- Plan rule: against red prison and red aggro, value basic lands, cheap answers, and redundant creature-cheat effects. Hydroblast protects against red disruption or pressure, Abrade and Fury interact with early permanents when legal, and the additional Through the Breach increases ways to win without exposing Show and Tell to opposing permanents.
Nonblue Creature Decks Balanced Plan
Side in: 1 Fury; 1 Abrade; 1 Through the Breach
Cut: 2 Flusterstorm; 1 Spell Pierce
- Plan rule: against nonblue creature decks, reduce narrow stack interaction and keep the combo dense. Fury and Abrade buy time against visible creatures or hate creatures, while Through the Breach creates a fast attack line; do not overload on reactive cards if the opponent’s clock requires winning quickly.
Blue Control Balanced Plan
Side in: 2 Red Elemental Blast; 2 Disruptor Flute; 1 Through the Breach
- Plan rule: against blue control, add stack-relevant and axis-shifting cards while preserving threat density. Red Elemental Blast fights permission, Disruptor Flute pressures known key cards after text confirmation, and Through the Breach gives a window-based threat that can punish tapped mana; avoid hands that rely on one unprotected sorcery-speed enabler.
- Add role cards: against unknown blue decks, start with Red Elemental Blast before narrower sideboard cards. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow selection and the most redundant expensive payoff, while preserving enough Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn to make every enabler dangerous.
- Add role cards: against red decks, start with Hydroblast and consider Fury or Abrade when the visible plan includes creatures or artifacts. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Flusterstorm and slower card selection when the opponent is pressuring life total or mana before a stack fight develops.
- Add role cards: against artifact strategies, prioritize Abrade and Crash when the artifact target is part of the opponent’s real plan. Reduce main-deck emphasis: interaction that cannot answer permanents, especially when Force of Will already covers the highest-impact noncreature spell.
- Add role cards: against graveyard strategies, use Grafdigger's Cage first when applicable and add Disruptor Flute or Hexing Squelcher only with confirmed text and a clear target class. Reduce main-deck emphasis: expensive filtering and matchup-weak modal interaction before reducing the core combo count.
- Add role cards: against mana-greedy decks, consider Blood Moon only when the current mana base can support the post-board hand. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow value cards before reducing enablers, because Blood Moon should buy time for a combo kill rather than become the whole plan.
- Add role cards: against creature-heavy disruption, consider Fury and Abrade as bridge cards to the combo turn. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow permission that does not stop battlefield pressure, while keeping Force of Will for the hate permanent or spell that would otherwise invalidate the selected line.
- Role-change rule: after sideboarding, Lotus Petal is still combo mana first and sideboard-card mana second. Do not spend Lotus Petal on a sideboard card if that prevents casting Show and Tell, activating Sneak Attack, paying for protection, or executing Through the Breach on the decisive turn.
- Role-change rule: post-board cantrips must find the matchup-specific axis, not just generic velocity. Brainstorm and Ponder should prioritize missing combo pieces first, then the sideboard card that answers the opponent’s visible pressure, then protection for the chosen turn.
- Role-change rule: do not over-sideboard into a fair deck. Sneak and Show wins by forcing a compact, protected, high-impact action; sideboard cards are supports for that action, not a replacement for it.
- Aggro: race first, stabilize only when the visible battlefield threatens to beat a protected combo turn. Keep hands that can produce Show and Tell into Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience quickly; prefer Sneak Attack when the opponent can put a dangerous permanent onto the battlefield from Show and Tell. Add role cards: Fury, Abrade, Hydroblast against red pressure, and the extra Through the Breach when speed matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Flusterstorm, Spell Pierce, and slower Stock Up lines when the opponent is presenting creatures instead of stack fights.
- Tempo: protect the decisive turn before maximizing raw speed. Against blue tempo, prioritize land drops, basic Island when available, and a protected enabler over speculative cantrip chains; Ancient Tomb and Lotus Petal are strongest when they compress the combo turn and still leave Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, or Red Elemental Blast available. Add role cards: Red Elemental Blast, Hydroblast against red pressure or red interaction, and Fury for small-creature starts. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the slowest Stock Up copy, excess Omniscience, and the least immediate payoff only when threat density remains high.
- Control: force interaction on multiple axes rather than walking one sorcery into open mana. Lead with cantrips that hide redundant combo pieces with Brainstorm, use Ponder to assemble enabler plus protection, and wait when the opponent is not applying a clock and visible mana suggests a stack fight. Add role cards: Red Elemental Blast, Disruptor Flute after Card text check required and only with a confirmed relevant name or effect, and the extra Through the Breach to punish tapped mana. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Prismari Charm and slow selection before reducing the core count of Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
- Combo: identify whether this deck is faster, more protected, or forced to interact. Keep hands with a fast enabler and Force of Will against unknown combo, and use Spell Pierce or Flusterstorm only when the legal action text and visible stack make the exchange meaningful. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage for graveyard or library-cast engines when its text applies, Disruptor Flute after Card text check required for known activated or cast patterns, Hexing Squelcher after Card text check required when it interacts with the opposing engine, and Red Elemental Blast or Hydroblast only against the relevant colors. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-removal-style cards and slower card selection, not the fastest combo package.
- Midrange: attack through discard, removal, and permanent hate by preserving redundancy. Brainstorm should protect key cards from visible or likely hand pressure when possible, and Stock Up is more acceptable when the opponent is trading resources instead of racing. Add role cards: Abrade for artifact or creature hate, Fury for creature-heavy disruption, Blood Moon against nonbasic-heavy mana when this deck can still cast blue setup and red enablers, and the extra Through the Breach to punish shields-down turns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow stack interaction when the opponent’s pressure is mostly permanents.
- Big mana: win before the opponent’s mana converts into inevitability, and use Blood Moon only as a bridge to a combo kill. Show and Tell can be risky if the opponent’s visible or known plan includes a huge permanent, so prefer Sneak Attack or Through the Breach when they avoid giving the opponent a free battlefield entry. Add role cards: Blood Moon against greedy nonbasic mana, Disruptor Flute after Card text check required for a known engine card, and Red Elemental Blast only if the opposing big-mana deck is blue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow filtering before reducing fast mana or enablers.
- Graveyard: combine hate with a clock instead of keeping defensive hands that do not win. Grafdigger's Cage is the cleanest role card when it legally blocks the opposing graveyard plan; Hexing Squelcher and Disruptor Flute require Card text check required and visible confirmation before relying on them. Force of Will should stop the spell or permanent that starts the graveyard engine, not a replaceable setup action unless the game will be lost immediately. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Prismari Charm and slower Stock Up lines before reducing Show and Tell speed.
- Artifact/enchantment: answer the permanent that prevents the selected combo line, not every permanent. Abrade and Crash are for artifact pressure or lock pieces, while Force of Will remains the emergency answer to the most damaging noncreature spell or hate permanent if legal. Blood Moon is useful against artifact shells only when their mana is actually nonbasic-reliant and this deck’s hand can still operate. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Flusterstorm and Spell Pierce when the opponent has already moved the fight to the battlefield.
- Go-wide: prioritize immediate combo speed, then battlefield reset cards if the clock beats the combo. Fury is the main role card for small-creature boards, Abrade can remove a specific hate creature or artifact if legal, and Hydroblast matters when the pressure or disruption is red. Do not spend Prismari Charm or Abrade on a low-impact creature if the visible clock still allows Show and Tell or Sneak Attack next turn. Reduce main-deck emphasis: stack-only interaction that does not stop the battlefield or protect the combo turn.
- Single-threat: decide whether the threat or the opponent’s interaction is the real problem. If one creature is the clock and the opponent has little stack pressure, race with Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach; if the single threat is backed by counters or discard, sculpt with Brainstorm and Ponder until protection is ready. Add role cards: Abrade or Fury only when they answer the threat or a hate permanent; Red Elemental Blast against blue protection; Hydroblast against red pressure. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards that do not affect the race or the stack fight.
- Burn: treat life total and Ancient Tomb damage as real costs. Keep fast hands, favor Lotus Petal and colored lands over repeated Ancient Tomb activations when life is pressured, and value Atraxa, Grand Unifier as a stabilizing Show and Tell threat if it resolves. Add role cards: Hydroblast, Fury when creatures are part of the burn plan, Abrade for artifact pressure when visible, and the extra Through the Breach for speed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Flusterstorm if the opponent is permanent-heavy, slow Stock Up, and excess Omniscience.
- Removal-heavy decks: ignore most creature removal by leaning on enter-the-battlefield value, annihilator pressure, and noncreature enablers. Atraxa, Grand Unifier can still reload even if later answered, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn pressures through many fair removal patterns, and Omniscience converts Show and Tell into a spell-chain plan when the hand supports it. Add role cards: Red Elemental Blast against blue answers, Blood Moon against greedy removal piles, and Through the Breach to shorten windows. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow interaction that does not stop discard, hate permanents, or counterspells.
- General/archetype-only: revealed cards override assumptions, and Veles must follow legal actions and public information over these labels. Against unknown opponents, keep the deck configured to enact Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach with protection; do not dilute the main plan until the opponent has revealed a faster combo, heavy stack interaction, graveyard engine, artifact lock, creature rush, or nonbasic-mana dependency.
- Blue interaction: priority targets are the opponent's counterspell on the combo enabler, a permanent that stops Sneak Attack or Show and Tell, and any card that converts a stack fight into a lost combo turn. Add role cards: Red Elemental Blast, Disruptor Flute after Card text check required, and Through the Breach. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Prismari Charm, slow Stock Up, and excess Omniscience before reducing Force of Will, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
- Fast combo: priority targets are the first spell or permanent that makes the opponent's kill deterministic, not every cantrip. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage when the revealed engine uses graveyard or library casting that the card legally affects, Disruptor Flute after Card text check required, Hexing Squelcher after Card text check required, and color blasts only when the opponent's revealed cards make Hydroblast or Red Elemental Blast live. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Abrade-style creature removal unless a revealed permanent must be answered.
- Fair discard or midrange: priority targets are discard before it takes the only enabler, hate permanents that prevent the selected line, and counterspells during the actual combo turn. Brainstorm should hide Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn from known hand pressure when legal timing allows. Add role cards: Blood Moon against greedy mana, Abrade for artifacts or hate creatures, Fury for creature-heavy disruption, and Through the Breach for short protected windows.
- Creature pressure: priority targets are hate creatures first, lethal pressure second, and stack interaction third unless the combo is ready. Ancient Tomb damage matters, so prefer Volcanic Island, Island, Mountain, fetch lands, Lotus Petal, or Thundering Falls when they produce the required colors without accelerating the opponent's clock. Add role cards: Fury, Abrade, Hydroblast against red pressure, and Through the Breach when racing is stronger than stabilizing.
- Graveyard engines: priority targets are the engine spell, enabler permanent, or payoff that turns the graveyard into a kill. Grafdigger's Cage is a role card only when its exact text applies to the revealed plan; do not keep a hand that only has hate and cannot assemble a clock. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage, Force of Will-backed stack interaction already in the main deck, Disruptor Flute after Card text check required, and Hexing Squelcher after Card text check required.
- Artifact, prison, or nonbasic-mana decks: priority targets are the permanent that blocks the chosen enabler or mana route, not every artifact. Abrade and Crash answer artifacts when legal, Blood Moon punishes mana bases only if this hand can still cast Brainstorm, Ponder, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach, and Force of Will should cover the lock piece that would strand the hand.
- Mana risk: Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors create explosive starts but punish slow hands, life pressure, and sequencing mistakes. Do not spend Ancient Tomb damage for Stock Up or marginal filtering when a colored-land path can preserve life for the combo turn.
- Color risk: Show and Tell needs blue, Sneak Attack and Through the Breach need red, and Force of Will needs a blue card. Lotus Petal can bridge a missing color, but using it for low-impact selection can strand Sneak Attack, Prismari Charm, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, or Red Elemental Blast later.
- Matchup risk: Show and Tell can give the opponent a decisive permanent. Prefer Sneak Attack or Through the Breach when public information suggests the opponent can place a battlefield card that beats Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience.
- Draw risk: Brainstorm, Ponder, and Stock Up improve card quality but do not win alone. Mulligan or sequence aggressively when the hand lacks any path to Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience.
- Over-sideboarding risk: the deck loses games when too many combo pieces become reactive role cards. Keep the core density of Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Force of Will, Lotus Petal, and enough selection unless revealed cards demand a narrower configuration.
- Graveyard risk: this deck is not a graveyard deck, so Grafdigger's Cage should not distract from killing the opponent. Bring hate only to stop a revealed graveyard or library-cast engine, and pair it with a real combo clock.
- Sweeper/removal risk: normal creature removal is often weak against the deck, but edicts, exile effects, bounce, and lock pieces can still matter after Show and Tell. Atraxa, Grand Unifier mitigates removal by refilling; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn demands immediate pressure but can still lose to the wrong public answer.
- Closer risk: Omniscience without a payoff, Sneak Attack without a creature, or a large creature without an enabler can become stranded. Selection should prioritize completing the two-card line before collecting redundant protection.
- Interaction risk: Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Hydroblast, and Red Elemental Blast are strongest when saved for the action that stops the combo or wins the stack. Do not fight over low-impact setup unless visible timing shows the opponent will win first.
- Sequencing risk: Brainstorm before a fetch land can protect and fix; Brainstorm without a shuffle can lock weak cards on top. Fetch choices should preserve Island, Volcanic Island, Mountain, and red/blue access for the likely enabler rather than maximize short-term mana only.
- Deciding factor: Did the game end because Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach resolved, because the opponent stopped the first commitment, or because the deck never assembled enabler plus payoff plus mana?
- Mulligans: Did kept hands contain a real path to Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience, or were Brainstorm, Ponder, Stock Up, Force of Will, and lands mistaken for a functional plan?
- Mana: Did Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Lotus Petal, Volcanic Island, Island, Mountain, Thundering Falls, or fetch-land sequencing produce the required blue and red on the decisive turn without unnecessary life loss or stranded spells?
- Velocity: Did Brainstorm, Ponder, and Stock Up find the missing half of the combo in time, or did selection spend mana without improving the next commitment window?
- Engine choice: Did Show and Tell expose the deck to an opposing permanent that Sneak Attack or Through the Breach would have avoided, or was Show and Tell correctly chosen for speed?
- Protection: Did Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Hydroblast, or Red Elemental Blast fight over the spell that actually mattered, or were they spent before the combo turn on low-impact setup?
- Closing: After Atraxa, Grand Unifier entered, did the follow-up cards actually set up the next winning action, and after Emrakul, the Aeons Torn entered, did the line leave the opponent with a realistic recovery window?
- Sideboard: Did Abrade, Crash, Grafdigger's Cage, Disruptor Flute, Hexing Squelcher, Fury, Blood Moon, Hydroblast, Red Elemental Blast, or the sideboard Through the Breach answer a revealed problem, or did added role cards reduce combo density without changing the matchup?
- Removal and hate: Did Abrade, Fury, Crash, Hydroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Grafdigger's Cage, Blood Moon, Disruptor Flute, or Hexing Squelcher have legal and relevant targets when drawn? Card text check required for Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher before drawing conclusions about their exact coverage.
- Role: Did the pilot correctly identify when to race, when to sculpt under protection, and when to use Force of Will defensively against a faster kill rather than saving it for the combo turn?
- Mistakes: Did any Brainstorm happen without a shuffle plan, any Lotus Petal get spent before its color was needed, any City of Traitors get sequenced into avoidable sacrifice pressure, or any Ancient Tomb activation create a preventable lethal clock?
- Stranded cards: Which cards stayed in hand at game end: Omniscience without Show and Tell, Sneak Attack without red mana, Through the Breach without a creature, Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn without an enabler, or protection without a threat?
- Overperformers and underperformers: Which named cards directly enabled wins, bought decisive time, or sat unused across multiple games, especially Stock Up, Prismari Charm, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, Omniscience, Sneak Attack, and the sideboard role cards?
- Combo density: If losses often involve enabler-without-payoff or payoff-without-enabler hands, should the balance among Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Omniscience, Sneak Attack, Show and Tell, and Through the Breach change?
- Velocity package: If Stock Up is too slow against pressure or too strong in protected games, should its quantity move relative to Ponder, Brainstorm, Prismari Charm, and interaction slots?
- Protection mix: If Force of Will carries most stack fights but Spell Pierce or Flusterstorm is often dead, should the main-deck permission split change toward more flexible interaction or more proactive combo cards?
- Mana base: If red sources are late for Sneak Attack and Through the Breach, should Volcanic Island, Mountain, Thundering Falls, Lotus Petal, or fetch-land counts be reconsidered; if life loss is decisive, should Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors usage be constrained by pilot policy?
- Omniscience plan: If Omniscience is frequently stranded or Show and Tell into Omniscience lacks follow-up, should the deck keep two copies, alter selection priorities, or emphasize creature-based Sneak Attack lines more often?
- Aggro plan: If creature pressure beats the deck before turn-three or turn-four commitment, are Fury, Abrade, Hydroblast, and faster Through the Breach plans enough, or does the sideboard need more anti-creature coverage?
- Control plan: If blue opponents beat the first commitment, are Red Elemental Blast, Disruptor Flute, Flusterstorm, Spell Pierce, Force of Will, and the extra Through the Breach sufficient, or does the deck need more redundancy against stack interaction?
- Prison and artifact plan: If lock pieces or artifacts strand the combo, are Abrade, Crash, Blood Moon, Force of Will, and Prismari Charm enough, or are sideboard slots being stretched across too many jobs?
- Graveyard and fast-combo plan: If Grafdigger's Cage is necessary but slow, should the deck rely more on Force of Will, Flusterstorm, Spell Pierce, Disruptor Flute, or Hexing Squelcher? Card text check required for Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher.
- Role conflict: If sideboard games lose because the deck becomes too reactive, which role cards should be reduced in emphasis first so Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Lotus Petal, and Force of Will remain central?
- Closing problem: If Atraxa, Grand Unifier stabilizes but does not win quickly enough, should post-Atraxa selection prioritize Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or protection differently?
- Pilot policy: If repeated losses come from premature commitment, should the go-now gate require stronger evidence about opponent mana, revealed interaction, redundancy, and whether waiting is worse?
## Veles Tactical Policy
### Policy: Mulligan For Enabler Plus Payoff
Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan
Cards: Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Through the Breach; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Omniscience; Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up
Phase windows: pregame
Runtime cues: opening hand; mulligan choice; visible hand cards
Use when: the hand is being evaluated before a keep decision.
Avoid when: rules engine shows no mulligan action or the hand already has no legal keep/mulligan choice.
Instructions: Keep hands with mana plus a credible enabler-payoff path and interaction or selection; reject hands that are only cantrips, protection, and lands without a route to Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or Through the Breach.
Use when: the first turns require finding either an enabler, a payoff, a red source, or protection.
Avoid when: a protected combo commitment is already available this turn and selection would consume required mana.
Instructions: Use Ponder and Stock Up to assemble missing combo halves; use Brainstorm more carefully when a fetch land can clear unwanted payoff duplicates, stranded Omniscience, or excess lands.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Preserve Combo Mana Colors
Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Lotus Petal; Volcanic Island; Island; Mountain; Thundering Falls; Sneak Attack; Through the Breach; Show and Tell
Phase windows: main phase; combo turn; stack payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:pay; action:activate Lotus Petal; action:tap Ancient Tomb; action:tap City of Traitors
Use when: mana payment choices can affect access to blue for Show and Tell or red for Sneak Attack and Through the Breach.
Avoid when: the engine presents only one legal payment.
Instructions: Protect colored mana first, use Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors for generic costs when life and land sequencing allow, and spend Lotus Petal only for the color needed by the selected line.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Deterministic Lotus Petal Color Payment
Priority: Low
Decision families: mana
Cards: Lotus Petal; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Through the Breach
Phase windows: stack payment prompts; main phase
Runtime cues: action:add blue; action:add red
Use when: a legal payment prompt shows exactly one required missing color for the spell currently being paid.
Avoid when: multiple future spells remain castable from different Lotus Petal colors.
Instructions: Choose blue for Show and Tell payment when blue is the missing color; choose red for Sneak Attack or Through the Breach payment when red is the missing color.
Pilot skill floor: no-api
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Show And Tell Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority; interaction
Cards: Show and Tell; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Omniscience; Force of Will; Spell Pierce; Flusterstorm; Lotus Petal
Phase windows: own main phase; priority before casting
Runtime cues: action:cast Show and Tell
Use when: Show and Tell is legal and hand contains Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or Omniscience.
Avoid when: visible opponent mana, revealed cards, or public board state makes waiting materially safer and the clock allows it.
Instructions: Commit when the line is fast, protected, or forced by pressure; prefer Omniscience only when follow-up cards are visible, and remember Show and Tell may give the opponent a permanent.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Show And Tell Put-In Choice
Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection
Cards: Show and Tell; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Omniscience
Phase windows: Show and Tell resolution
Runtime cues: action:put Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:put Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; action:put Omniscience
Use when: Show and Tell is resolving and the legal action text names one of the deck's payoff cards in hand.
Avoid when: multiple payoff choices have different tactical implications from visible board or hand context.
Instructions: Use light-model when choosing among payoff options; favor the card that immediately stabilizes, wins, or unlocks the current hand rather than assuming the largest creature is always correct.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Sneak Attack Commitment Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority; mana; interaction
Cards: Sneak Attack; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Force of Will; Spell Pierce; Flusterstorm; Lotus Petal
Phase windows: own main phase; end step if legal activation exists
Use when: Sneak Attack is legal or already on battlefield and a creature payoff is available.
Avoid when: red activation mana will be unavailable after casting or visible interaction makes a one-threat line too fragile.
Instructions: Commit Sneak Attack when it can activate this turn or when protection/redundancy covers the delay; prioritize Emrakul, the Aeons Torn for immediate pressure and Atraxa, Grand Unifier for refueling.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Through The Breach Emergency Gate
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority; mana; interaction
Cards: Through the Breach; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Lotus Petal; Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors
Phase windows: own main phase; opponent end step; combat setup if legal
Runtime cues: action:cast Through the Breach
Use when: Through the Breach is legal and a creature payoff is in hand.
Avoid when: waiting preserves protection and the opponent is not presenting a short clock.
Instructions: Use Through the Breach to dodge sorcery-speed pressure, steal wins with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, or deploy Atraxa, Grand Unifier when cards and life matter more than immediate annihilator pressure.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Omniscience Follow-Up Gate
Priority: High
Decision families: priority; selection
Cards: Omniscience; Show and Tell; Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up
Phase windows: Show and Tell resolution; own main phase after Omniscience
Runtime cues: action:cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:cast Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; action:cast Brainstorm; action:cast Ponder; action:cast Stock Up
Use when: Omniscience is on the battlefield under your control and legal free-cast actions are offered.
Avoid when: the action text does not clearly show the spell being cast from hand.
Instructions: Convert Omniscience into immediate payoff first, then selection if no payoff is visible; do not pass with Omniscience and castable payoff unless the engine exposes a rules reason.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Spend Permission On Decisive Stack Fights
Priority: High
Decision families: interaction; priority
Cards: Force of Will; Spell Pierce; Flusterstorm; Red Elemental Blast; Hydroblast
Runtime cues: action:cast Force of Will; action:cast Spell Pierce; action:cast Flusterstorm; action:cast Red Elemental Blast; action:cast Hydroblast
Use when: a legal counter or protection action is available while a decisive spell, opposing kill, or lock piece is on the stack.
Avoid when: the stack object is low impact and protecting the next combo commitment is more important.
Instructions: Fight over effects that stop Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Omniscience, or a faster opposing win; treat Force of Will card exile cost as real card disadvantage.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Force Of Will Alternative Cost Execution
Priority: Low
Decision families: interaction
Cards: Force of Will; Brainstorm; Ponder; Show and Tell; Stock Up; Spell Pierce; Flusterstorm; Omniscience; Prismari Charm; Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Phase windows: stack payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:exile blue card; action:pay 1 life
Use when: Force of Will has already been selected and the prompt requires paying its alternative cost.
Avoid when: multiple blue cards have different immediate combo functions visible in hand.
Instructions: Use light-model for the exact blue card if several are legal; preserve the only enabler or only payoff unless no other blue card can pay the cost.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Prismari Charm Flexible Use
Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction; selection; mana
Cards: Prismari Charm
Phase windows: main phase; opponent turn; stack or removal prompt if legal
Use when: Prismari Charm is legal and its mode choice can affect a creature, card selection, or mana for a combo turn.
Avoid when: exact card text or legal mode labels are not visible in the engine prompt.
Instructions: Card text check required; choose from visible legal modes only, using the mode that advances the current combo plan, answers a blocker/hate piece, or fixes the immediate hand.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Emrakul Combat Closing
Priority: High
Decision families: combat
Cards: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; Sneak Attack; Through the Breach; Show and Tell
Phase windows: declare attackers; combat damage
Runtime cues: action:attack Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Use when: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is under your control and legal attack actions are available.
Avoid when: the engine offers multiple combat lines with different lethal, blocker, or race consequences.
Instructions: Attack with Emrakul when combat is legal unless visible constraints create a survival issue; use light-model for multi-attacker or unusual combat prompts.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Atraxa Stabilize And Refuel
Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat; selection; priority
Cards: Atraxa, Grand Unifier; Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Through the Breach
Runtime cues: action:attack Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:block Atraxa, Grand Unifier; action:select Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Use when: Atraxa, Grand Unifier is on battlefield or resolving and Veles shows legal combat or selection actions involving it.
Avoid when: multiple selection piles or combat assignments require tactical evaluation from board state.
Instructions: Use Atraxa to stabilize life and rebuild resources, but avoid exposing it to unnecessary trades when the visible game can be won by assembling the next Emrakul or Sneak Attack line.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Sideboard Role Selection
Priority: Medium
Decision families: sideboard
Cards: Abrade; Grafdigger's Cage; Red Elemental Blast; Crash; Disruptor Flute; Hexing Squelcher; Hydroblast; Fury; Through the Breach; Blood Moon
Phase windows: between games
Runtime cues: sideboard plan; opponent archetype label; revealed cards from prior game
Use when: sideboarding actions are available after a game.
Avoid when: the registered sideboard and main-deck counts cannot be validated by Veles.
Instructions: Add only role cards that answer visible matchup pressures while preserving combo density; Card text check required for exact Disruptor Flute and Hexing Squelcher use before relying on named-card coverage.
Use when: a boarded card is legal and opponent's public strategy or revealed cards make its role relevant.
Avoid when: casting the hate card delays a protected combo kill without stopping an immediate opposing action.
Instructions: Deploy hate to buy a combo turn, not to become a control deck; keep Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, and payoff density central after boarding.
Pilot skill floor: light-model
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes
### Policy: Pass Priority Only After Checking Combo And Protection
Priority: Medium
Decision families: priority
Cards: Show and Tell; Sneak Attack; Through the Breach; Force of Will; Spell Pierce; Flusterstorm; Brainstorm; Ponder; Stock Up
Phase windows: every priority window
Runtime cues: action:pass priority; action:pass
Use when: pass is legal and no selected immediate action has been committed.
Avoid when: a legal combo commitment, protective response, or meaningful selection spell is available and mana supports it.
Instructions: Pass when waiting preserves protection, mana, or hidden information; do not pass through a turn cycle under lethal pressure while a legal combo or stabilizing action is visible.
