veles-content/strategies/alchemy/alchemy_boros_mice/1/guide.md

Strategy Specifications

Deck Name And Archetype

Boros Mice is a 60-card Alchemy Boros aggro deck with a 15-card sideboard, validated under the supplied active format contract as legal for the current main/sideboard size rules. The registered main deck is 21 lands, 31 creatures, and 8 noncreature spells: 4 Flowerfoot Swordmaster, 4 A-Heartfire Hero, 3 Brave Meadowguard, 4 Emberheart Challenger, 4 Manifold Mouse, 4 Recruit Instructor, 4 Valiant Emberkin, 4 Might of the Meek, 4 Boros Charm, 4 Sheltered by Ghosts, 4 Plains, 5 Mountain, 1 Rockface Village, 4 Inspiring Vantage, 1 Restless Bivouac, 4 Captivating Crossroads, and 2 Cavern of Souls.

The sideboard is a full 15 cards and should be treated as real tactical access rather than generic flex space: 3 Shardmage's Rescue, 4 Shove Aside, 1 Soul Shredder, 3 Crystal Barricade, 2 Get Lost, and 2 Rest in Peace. Every sideboard action must preserve the registered 60 plus 15, and exact executable plans must only add cards from this sideboard while trimming cards from the listed main deck.

The archetype tags are aggro, tribal, and tokens, with the practical runtime identity of a low-curve red-white Mouse pressure deck. The decision agent should default to proactive battlefield development, combat math, damage conversion, and protection-aware sequencing, then adjust only when visible board state, known public information, or legal actions show that racing is losing to removal, larger blockers, sweepers, lifegain, graveyard pressure, or an opposing faster clock.

The stock/rogue status is hybrid or unproven from the supplied information. The list uses a focused Boros Mice shell with multiple four-of creature packages and clean aggro spell density, but no external stock baseline, metagame share, or opponent deck details were supplied; Veles should avoid assuming a known stock sideboard guide unless a matchup label or visible cards confirm the opposing archetype.

The mana base is aggressive but not free: 21 lands support a low curve, yet the deck must respect colored sequencing for early red and white plays plus Boros Charm. Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Inspiring Vantage, Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, Mountain, and Plains should be evaluated by legal mana output, current tapped status, creature-type constraints, and whether the next turn requires red, white, or both colors. Card text check required for exact current Alchemy text and runtime legality of digital or rebalanced cards before making assumptions about trigger timing, targeting restrictions, or token creation from Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Brave Meadowguard, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Soul Shredder, Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, and Rest in Peace.

The main legality and role concern is not deck construction; it is tactical overcommitment. Boros Mice wants to spend mana and attack early, but the agent must not invent hidden sweepers, removal, or blockers. Runtime decisions should follow legal actions first, visible board state second, and this guide third: commit creatures when the clock improves, hold protection when the current board already wins, use removal-like effects only against visible blockers or threats that matter, and avoid sideboard assumptions until opponent information is public.

Opponent information status is currently unspecified. Matchup guidance in later sections should be applied by observed opponent colors, revealed cards, battlefield patterns, graveyard contents, and Veles matchup labels when present; otherwise, pilot the deck as proactive Boros Mice and let sideboarding remain conservative, balanced, and validation-safe.

Thesis

Boros Mice assembles a low-curve red-white Mouse battlefield, then turns early creatures and token pressure into fast combat damage with Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, and utility lands. The deck wants the first three turns to create multiple attackers, force the opponent to defend, and convert every untap into either more pressure, a protected attack, or the final burst of damage.

Boros Mice wins by making the opponent answer small threats at bad mana exchanges. Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Brave Meadowguard, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, and Valiant Emberkin should be treated as a coordinated creature package rather than isolated bodies; the agent should prioritize hands and lines that produce early board presence plus a follow-up payoff before the opponent stabilizes.

Boros Mice is not trying to play a long attrition game by default. The list has no main-deck recursion, no broad card-advantage engine confirmed from supplied text, and only a small amount of interaction, so the agent should avoid unnecessary draw-go turns, speculative holding patterns, and trades that leave no pressure unless visible survival math demands it. Card text check required for exact current Alchemy text on each creature before assuming trigger timing, token output, or pump conditions.

Boros Mice should prioritize tempo over theoretical maximum value. Spend mana, add attackers, use Cavern of Souls and Captivating Crossroads according to legal mana output, preserve Boros Charm or sideboard protection only when the current battlefield is already worth protecting, and use Sheltered by Ghosts or Get Lost-style sideboard interaction on visible blockers, lifegain engines, sweep-enablers, or larger threats that change the race.

Boros Mice should respect rules-engine output over archetype instinct. If Veles shows only one legal attack, block, target, or payment line, follow legality; if multiple legal lines exist, choose the line that most directly improves lethal timing, preserves key Mouse density, or prevents a visible counter-race from overtaking the deck.

Role Package

• Threats: Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Brave Meadowguard, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, and Valiant Emberkin are the core battlefield pressure. Keep opening hands that can deploy these cards early with usable red and white mana, and avoid hands that contain only pump or protection without a creature unless the mulligan context is already severe.

• Payoffs: Might of the Meek and Boros Charm are the primary damage-conversion cards. Use them when they increase clock speed, win combat, protect a developed board if the legal mode supports that, or create lethal pressure; do not fire them into low-impact attacks just because mana is available.

• Engines: Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, and Brave Meadowguard are the likely tribal/token/synergy engine pieces, but card text check required for exact current Alchemy behavior. Treat visible Mouse count, token count, and combat-trigger timing as the engine’s fuel, and prefer sequencing that leaves the next attack step with multiple bodies rather than one oversized creature exposed to a single answer.

• Velocity: Emberheart Challenger, Might of the Meek, Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, and any creature with visible impulse, draw, pump, or mana-sink text are the deck’s practical velocity tools. Use velocity to keep pressure flowing after the first wave, but do not spend a turn on card replacement if the visible board already presents a clean lethal or survival-critical combat line.

• Interaction: Sheltered by Ghosts is the main-deck interaction slot and should be aimed at visible permanents that stop attacks, race faster, or invalidate small creatures. Sideboard interaction expands through Shove Aside, Soul Shredder, Get Lost, Rest in Peace, and Crystal Barricade; card text check required for exact targeting, timing, and static effects before treating any of them as removal, hate, or prevention.

• Protection: Boros Charm is the main-deck protection and burst card if its legal modes support those roles, while Shardmage's Rescue and Shove Aside are the sideboard protection/defensive interaction module. Protect a board that is already winning or a creature whose survival preserves lethal next turn; avoid protecting a replaceable one-drop when rebuilding with another threat is stronger.

• Recursion: The registered main deck has no confirmed recursion package. Do not plan to rebuy creatures from the graveyard unless a visible legal action from a registered card explicitly offers that option, and treat graveyard hate from Rest in Peace as a sideboard disruption plan rather than a self-synergy card.

• Mana: Plains, Mountain, Inspiring Vantage, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Rockface Village, and Restless Bivouac form an aggressive 21-land base. Prioritize untapped early sources, both colors by turn two when possible, creature-type-compatible Cavern of Souls use for Mouse-heavy hands, and utility-land activation only when it does not delay a creature, protection spell, or lethal combat step.

• Sideboard modules: Shardmage's Rescue and Shove Aside support protection and tempo against interaction-heavy decks; Get Lost and Soul Shredder answer visible threats that outsize or blank attacks; Rest in Peace attacks graveyard-dependent opponents; Crystal Barricade is a defensive or race-stabilizing package if its visible text supports that role. Sideboard choices should reduce the least effective main-deck pressure pieces only when the opponent’s revealed plan requires resilience, hate, or more interaction.

Primary Win Conditions

• Mouse curve into wide combat is the default win path: deploy Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Brave Meadowguard, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, and Valiant Emberkin early, then attack before the opponent can turn one-for-one removal into stability. Setup requires at least one early creature, both colors when the hand contains red and white spells, and a follow-up that adds either another body, a combat boost, or protection. Execute by maximizing legal attacks that preserve next-turn lethal pressure; prioritize this line whenever the opponent has not shown a sweeper, a large lifelink blocker, or a faster clock.

• Pump-backed alpha attacks are the main damage conversion line: use Might of the Meek and Boros Charm after the board already contains enough attackers for the spell to change combat math or shorten the clock. Card text check required for exact current Alchemy text on Might of the Meek and every Mouse trigger before assuming token creation, targeting restrictions, or bonus size. Prioritize this path when visible blockers are small, the opponent is tapped low, or a single protected attack puts the opponent dead to the next combat or Boros Charm mode.

• Snowball pressure through Mouse synergy is the preferred engine win when the opening hand contains multiple creatures and a payoff permanent. Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, and Brave Meadowguard should be sequenced to increase attacker count and relevant tribal triggers rather than to maximize one isolated creature. Disruption risk is single-target removal against the best engine piece or sweepers against the whole board; prioritize spreading power across bodies unless a visible legal action makes one creature clearly lethal or protected.

• Sheltered by Ghosts tempo attacks are the primary interactive win path: use Sheltered by Ghosts on a visible blocker, racing threat, lifegain permanent, or engine permanent only when removing it improves the attack step or prevents the opponent from stabilizing. Card text check required for exact targeting and attachment behavior. Prioritize this line over adding another small creature when the opponent’s visible permanent would blank multiple attacks, gain enough life to undo pressure, or force bad trades.

Secondary Win Conditions

• Boros Charm reach is the cleanest backup damage line when combat has dealt early chip damage. Treat Boros Charm as both a possible finisher and a possible protection spell only according to legal modes shown by Veles; do not assume a mode that the rules engine does not expose. Save it when the opponent is near lethal, when a board-protection mode preserves a winning attack force, or when spending it now would leave no way to close after a stabilizing blocker.

• Utility-land pressure gives the deck a fallback after removal or sweepers. Restless Bivouac and Rockface Village should be used when their legal activation or combat contribution advances lethal timing without preventing a better creature spell, Sheltered by Ghosts, Might of the Meek, or Boros Charm. Prioritize creature-land or utility-land lines after the opponent has exhausted removal, when hand size is low, or when the board needs one more attacker to make pump or protection matter.

• Emberheart Challenger and other visible card-flow creatures are the value plan when the first wave stalls. Card text check required for Emberheart Challenger, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, Brave Meadowguard, Manifold Mouse, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, and A-Heartfire Hero before treating any trigger as draw, impulse, token, pump, or protection. Use card-flow or engine text to keep presenting threats, but do not take a low-impact value action when a legal attack plus Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, or Boros Charm creates a faster win.

• Fallback pressure through any surviving creature remains valid because the deck’s noncreature spells scale combat. A single A-Heartfire Hero, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, Emberheart Challenger, or token can still matter with Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Rockface Village, or Restless Bivouac if the opponent is low enough. Prioritize this line when rebuilding from removal and when committing multiple new creatures into a suspected sweeper would lose to the same visible answer.

• The registered main deck has no confirmed recursion or lock win condition. Do not plan around rebuying creatures, locking the opponent, or using the graveyard as a resource unless Veles exposes a legal action from a visible card that explicitly does so. If the opponent depends on graveyard recursion after sideboarding, Rest in Peace becomes disruption, not a self-engine.

Emergency Lines

• When behind on life, race only if the visible damage clock is faster than any safe block line. Preserve creatures for blocking when the opponent’s next attack is lethal or near-lethal, and use Sheltered by Ghosts on the attacker or permanent most responsible for the race. Use Boros Charm defensively only when Veles exposes a legal mode that actually prevents the losing exchange or preserves lethal on the crack-back.

• When behind on board, stop trading down and spend interaction on the permanent that changes the largest number of combats. Sheltered by Ghosts should answer the biggest blocker, lifelinker, evasive clock, or engine if legal; after sideboarding, Get Lost, Shove Aside, Soul Shredder, or Crystal Barricade may be relevant only according to visible legal text. If no clean answer exists, rebuild with multiple creatures and seek a single high-impact Might of the Meek or Boros Charm turn.

• When behind on cards, convert every draw into immediate battlefield pressure unless holding it clearly enables lethal or protects an already winning board. Favor Emberheart Challenger or any visible card-flow trigger when it does not concede tempo, but avoid speculative value if the opponent’s board threatens lethal. Do not overprotect a replaceable creature when the hand needs threats more than one-for-one exchanges.

• When behind on mana or color, prioritize castable threats over ideal sequencing. Use Inspiring Vantage, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Plains, Mountain, Rockface Village, and Restless Bivouac according to legal mana output, and choose lines that deploy at least one creature before holding up protection. If Cavern of Souls has a creature-type choice, card text and legal output should guide it toward the creature type that casts the current hand.

• When the primary win conditions are removed, shift to reach plus creature-land pressure. Count visible power, possible Boros Charm damage, legal utility-land activations, and any pump from Might of the Meek before conceding the race. Keep attacking when trades reduce the opponent into burn range, but stop attacking a needed blocker if the opponent’s visible crack-back wins first.

• Against graveyard recursion, combo, or engines, become the disruption beatdown after sideboarding. Rest in Peace should be prioritized against visible graveyard dependence, while Get Lost, Shove Aside, Soul Shredder, Crystal Barricade, and Shardmage's Rescue should be used only when their legal text addresses the revealed threat. Continue applying pressure; emergency disruption without a clock gives the opponent time to rebuild.

Resource Model

• Life is a racing buffer, not a long-game resource. Spend life aggressively when the legal line keeps Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, or Brave Meadowguard attacking on curve, but stop treating life as expendable when the opponent’s visible crack-back plus known reach can kill before Boros Charm or a pumped combat step ends the game.

• Hand cards convert into board width first and reach second. Prioritize deploying creatures over holding speculative tricks unless Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, or a sideboard protection spell is already tied to a visible lethal, survival, or tempo swing. Avoid emptying the hand into a visible sweeper pattern when one threat plus Boros Charm or Restless Bivouac can continue pressure.

• Mana is the deck’s tightest tactical resource because most decisions compete for the same early turns. Use the first three turns to create a board, then decide whether mana is better spent on Sheltered by Ghosts to clear combat, Might of the Meek to win combat, Boros Charm to finish or protect, or another creature to widen pressure. Do not reserve mana for an uncertain instant if the legal creature play would materially shorten the clock.

• Board presence is the main currency. The deck wants multiple attackers so tribal scaling, pump, combat tricks, and reach matter; trade creatures only when the exchange preserves a faster clock, removes a key blocker, prevents lethal, or forces the opponent into Boros Charm range. A single protected or enhanced attacker can be enough after removal, but wide boards are the default.

• Graveyard and exile are not primary self-resources in the registered main deck. Do not value putting cards into the graveyard, exiling own cards, or preserving graveyard contents unless Veles exposes a legal visible action that explicitly uses them. After sideboarding, Rest in Peace should be treated as opponent disruption, with awareness that it may also shut off any future legal graveyard line if one appears.

• Lands become damage only after curve pressure is established. Restless Bivouac and Rockface Village are resources for stalled boards, post-removal turns, and exact-damage races; use them when their legal activation or mana ability adds more pressure than another spell. Captivating Crossroads, Inspiring Vantage, Cavern of Souls, Plains, and Mountain are primarily curve enablers.

• Sacrifice fodder is not a planned resource unless a legal sideboard or visible action explicitly asks for it. Do not sacrifice a creature, token, or permanent for abstract value; preserve bodies for attacking, blocking, and scaling combat unless Veles presents a deterministic legal benefit that wins the exchange.

• Tempo is the deck’s strongest exchange rate. Sheltered by Ghosts, Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, and sideboard cards such as Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Soul Shredder, Crystal Barricade, and Get Lost should be judged by whether they keep attacks profitable, remove a stabilizer, protect a lethal board, or buy the one turn needed to finish.

• Information should be used conservatively. Respect revealed removal, sweepers, blockers, life totals, open mana, known cards, and Veles legal-action text; do not infer hidden answers with certainty. When the opponent shows no relevant interaction, keep applying pressure, but avoid turning one unknown card into a reason to pass a strong legal attack or curve play.

Mana Guide

• Keep mana bases that cast early creatures. A good opener normally has two lands, at least one red or white source as needed by visible hand costs, and a one- or two-mana creature such as Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, or Brave Meadowguard if legal costs permit. Mulligan hands that cannot deploy pressure before turn two unless they contain exceptional legal interaction and correct colors.

• Sequence untapped colored lands before utility. Inspiring Vantage and Captivating Crossroads should usually support early red-white development; Plains and Mountain should fill whichever color the current hand already lacks. Use Cavern of Souls according to legal text and visible creature-type needs; if it requires a type choice and most current creatures share Mouse or another exposed type, choose the type that casts the most immediate creature spells.

• Treat tapped or conditional lands as tempo costs. Restless Bivouac and Rockface Village are valuable later, but early turns should not lose a creature deployment just to preserve a future activation. Play a tapped or utility land early only when the rest of the hand still curves out, when no untapped source changes the turn, or when a later color bottleneck would be worse.

• Prioritize color fixing over perfect damage math in the first two turns. If one land sequence casts two creatures on time and another enables a later Boros Charm, choose the sequence that creates board now unless Boros Charm is already the only realistic win path. Sheltered by Ghosts and Might of the Meek should influence color planning only when they are castable on the turn they matter.

• Play land before draw only when the known legal line needs mana now. If a visible action from Emberheart Challenger or another card may reveal or draw a card before the land drop, delay the land when legal and safe so the new information can guide Plains, Mountain, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, or Inspiring Vantage sequencing. If missing the land drop would block an attack trick, protection spell, or required post-combat play, make the land drop first.

• Hold lands only when hand size and visible text reward it. This deck has no confirmed main-deck discard-for-value or landfall engine, so extra lands should usually be played to support double-spell turns, utility activations, and sideboard interaction. Keep a land in hand only around known discard pressure, possible card-filter text that explicitly cares, or when Veles exposes a legal reason.

• Sideboard mana changes are minimal but timing changes are real. Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Soul Shredder, Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, and Rest in Peace may ask for mana on reactive turns, so post-board sequencing should leave the correct colors available when protecting a key attacker, answering a blocker, or disrupting a graveyard engine is more important than adding another creature.

Mulligan Guide

• Strong keep: Keep two or three lands with early pressure and at least one follow-up that turns bodies into damage. Examples include Inspiring Vantage plus Mountain with A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, and Might of the Meek; or Captivating Crossroads plus Plains with Flowerfoot Swordmaster, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, and Sheltered by Ghosts. These hands attack early, use mana efficiently, and still have a tactical spell for a blocker or race.

• Medium keep: Keep functional two-land hands that start on turn two when the matchup is not punishing missed early damage. Examples include Plains, Mountain, Emberheart Challenger, Brave Meadowguard, Recruit Instructor, Boros Charm, and Sheltered by Ghosts. These hands need the first creature to survive or the third land to arrive, so sequence for maximum board presence rather than saving tricks.

• Risky keep: Keep one-land hands only when the land casts a one-mana creature and the hand has multiple cheap live draws. A hand such as Inspiring Vantage, A-Heartfire Hero, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Emberheart Challenger, and Manifold Mouse is playable on the draw if Veles shows legal early casts, but it should usually ship on the play unless the matchup rewards speed over consistency.

• Automatic ship: Mulligan hands with no lands, hands with five or more lands and no premium curve, hands that cannot cast a creature before turn three, and hands with only Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, and Sheltered by Ghosts as action. The deck cannot treat combat tricks as creatures; a pump-heavy hand without a body is a nonfunctional hand.

• Matchup-dependent keep: Keep interaction-heavy hands only when the opponent’s revealed archetype or post-board plan makes the interaction decisive. Sheltered by Ghosts plus Get Lost or Shove Aside can justify a slower hand against visible large blockers, removal-heavy decks, or must-answer permanents, but the same hand is weak against fast opponents if it lacks A-Heartfire Hero, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, or Brave Meadowguard.

• Play/draw rule: On the play, prioritize one-drop into two-drop pressure over flexible interaction. On the draw, accept slightly slower hands with Sheltered by Ghosts, Boros Charm, or sideboard cards such as Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Crystal Barricade, Soul Shredder, Get Lost, or Rest in Peace when the matchup makes those cards live and the mana still casts an early creature.

• Trap hand: Do not keep lands plus Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, and no creature because every strong spell depends on a board or a target. Do not keep Cavern of Souls, Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, and color-hungry spells unless Veles confirms those lands can cast the current hand on time.

Turn Arc

• Turn 1: Prefer casting A-Heartfire Hero or Flowerfoot Swordmaster when legal. If no one-drop is available, play the land that unlocks the cleanest turn-two creature, usually Inspiring Vantage, Captivating Crossroads, Plains, or Mountain before Rockface Village or Restless Bivouac. Use Cavern of Souls according to the visible creature types and the hand’s immediate casting needs.

• Turn 1 deviation: Hold a combat trick or Boros Charm; do not spend tactical resources before a creature exists unless Veles exposes a legal action that directly prevents a losing board state. If the only action is a utility-land choice, prioritize the color that casts Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, Valiant Emberkin, or Sheltered by Ghosts next turn.

• Turn 2: Prefer adding a second creature over holding mana open. Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, or Valiant Emberkin should usually enter before Might of the Meek or Boros Charm unless the trick creates exact lethal, saves a creature from visible removal, or wins combat against a key blocker.

• Turn 2 deviation: Use Sheltered by Ghosts when a visible blocker or engine permanent stops profitable attacks and Veles presents a legal target. If Card text check required appears for a creature trigger or mode, use only the legal action text Veles exposes and treat the card as a pressure piece until the rules engine shows a specific selectable benefit.

• Turn 3: Prefer double-spelling when possible, especially creature plus Might of the Meek, creature plus Sheltered by Ghosts, or creature plus another cheap threat. If the opponent is near Boros Charm range, decide whether adding power now or preserving Boros Charm for reach/protection creates the shorter clock from visible life totals and blockers.

• Turn 3 deviation: Attack before committing post-combat spells when combat damage, Emberheart Challenger-style runtime actions, or visible triggers may change the best use of mana. Commit before combat only when a pre-combat Sheltered by Ghosts, Might of the Meek, or legal pump/protection action clearly changes attacks or prevents a bad block.

• Turns 4-5: Convert board presence into lethal pressure. Use Sheltered by Ghosts to clear the blocker that matters most, Might of the Meek to win the combat that preserves pressure, and Boros Charm as reach, protection, or a combat finisher only when Veles shows the corresponding legal mode. Activate Rockface Village or Restless Bivouac when the activation adds more damage or resilience than another spell.

• Turns 4-5 deviation: Do not overextend into a visible sweeper pattern when one or two creatures plus Boros Charm or a land activation already pressures lethal. Against racing decks, trade only if the trade prevents more damage than the attacker would deal or keeps a lethal counterattack intact.

• Late game: Treat every draw as either damage, protection, removal, or a body for scaling combat. Prioritize lines that force lethal through visible blockers, use Boros Charm for exact reach when legal, and use Restless Bivouac or Rockface Village to turn lands into pressure after the hand is exhausted.

• Late-game deviation: When behind, shift from pure aggression to survival math. Keep the creature most likely to block profitably, spend Sheltered by Ghosts or Get Lost on the visible permanent that changes the race, and use Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Crystal Barricade, Soul Shredder, or Rest in Peace only when their legal text directly affects the current matchup plan or board state.

Card Roles

• Flowerfoot Swordmaster: Use Flowerfoot Swordmaster as an early white pressure body that turns the deck from a pile of tricks into an active combat deck. Card text check required for exact Alchemy wording, so do not assume a specific trigger unless Veles exposes it in visible state or legal action text. Cast it on turn one when legal unless the hand has a stronger red one-drop requirement or the land sequence would strand turn-two Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, Valiant Emberkin, or Sheltered by Ghosts. In removal-heavy matchups, it is an acceptable bait threat before committing the creature most likely to carry Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, or a utility-land activation. Avoid holding it for theoretical synergy when the opponent is not already forcing a sweeper or removal exchange.

• A-Heartfire Hero: Treat A-Heartfire Hero as the premium one-drop for targeted-spell and combat-scaling lines. Card text check required for current Alchemy wording, but if Veles shows counters, death damage, or valiant-style triggers, sequence Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, Boros Charm combat modes, or Rockface Village around the trigger only when the legal action confirms it. Lead on A-Heartfire Hero against control, combo, and slow midrange because it creates the fastest clock. Against creature aggro, attack with it until blocking preserves more life than the next attack would deal, and do not trade it down if a visible pump line can turn it into a race-winning body.

• Brave Meadowguard: Use Brave Meadowguard as the stabilizing creature slot when the board needs a body that can participate in attacks and blocks rather than another fragile trick. Card text check required for exact abilities, so treat it as curve pressure unless Veles exposes a specific token, protection, or combat action. Cast it before spending Might of the Meek if developing another permanent gives more total damage next turn. In creature mirrors, Brave Meadowguard is more valuable when it lets smaller mice attack without losing the crack-back race. Against control, it is weaker than a one-drop plus two-drop curve if it asks you to spend a full turn without holding Boros Charm protection.

• Emberheart Challenger: Use Emberheart Challenger as the aggressive red two-drop that can turn combat into extra material when its visible text allows it. Card text check required for exact Alchemy behavior, but if Veles exposes temporary exile, play-from-exile, or impulse-style permissions, check those actions before making a normal land drop or spending remaining mana. Cast Emberheart Challenger early when the opponent has few blockers or when haste-like pressure changes the clock. Do not treat it as a slow value engine; if the opponent is near lethal, prioritize the line that adds immediate damage over extracting every possible card. Against removal-heavy decks, it is a strong bait threat before committing Manifold Mouse or a larger targeted turn.

• Manifold Mouse: Treat Manifold Mouse as a central combat amplifier and tribal payoff, but let the rules engine define its exact modes. Card text check required for current wording, including any offspring, gift, targeting, or combat-choice text. Cast it before tricks when the board is empty or when future attacks need another Mouse body. Hold it only when Veles shows that another legal spell creates immediate lethal, protects a key threat, or clears a blocker with Sheltered by Ghosts. In board stalls, Manifold Mouse is often better than a single pump spell because it may create repeated pressure, but do not overcommit multiple copies into a visible sweeper pattern if Boros Charm is not available.

• Recruit Instructor: Use Recruit Instructor as the support creature that turns a board of small attackers into a higher-quality attack step when its text is live. Card text check required for exact triggered or static abilities, so do not assume anthem, token, training, or counter behavior unless Veles shows it. Cast Recruit Instructor when at least one other creature can attack or when the curve needs another body before a Boros Charm turn. Against removal decks, it is less important than preserving the creature carrying Might of the Meek or Sheltered by Ghosts. Against creature decks, value it when the visible board suggests attacks or blocks improve after adding one more body.

• Valiant Emberkin: Use Valiant Emberkin as a payoff candidate for targeted actions and red-white combat scaling. Card text check required, especially for any valiant or once-per-turn trigger. Cast it before Might of the Meek or Sheltered by Ghosts when Veles shows those spells can target it profitably this turn or next turn. If the hand has multiple target effects, plan the sequence so the most important creature receives the first legal target action and the deck does not waste a trigger on a low-impact combat. In fast races, Valiant Emberkin is strongest when it attacks immediately or makes the opponent block badly; in control matchups, avoid exposing it plus a trick into open removal unless the line is lethal or Boros Charm can protect the board.

• Might of the Meek: Use Might of the Meek as a tactical combat spell, not as a default main-phase cantrip or damage button. Card text check required for exact pump, draw, and Mouse restrictions, so follow Veles legal target text closely. Cast it after blockers when waiting gives more information and the legal action remains available. Cast it before blockers only when the visible extra power changes available attacks, creates lethal, or forces blocks the opponent cannot profitably make. The best targets are creatures that already matter to the race, especially A-Heartfire Hero, Valiant Emberkin, Manifold Mouse, or an unblocked attacker. Do not spend it into open removal unless the exchange still leaves lethal pressure or saves a creature from a worse combat result.

• Boros Charm: Use Boros Charm as the deck's flexible reach, protection, and burst finisher. Choose direct damage when it is lethal, sets up a forced lethal attack next turn, or beats a board stall better than committing another creature. Choose indestructible only when Veles shows a sweeper, damage-based removal, or combat damage event where protecting multiple permanents matters more than four damage. Choose double strike when a single attacker, especially one pumped by Might of the Meek or enhanced by a visible land/action, produces more damage than the burn mode. Do not fire Boros Charm early just to spend mana; its value rises sharply once life totals, blockers, and removal windows are known.

• Sheltered by Ghosts: Use Sheltered by Ghosts as tempo interaction when a visible permanent or blocker changes the race. Card text check required for exact target range, attachment requirement, ward/lifelink text, and leave-the-battlefield risk. Prioritize targets that stop multiple attackers, generate repeated value, threaten lethal, or force the deck to stop attacking. Choose the attached creature carefully if Veles presents that choice; prefer a creature that is relevant enough to attack but not the only irreplaceable threat when the opponent has open removal. Do not keep hands where Sheltered by Ghosts is the only action unless the matchup is known to present early must-answer permanents.

• Plains and Mountain: Use Plains and Mountain to make the first three turns reliable before chasing utility-land value. Plains matters for Flowerfoot Swordmaster, Brave Meadowguard, Recruit Instructor, Sheltered by Ghosts, and white sideboard cards; Mountain matters for A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Valiant Emberkin, Boros Charm, and Rockface Village lines. Prefer the basic that casts the next two visible spells over a speculative color. Do not sequence a basic in a way that strands Boros Charm when the hand needs both colors by turn three.

• Inspiring Vantage, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Rockface Village, and Restless Bivouac: Use Inspiring Vantage as the cleanest early dual when it enters untapped and supports one-drop into two-drop pressure. Card text check required for Captivating Crossroads, but use it as fixing according to visible legal choices and name or choose only what casts the current hand. Use Cavern of Souls to support Mouse or other visible creature-type casting when Veles exposes the choice; do not rely on it for Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, or Sheltered by Ghosts unless the engine says the mana is legal. Treat Rockface Village and Restless Bivouac as late pressure after colored mana is secure; activate them only when the damage, combat modifier, or creature-land body beats casting another spell this turn.

Interaction Priorities

• Removal priority: Use Sheltered by Ghosts on the visible permanent that prevents profitable attacks, creates repeated advantage, or threatens a faster clock than Boros Mice can race. Card text check required for exact target range and attachment risk, so treat Veles legal target output as binding and do not assume every creature, artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker is removable.

• Exile priority: Exile the blocker or engine permanent that changes combat math this turn before exiling a card that is merely annoying later. Against creature decks, the first Sheltered by Ghosts target is usually the largest blocker, lifelink stabilizer, or creature enabling multiple attacks. Against control or midrange, prioritize a value permanent only when it will outscale Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, or Valiant Emberkin before lethal arrives.

• Burn priority: Hold Boros Charm until it is lethal, protects a board from a visible sweeper or damage event, or makes one attacker deal more damage than the direct-damage mode. Do not spend Boros Charm into an opponent above a stable life total just because mana is open; this deck wins many stalled games by making the opponent respect four sudden damage.

• Protection priority: Use Boros Charm or Shardmage's Rescue to preserve lethal attackers, a wide board, or the creature carrying Sheltered by Ghosts before protecting a replaceable one-drop. Card text check required for Shardmage's Rescue, so choose it only from visible legal actions and prefer the target whose survival keeps the most damage or interaction online.

• Sideboard interaction priority: Bring Get Lost effects to answer must-remove permanents that Sheltered by Ghosts cannot safely manage or cannot answer under engine legality. Card text check required for Get Lost and Soul Shredder; use them only when the visible target is worth slowing the main damage plan. Use Rest in Peace against graveyard-dependent opponents when it trims off their engine more than it harms Boros Mice, which normally cares more about battlefield pressure than graveyard access.

• Counter, discard, and bounce priority: The registered deck has no counterspell, discard spell, or bounce spell, so do not plan around those actions unless Veles exposes a legal temporary effect. If a legal copied or granted counter/discard/bounce action appears, aim it first at the opponent's sweeper, stabilizing removal, lifegain engine, or blocker that invalidates the current attack.

• Bait priority: Lead with Emberheart Challenger, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, or an extra Flowerfoot Swordmaster when the hand contains Manifold Mouse, Valiant Emberkin, Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, or Boros Charm that must resolve later. Do not bait with the only creature that enables a lethal Might of the Meek or double-strike line.

• Ignore priority: Ignore slow value permanents when the visible attack plus Boros Charm clock ends the game before that value matters. Ignore small blockers if Manifold Mouse, Might of the Meek, Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, or double strike makes blocking bad for the opponent; remove the card that stops damage, not the card that merely trades.

Combat And Trading Rules

• Attack priority: Attack whenever the visible board converts creatures into damage without losing the only engine creature needed for the next turn. Boros Mice should force the opponent to answer Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, and Valiant Emberkin on board rather than waiting for perfect spell sequencing.

• Combat trick timing: Prefer casting Might of the Meek after blockers when the legal action remains available, because waiting exposes the opponent's block and reduces blowout risk. Cast Might of the Meek before blockers only when the extra visible power enables an otherwise illegal or clearly stronger attack, presents lethal, or forces blocks that protect the rest of the board.

• Trade priority: Trade replaceable creatures for blockers when the trade opens multiple future attackers or pushes the opponent into Boros Charm range. Decline trades that sacrifice the only Manifold Mouse, the only likely valiant payoff in Valiant Emberkin or A-Heartfire Hero, or the creature carrying Sheltered by Ghosts unless the damage race requires it.

• Blocking priority: Block only to survive, preserve a critical life-total threshold, or set up a lethal crack-back. Against faster aggro, trade early with extra bodies and keep life high enough that Boros Charm can be used offensively rather than defensively. Against slower decks, avoid unnecessary blocks with creatures that will deal damage next turn.

• Life-total thresholds: Treat the opponent at four or less as immediately vulnerable to Boros Charm and treat the opponent within one attack plus Boros Charm as under forced pressure. Treat your own life total as a resource until the opponent's visible attack threatens lethal or forces a bad double-block; then shift from racing to preserving bodies that can still attack back.

• Protection in combat: Save Boros Charm protection for sweepers, lethal combat, or a board that represents lethal next turn, not for a single ordinary trade. Use Shardmage's Rescue, when sideboarded and legal, to protect the attacker or blocker whose survival keeps the race favorable.

• Archetype adjustment: Against creature decks, value Sheltered by Ghosts and Get Lost as tempo tools that remove the blocker or attacker most responsible for combat parity. Against control, maximize damage per turn while holding Boros Charm for reach or protection from a visible sweeper. Against graveyard decks, accept a slightly slower attack only when Rest in Peace prevents a visible graveyard engine from overtaking the battlefield.

Selection And Tutor Rules

• No true tutor rule: Boros Mice has no registered main-deck card that should be treated as a guaranteed library tutor. Use Veles legal actions for any search, reveal, exile-play, draw, rummage, or scry prompt, and do not assume Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, or any creature can find a specific card unless the rules engine exposes that exact selection.

• Pseudo-selection rule: Treat hand-shaping as coming from mulligans, land sequencing, combat-trick timing, and any legal draw/filter prompt created by cards such as Emberheart Challenger or Might of the Meek. Card text check required for exact draw/filter clauses, so prefer the line that keeps pressure on board while converting legal card flow into more creatures, Sheltered by Ghosts, or Boros Charm.

• Land-drop timing: Make the land drop before casting spells when the extra mana changes legal actions this turn, especially for double-spell turns, Sheltered by Ghosts plus creature, or holding Boros Charm after deploying pressure. Delay a land only if Veles exposes a legal selection effect that clearly cares about cards in hand and the land is not needed for any current or near-current action.

• Color selection: Use Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Inspiring Vantage, Plains, Mountain, Rockface Village, and Restless Bivouac to preserve both red and white access before maximizing creature-land utility. Name or choose types only from legal prompts; if Cavern of Souls asks for a creature type, choose the type that makes the visible hand's creatures castable, with Mouse preferred only when it covers the current hand and legal action text supports it.

• Bottom and discard choices: Bottom excess lands after the hand already casts its first two pressure spells and has red-white access. Bottom or discard redundant late one-drops before Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, Manifold Mouse, or the only combat trick when the visible hand already has enough creatures. Keep extra lands when Restless Bivouac activation, double spelling, or post-board interaction such as Get Lost, Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Crystal Barricade, Soul Shredder, or Rest in Peace requires continued mana.

• Exile-play and temporary permission: Use temporary card access immediately when the legal spell advances damage, removes a blocker, or protects a lethal board. Decline or defer a low-impact temporary spell only when casting it would consume mana needed for Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, or a sideboard protection/removal spell that changes combat or survival.

Priority And Stack Rules

• Main-phase priority: Spend mana proactively on Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, and Valiant Emberkin before passing with unused mana unless Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, or a sideboard spell has a visible reason to stay available. This deck loses equity when it gives the opponent time without increasing battlefield pressure.

• Combat priority: Hold Might of the Meek and Boros Charm through declare attackers when legal combat math improves by seeing blocks first. Cast before blockers only when the visible legal action creates lethal, prevents an unfavorable block pattern, or enables an attack that would otherwise be too weak to make.

• Protection window: Use Boros Charm, Shardmage's Rescue, or Shove Aside in response to visible removal or sweeper actions when protecting the board preserves lethal damage, a decisive Sheltered by Ghosts attachment, or the only creature enabling the current attack. Do not protect a replaceable creature if the same mana is needed to kill the opponent or answer a must-remove permanent.

• Removal window: Cast Sheltered by Ghosts or Get Lost before combat when removing a blocker changes attacks this turn. Wait only if the opponent may commit a more important legal target before combat or if holding interaction protects against a visible threat that matters more than immediate damage. Card text check required for exact target ranges and drawbacks.

• Reach window: Use Boros Charm as direct damage when it is lethal or puts the opponent into an unavoidable next attack under the visible board. Prefer double-strike or protection modes only when Veles exposes those modes and the chosen mode produces more damage or survival than four direct damage.

• Optional trigger and payment window: Pay optional costs only when the resulting legal action increases damage, protects tempo, or converts mana that would otherwise go unused. Decline optional payments that tap mana needed for Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, Sheltered by Ghosts, Restless Bivouac, or post-board interaction.

• Activated ability timing: Activate Rockface Village or Restless Bivouac when the legal activation changes combat math, creates lethal pressure, or uses mana that cannot be spent on better spells. Avoid activating a land into open interaction if casting another creature or holding Boros Charm creates a wider and safer clock.

• Stack patience: Let opposing setup spells resolve when the deck has no legal response or when responding does not change the current race. Respond to lifegain, removal, sweeper, graveyard recursion, or blocker-producing actions only when Veles exposes a legal Boros Charm, Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Get Lost, Soul Shredder, or Rest in Peace line that materially improves the visible game state.

Sideboard Map

Compiler-checked exact sideboard candidate for legal validation: Side in: 2 Shardmage's Rescue Cut: 2 Flowerfoot Swordmaster

• Sideboard posture: Use sideboarding to preserve Boros Mice as the beatdown deck while changing which cards protect damage, clear blockers, or stop a specific engine. Do not sideboard into a slow control deck; the post-board plan should still open on Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, or Valiant Emberkin and then convert early pressure into lethal combat or Boros Charm reach.

• Shardmage's Rescue role: Bring Shardmage's Rescue against removal-heavy control, black midrange, damage-based sweepers, spot-removal piles, and any opponent whose visible plan is to trade one-for-one until Boros Mice runs out of creatures. Card text check required for exact protection mode and attachment details, so cast it only when Veles exposes a legal action that protects a high-impact attacker, preserves lethal, or saves a Sheltered by Ghosts board position from a visible answer. Weak when the opponent is racing with creatures, ignoring targets through edicts, or presenting graveyard/combo pressure that must be disrupted instead of protected against.

• Shove Aside role: Bring Shove Aside when the opposing deck relies on removal, bounce, counter-style interaction, combat tricks, or stack interaction that can break up a lethal attack or undo a key permanent. Card text check required for exact target and timing restrictions; treat it as a protection or interaction slot only when legal action text shows it can answer the current opposing spell or ability. Weak when the opponent is mostly creature combat, graveyard inevitability, or battlefield permanents that need Get Lost, Soul Shredder, Rest in Peace, or Crystal Barricade instead.

• Soul Shredder role: Bring Soul Shredder against creature decks, lifelink bodies, large single blockers, graveyard-adjacent threats, or midrange decks where one permanent can halt attacks. Card text check required for exact target range and any ongoing effect; use it only when the rules engine offers a legal action against a visible permanent or threat class. Weak when the opponent is spell-heavy control, combo without battlefield targets, or a low-creature deck where Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, or Rest in Peace affects more decisions.

• Crystal Barricade role: Bring Crystal Barricade when the opponent races on the ground, attacks with early creatures, pressures life total faster than Boros Mice can win, or forces the deck to survive long enough for Boros Charm and pumped attacks to finish. Card text check required for exact stats, cost, and abilities; value it as a defensive stabilizer only if Veles shows it can be cast and the visible battlefield rewards a blocker or protective permanent. Weak when the matchup is about sweepers, countermagic, graveyard engines, or noncombat combo because it may lower damage density without answering the real axis.

• Get Lost role: Bring Get Lost against creature decks with must-answer blockers or attackers, enchantment-based engines, planeswalker-style threats if legal, and midrange boards where one permanent invalidates normal combat. Card text check required for exact Alchemy legality and drawback; use it before combat when removing a blocker unlocks profitable attacks, and use it defensively when the visible threat would otherwise win the race. Weak when giving the opponent any compensation would matter more than the removed permanent or when the matchup has few legal targets.

• Rest in Peace role: Bring Rest in Peace against graveyard recursion, reanimation, escape/flashback-style plans, self-mill, death-trigger loops, and decks whose visible graveyard count or known archetype makes graveyard access a primary resource. Card text check required for exact Alchemy implementation, but treat it as high-impact hate once legal and castable. Weak when the opponent does not rely on the graveyard and the match is decided by board presence, because a non-attacking two-mana play can delay the Boros Mice clock.

Removal-heavy control or sweepers add: 3 Shardmage's Rescue; 4 Shove Aside trim: 3 Brave Meadowguard; 4 Sheltered by Ghosts

• Add role cards: Shardmage's Rescue and Shove Aside should increase the chance that the first credible board survives removal long enough for Boros Charm to end the game. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sheltered by Ghosts is lower priority when the opponent has few creatures or when removal makes an Aura-style tempo plan fragile, and Brave Meadowguard is lower priority when protection plus haste-like pressure matters more than slower body count. Keep Boros Charm because protection or direct damage can be decisive, and keep cheap creatures because pressure is the reason protection is valuable.

Creature aggro or go-wide combat add: 3 Crystal Barricade; 2 Get Lost; 1 Soul Shredder trim: 3 Brave Meadowguard; 3 Recruit Instructor

• Add role cards: Crystal Barricade buys time when racing is unfavorable, Get Lost answers the creature or permanent most responsible for bad attacks, and Soul Shredder adds another way to break parity when the opponent has a single important body. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard and Recruit Instructor can be deprioritized when their bodies do not attack through the opposing board or when spending mana on removal changes combat more. Keep Might of the Meek and Boros Charm because combat math and reach decide close races.

Graveyard engine or recursion add: 2 Rest in Peace; 2 Get Lost trim: 2 Brave Meadowguard; 2 Sheltered by Ghosts

• Add role cards: Rest in Peace should enter when the opponent's graveyard is a visible or expected engine, and Get Lost covers the battlefield permanent that slips through the graveyard hate plan. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard is less important when a hate permanent must be deployed early, and Sheltered by Ghosts is less reliable when the opponent can answer an attachment or when the key threat is the graveyard itself. Do not keep a slow hand just because it contains Rest in Peace; the hate card must pair with a clock.

Permanent-based midrange add: 2 Get Lost; 1 Soul Shredder; 3 Shardmage's Rescue trim: 3 Brave Meadowguard; 3 Recruit Instructor

• Add role cards: Get Lost and Soul Shredder should answer the permanent that blocks attacks, races too quickly, or threatens inevitability, while Shardmage's Rescue protects the creature or board state that makes the removal tempo matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower support creatures are less important than preserving a strong attacker and clearing the one permanent that breaks combat. Keep Sheltered by Ghosts when the opponent presents legal targets and cannot easily punish it, but reduce its priority if visible removal makes the attachment line risky.

Spell-combo or low-permanent decks add: 4 Shove Aside; 3 Shardmage's Rescue trim: 4 Sheltered by Ghosts; 3 Brave Meadowguard

• Add role cards: Shove Aside and Shardmage's Rescue help force through early damage or protect the board from the interactive turn that would otherwise reset the race. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sheltered by Ghosts loses value when the opponent has few legal targets, and Brave Meadowguard loses value when the game is about speed plus stack protection rather than board stalls. Keep Boros Charm as reach and keep the lowest-curve creature density that still allows explosive starts.

• Role-change rule: After sideboarding, Boros Charm becomes more important as a finisher and protection spell because opponents often devote extra resources to surviving the first wave. Do not spend Boros Charm casually if the sideboard plan already reduced raw threat density; preserve it for lethal, sweeper protection, or a combat mode that the rules engine exposes as clearly decisive.

• Over-sideboarding guardrail: Stop adding reactive cards once the opening hands begin lacking early creatures or red-white mana to cast pressure on time. Boros Mice can afford targeted protection, hate, and removal, but it cannot afford to pass early turns without a creature unless Rest in Peace or Crystal Barricade is directly answering the opponent's visible plan.

• Runtime legality rule: Apply these plans only as registered-zone guidance, then obey Veles sideboard validation and legal action output. If card text, target range, or timing is uncertain, keep the sideboard card's use conditional on the legal action text shown by the rules engine rather than assuming a familiar paper effect.

Matchup Guidance

• Aggro mirrors: Race only when the visible board shows your attacks stay ahead after blocks; otherwise use Sheltered by Ghosts, Get Lost, Soul Shredder, or Crystal Barricade to change the race before committing pump. Prioritize one-drop pressure from Flowerfoot Swordmaster or A-Heartfire Hero, then add Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, or Valiant Emberkin according to the legal curve Veles exposes. Preserve Might of the Meek for combat steps where it either saves a key Mouse, turns a trade into damage, or creates lethal pressure. Use Boros Charm as reach when the opponent is forced into blocking, not as an early damage spell that leaves you behind on board. Add role cards: Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, and Soul Shredder. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard and slower support bodies when they do not attack or block profitably.

• Go-wide creature decks: Build a board before forcing attacks, because single pumped creatures can be absorbed by multiple blockers if the rules engine shows unfavorable blocks. Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Valiant Emberkin, and Flowerfoot Swordmaster are most valuable when their visible bodies or generated pressure widen combat math; Card text check required for exact abilities. Use Sheltered by Ghosts or Get Lost on the permanent that makes blocks impossible rather than the first legal target. Hold Might of the Meek until blockers are declared unless precombat use is the only visible lethal line. Add role cards: Crystal Barricade and Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard when tempo and removal matter more than another ordinary attacker.

• Burn decks: Protect life total without abandoning pressure, because Boros Mice wins by making the burn player answer creatures instead of aiming everything at the pilot. Favor hands with cheap creatures plus untapped red-white mana, and avoid slow hands that only contain protection or interaction. Use Shardmage's Rescue or Shove Aside when Veles shows a legal way to preserve the creature that represents the fastest clock or to counter a removal exchange; Card text check required for exact timing and protection mode. Use Boros Charm for lethal reach or to protect against a visible sweeper-like action, but do not spend it early if the opponent's life total is not under real pressure. Add role cards: Shardmage's Rescue and Shove Aside. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard if it is too slow for the race.

• Tempo decks: Sequence threats so the first answer does not strand the whole turn, and prefer plays that force the opponent to spend mana during their own constrained windows. Cavern of Souls can matter if Veles shows a creature cast line that uses it and the opponent has counter-style interaction, but do not assume uncounterability without legal action text. Keep Sheltered by Ghosts conditional, because an attachment or removal line can be punished if the target disappears. Use Boros Charm and Might of the Meek after the opponent commits interaction when possible. Add role cards: Shove Aside and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard or excess support bodies when protecting a smaller number of high-pressure attackers is stronger.

• Removal-heavy decks: Force them to answer multiple waves, not one oversized creature, unless protection is visible and mana is available. Lead with low-cost creatures, then decide whether Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, or Valiant Emberkin gives the best immediate damage under current mana and board. Keep Boros Charm for the turn where it either defeats a sweeper, deals lethal damage, or makes combat survive removal; do not fire it just to use mana. Sheltered by Ghosts is lower priority when the opponent has few creatures or obvious instant-speed removal that can punish the line. Add role cards: Shardmage's Rescue and Shove Aside. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard and Sheltered by Ghosts when protection plus threat density is the post-board axis.

• Control decks: Mulligan toward early pressure plus resilient reach, because a hand that waits for perfect sequencing gives control time to stabilize. Deploy Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, and Valiant Emberkin in a curve that maximizes damage before mass removal becomes plausible. Hold Boros Charm when it can protect a board from a visible sweeper action or finish from low life; use it for damage only when the opponent cannot easily undo the life swing. Add role cards: Shove Aside and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sheltered by Ghosts and Brave Meadowguard when the opponent presents few legal targets and the matchup is about surviving interaction.

• Midrange decks: Identify whether the visible game is about racing, breaking a blocker, or surviving a larger threat, then spend interaction on that axis. Sheltered by Ghosts and Get Lost should target the permanent that most constrains attacks or creates inevitability, while Soul Shredder is for a single permanent or creature pattern that the rules engine shows as important; Card text check required. Do not overextend all creatures into obvious stabilization if current damage plus Boros Charm already pressures lethal. Add role cards: Get Lost, Soul Shredder, and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower support creatures when removal and protection decide combat.

• Big mana decks: Treat the matchup as a clock test unless the opponent's visible permanent demands immediate removal. Keep hands that cast threats on the first two turns and present Boros Charm or Might of the Meek pressure before the opponent's larger game begins. Use Get Lost only when the target visibly changes the race or blocks lethal development; do not slow down for speculative utility. Sheltered by Ghosts is strong only if it removes a blocker or life-swing obstacle that Veles shows as legal. Add role cards: Get Lost and Shove Aside if interaction is expected. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Crystal Barricade unless the opponent is attacking back faster than you can race.

• Combo decks: Maximize speed and preserve disruption only when it protects the clock or stops a visible combo-enabling action. Do not keep a slow reactive hand without early creatures, because Boros Mice has limited ability to police hidden combo pieces. Boros Charm is a primary finisher when the opponent spends early turns setting up. Use Shove Aside or Shardmage's Rescue only against legal stack or removal actions shown by Veles; do not assume they answer the combo without card text and target confirmation. Add role cards: Shove Aside and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sheltered by Ghosts and Brave Meadowguard when the opponent has few battlefield targets.

• Graveyard decks: Deploy Rest in Peace early when graveyard use is visible or strongly indicated, but pair it with a clock so the opponent cannot rebuild through ordinary battlefield play. A hand with Rest in Peace and no early creature is suspect unless the opponent's graveyard engine is already known to be decisive. Keep attacking after hate resolves; the hate card is a time-buying tool, not the win condition. Use Get Lost for the permanent that functions without the graveyard. Add role cards: Rest in Peace and Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard and some Sheltered by Ghosts when graveyard access is the main axis.

• Artifact or enchantment decks: Use Get Lost and Sheltered by Ghosts only on legal targets that Veles confirms, and prefer targets that stop a lock, remove the best blocker, or prevent an engine from outscaling combat. Card text check required for exact target ranges on Get Lost, Sheltered by Ghosts, Soul Shredder, Shove Aside, Shardmage's Rescue, and Crystal Barricade. Keep pressure high because answering one permanent rarely beats an engine by itself. Add role cards: Get Lost and Soul Shredder when their legal target text matches the opposing permanent type. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard when interaction is needed to keep attacks live.

• Single-threat decks: Force the opponent to prove the threat matters before spending the only answer, then remove or bypass it when combat math changes. Sheltered by Ghosts, Get Lost, and Soul Shredder are the key role cards if Veles shows legal target text. If the single threat cannot block profitably or lethal is available through Boros Charm and Might of the Meek, keep attacking instead of pausing for a cleaner answer. Add role cards: Get Lost, Soul Shredder, and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Recruit Instructor or Brave Meadowguard when one protected attacker plus removal is better than wider but stalled development.

Specific Matchup Notes

• General / archetype-only: Use these notes as assumptions until Veles reveals actual cards, and let revealed cards, legal actions, battlefield objects, graveyards, and stack text override every archetype label. Boros Mice should normally begin as the beatdown with Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, and Valiant Emberkin applying pressure, then convert stalled boards with Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, and creature-land pressure from Restless Bivouac when mana allows.

• Against fast creature decks: Prioritize blockers and lifegain swing points only when the race math says a pure attack line loses. Add role cards: Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard or slower support bodies when stabilizing one turn is worth more than another small attacker. Priority targets are evasive attackers, first-strike or pump-enabled blockers, and any permanent that turns opposing attacks into a shorter clock than your own.

• Against removal-heavy or control decks: Preserve threat density and make each protection spell answer a real exchange, not a speculative fear. Add role cards: Shove Aside and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sheltered by Ghosts when legal targets are scarce, and Brave Meadowguard when the game is about forcing through a smaller number of protected attackers. Priority targets are sweepers or spot removal on the stack when Boros Charm, Shove Aside, or Shardmage's Rescue legally interacts; Card text check required for exact Shove Aside and Shardmage's Rescue coverage.

• Against midrange and single-threat decks: Spend Sheltered by Ghosts, Get Lost, or Soul Shredder on the permanent that stops attacks, races fastest, or creates inevitability. Add role cards: Get Lost, Soul Shredder, and Shardmage's Rescue. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Recruit Instructor or Brave Meadowguard when the board rewards one protected attacker plus removal more than wider development. Card text check required for Soul Shredder and for exact target ranges on Get Lost and Sheltered by Ghosts.

• Against graveyard decks: Play Rest in Peace when graveyard use is visible or already known from public information, then keep attacking so hate becomes a clock multiplier rather than a pause button. Add role cards: Rest in Peace and Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Brave Meadowguard and some Sheltered by Ghosts when graveyard containment matters more than battlefield enchantment removal. Priority targets after Rest in Peace are non-graveyard permanents that still block, drain, or race.

• Against combo or big mana decks: Keep the fastest pressure hands and avoid reactive hands that lack early creatures. Add role cards: Shove Aside, Shardmage's Rescue, or Get Lost only when Veles shows legal interaction against the relevant spell or permanent. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Crystal Barricade unless the opponent is also racing with creatures. Priority targets are visible engine permanents, mana-scaling blockers, and stack actions that stop lethal or protect the opponent's decisive turn.

Risk Summary

• Mana risk: The deck needs early red and white access, so hands with only Mountain plus white spells or only Plains plus red-heavy pressure can fail the curve despite appearing aggressive. Captivating Crossroads, Inspiring Vantage, Cavern of Souls, Rockface Village, and Restless Bivouac decisions should favor casting the next two turns of creatures before preserving late utility.

• Matchup risk: Boros Mice can be forced into the wrong role if it blocks too early against control or attacks recklessly against faster creature decks. Re-evaluate role each decision from visible life totals, board size, legal attacks, and known reach from Boros Charm.

• Draw risk: Creature-light hands with Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, and Sheltered by Ghosts can look powerful but fail without bodies. Mulligan or sequence cautiously when the hand lacks an early Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, or Valiant Emberkin.

• Over-sideboarding risk: Adding too many reactive cards can dilute the tribal pressure that makes Boros Mice function. Keep the deck's threat count high unless the opponent's revealed plan makes Rest in Peace, Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, or Soul Shredder immediately relevant.

• Graveyard risk: Rest in Peace may be low impact against decks that only incidentally use the graveyard. Do not keep a slow hand because it contains Rest in Peace unless public information makes graveyard denial decisive.

• Sweeper/removal risk: Committing every creature before the opponent's likely mass-removal turn can lose a winning start. Hold Boros Charm when it can legally preserve the board, and use Shardmage's Rescue or Shove Aside only when Veles confirms a legal protective action.

• Closer risk: Stalled boards require precise reach accounting. Count Boros Charm damage, Might of the Meek combat changes, Sheltered by Ghosts removal lines, Rockface Village utility, and Restless Bivouac attacks before passing a turn that lets the opponent stabilize.

• Interaction risk: Card text check required for Shove Aside, Shardmage's Rescue, Soul Shredder, Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, Sheltered by Ghosts, and several Alchemy-specific creatures when exact legal modes or target ranges matter. Trust Veles legal actions over assumed paper text.

• Sequencing risk: Casting pump or protection before the opponent commits can waste the deck's best leverage. Lead with board development, let Veles expose blocks or stack interaction, then choose Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, Sheltered by Ghosts, Shove Aside, or Shardmage's Rescue when the exchange is visible.

Test Feedback Checklist

• Deciding factor: Identify the exact turn or exchange that decided the game, then record whether Boros Mice won by early pressure, protected pressure, Boros Charm reach, Sheltered by Ghosts tempo, Restless Bivouac pressure, or opponent stabilization.

• Mulligans: Record whether the opening hand had a castable early creature from Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, or Valiant Emberkin, and note if keeping a creature-light hand stranded Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, or Sheltered by Ghosts.

• Mana: Track every missed curve point caused by Plains, Mountain, Inspiring Vantage, Captivating Crossroads, Cavern of Souls, Rockface Village, or Restless Bivouac sequencing, especially hands that could not cast both red and white spells on time.

• Velocity: Measure whether the deck spent turns one through three adding battlefield pressure or holding reactive cards, and flag games where Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Get Lost, Rest in Peace, Crystal Barricade, or Soul Shredder slowed the clock without changing the race.

• Engine pressure: Check whether Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, Brave Meadowguard, and Valiant Emberkin created enough board texture to make Might of the Meek and Boros Charm lethal or force bad blocks. Card text check required for exact creature-specific synergies.

• Removal timing: Record whether Sheltered by Ghosts, Get Lost, or Soul Shredder removed the blocker, engine permanent, or racing threat that mattered most from visible board state, and flag any use on a low-impact target while damage was being missed.

• Protection timing: Record every Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, and Boros Charm defensive use, then judge from public information whether it protected lethal pressure, saved multiple creatures, or merely traded for time. Card text check required for exact legal coverage.

• Sideboard impact: For each post-board game, list which sideboard cards were drawn, cast, stranded, or irrelevant, and note whether adding role cards improved the matchup or diluted the core creature count.

• Closing: Track missed lethal or near-lethal spots involving Boros Charm, Might of the Meek, Rockface Village, Restless Bivouac, and Sheltered by Ghosts, including passes where Veles showed legal attacks or reach but the pilot chose a slower line.

• Role accuracy: Record whether Boros Mice correctly stayed aggressive, shifted into defense, or preserved resources against removal, and note the visible cues that should have changed the role earlier.

• Mistakes: Log any attack, block, target, priority pass, or sideboard decision that contradicted visible life totals, legal actions, stack text, or public graveyard/battlefield information.

• Stranded cards: Count games where Might of the Meek lacked a good creature, Boros Charm lacked a meaningful damage or protection window, Sheltered by Ghosts lacked a legal or worthwhile target, or sideboard cards sat in hand while the opponent advanced.

• Overperformers and underperformers: Name the exact cards that most often converted wins or failed in losses, separating main-deck pressure cards from sideboard role cards.

First Tuning Questions

• Threat density question: Should the deck keep all four copies of Flowerfoot Swordmaster, A-Heartfire Hero, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, Recruit Instructor, and Valiant Emberkin if post-board games show too many reactive hands and too few early attackers?

• Three-copy creature question: Should Brave Meadowguard remain at three copies if it repeatedly stabilizes races, or should its slot be pressured if it is the most common low-impact draw in removal-heavy or combo matchups? Card text check required.

• Pump and reach question: Should Might of the Meek or Boros Charm quantities change if logs show frequent stranded pump without bodies, or frequent missed wins where direct reach or combat scaling would have closed the game?

• Removal aura question: Should Sheltered by Ghosts stay at four copies if it wins creature races and clears blockers, or should the deck reduce main-deck emphasis on it when matchups lack reliable targets or punish aura-speed interaction? Card text check required.

• Mana-base question: Are four Plains, five Mountain, four Inspiring Vantage, four Captivating Crossroads, two Cavern of Souls, one Rockface Village, and one Restless Bivouac producing enough untapped red and white sources for turns one through three?

• Utility-land question: Does Rockface Village or Restless Bivouac win enough stalled games to justify any early tapped or color-pressure costs shown in logs?

• Protection package question: Are Shardmage's Rescue and Shove Aside both needed after sideboard, or does one consistently cover the important removal and sweeper exchanges better? Card text check required for both.

• Creature-race question: Does Crystal Barricade actually change fast creature matchups, or does it lower pressure too much compared with drawing another Mouse or attacker? Card text check required.

• Broad removal question: Does Get Lost answer the permanents that beat Boros Mice, or are games being lost to threats that Get Lost cannot legally or profitably address? Card text check required.

• Graveyard-hate question: Is Rest in Peace high impact in the expected field, or is it appearing in losses where the deck needed another attacker, protection spell, or closer instead?

• Single-slot question: Does Soul Shredder solve a specific recurring problem from public board states, or is the one-copy sideboard slot too narrow for the matchups being tested? Card text check required.

• Role-conflict question: Are post-board plans making Boros Mice too reactive, especially when Shardmage's Rescue, Shove Aside, Crystal Barricade, Get Lost, Rest in Peace, and Soul Shredder enter the same matchup?

• Closing-plan question: If losses often occur after the opponent stabilizes at low life, should tuning favor more reach, more protection for existing reach, or more resilient creature-land pressure from the current mana package?

• Pilot-policy question: If logs show repeated pass-under-pressure, missed attack, or over-block errors, should Veles tactical guidance become stricter about attacking with visible advantage and counting Boros Charm reach before choosing defense?

Veles Tactical Policy

Policy: Keep Creature-First Aggro Hands

• Priority: High
• Decision families: mulligan
• Cards: Flowerfoot Swordmaster; A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Recruit Instructor; Valiant Emberkin; Brave Meadowguard; Might of the Meek; Boros Charm; Sheltered by Ghosts
• Phase windows: opening hand and mulligan decisions.
• Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible opening hand; land count; spell colors.
• Use when: the hand has two or three lands, at least one castable early creature, and a path to spend mana on turns one and two.
• Avoid when: the hand has no creature, one land with no visible castable sequence, four or more lands without pressure, or only pump/removal/reach spells.
• Instructions: Prioritize a stable red-white curve over raw card count; Boros Mice wins by establishing bodies before Might of the Meek, Boros Charm, and Sheltered by Ghosts matter.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Bottom Reactive Extras After Mulligan

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mulligan
• Cards: Might of the Meek; Boros Charm; Sheltered by Ghosts; Shardmage's Rescue; Shove Aside; Get Lost; Rest in Peace; Crystal Barricade; Soul Shredder
• Phase windows: London mulligan bottom selection.
• Runtime cues: prompt:bottom; visible hand after mulligan.
• Use when: the kept hand needs a functional curve and contains more noncreature interaction than early pressure.
• Avoid when: the matchup or visible opening hand requires a specific sideboard card to prevent an immediate loss.
• Instructions: Preserve lands and the first two castable creatures; bottom duplicate reactive cards before trimming the only pressure source.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Establish First Mouse Or Attacker

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: priority
• Cards: Flowerfoot Swordmaster; A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Recruit Instructor; Valiant Emberkin; Brave Meadowguard
• Phase windows: turns one and two main phases.
• Runtime cues: action:cast; empty or low-pressure battlefield; untapped land available.
• Use when: a legal creature spell advances the board before holding combat tricks or protection.
• Avoid when: visible mana cannot support the spell without damaging a higher-priority same-turn play, or the stack contains a must-answer threat.
• Instructions: Cast early creatures before keeping mana for Boros Charm or protection unless visible information makes survival more important than pressure.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Cast Single Legal One-Drop Creature

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: priority
• Cards: Flowerfoot Swordmaster; A-Heartfire Hero
• Phase windows: first main phase on turn one.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Flowerfoot Swordmaster; action:cast A-Heartfire Hero
• Use when: exactly one legal action casts Flowerfoot Swordmaster or A-Heartfire Hero, no other nonland spell can be cast, and the battlefield is empty.
• Avoid when: more than one creature spell is legal, a land-play decision is still pending, or opponent stack action exists.
• Instructions: Take the single legal one-drop creature action to start pressure.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Fix Colors Before Utility

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana
• Cards: Plains; Mountain; Inspiring Vantage; Captivating Crossroads; Cavern of Souls; Rockface Village; Restless Bivouac
• Phase windows: land play and mana payment decisions.
• Runtime cues: action:play; action:pay; visible hand color requirements.
• Use when: multiple land or payment actions are legal and the current hand needs both red and white mana by turn two or three.
• Avoid when: a utility-land activation or creature-land line is the only visible lethal or survival path.
• Instructions: Sequence untapped red-white access first; treat Rockface Village and Restless Bivouac as payoff lands after the curve is stable.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Name Mouse When Cavern Supports Creatures

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: mana
• Cards: Cavern of Souls
• Phase windows: Cavern of Souls type choice.
• Runtime cues: action:choose Mouse; prompt:choose creature type
• Use when: the legal action text includes choose Mouse for Cavern of Souls and the visible hand contains at least one creature from this deck.
• Avoid when: Mouse is not a legal visible choice or the rules engine presents a different exact registered creature type requirement.
• Instructions: Choose Mouse only when the action text explicitly offers it.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Spend Pump To Convert Damage

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: Might of the Meek; Manifold Mouse; Recruit Instructor; Valiant Emberkin; Brave Meadowguard; Emberheart Challenger; Flowerfoot Swordmaster; A-Heartfire Hero
• Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage setup.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Might of the Meek; action:target; visible attackers and blockers.
• Use when: combat math from visible board state shows a pump spell changes lethal damage, wins a key trade, or preserves an attacker.
• Avoid when: the target can be removed by visible stack action, the attack is already lethal without spending the card, or the pump only adds low-impact damage into a stalled board.
• Instructions: Use Might of the Meek as damage conversion, not decoration; count existing power, blockers, and Boros Charm reach before committing.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Boros Charm Lethal Or Protection Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority, interaction, combat
• Cards: Boros Charm
• Phase windows: combat, end step, response to removal or sweeper, final main phase.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Boros Charm; visible life totals; stack contains removal or sweeper-like text.
• Use when: Boros Charm can immediately end the game, protect a decisive board, or create a combat result that cannot be recovered by waiting.
• Avoid when: the opponent is not under lethal pressure, the mode text is unclear, or saving mana for visible interaction has higher survival value.
• Instructions: Treat Boros Charm as reach first and protection second; Card text check required for exact mode wording and legal coverage.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Cast Boros Charm At Opponent For Exact Lethal

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority, interaction
• Cards: Boros Charm
• Phase windows: any priority window with legal cast action.
• Runtime cues: action:target opponent Boros Charm; action:cast Boros Charm
• Use when: the legal action text targets opponent with Boros Charm and the opponent life total is 4 or less.
• Avoid when: opponent life total is 5 or more, target opponent is not in the legal action text, or a prevention/replacement prompt is visible.
• Instructions: Choose the opponent-targeting Boros Charm action when it is exact visible lethal.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Remove The Blocker That Changes The Race

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: interaction, combat
• Cards: Sheltered by Ghosts; Get Lost; Soul Shredder
• Phase windows: precombat main phase, combat trick window, opponent end step.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Sheltered by Ghosts; action:cast Get Lost; action:cast Soul Shredder; visible blockers or engine permanents.
• Use when: a legal removal action clears lethal damage, stops a visible engine, or prevents a race-losing attack.
• Avoid when: the target is low-impact, the removal exposes the pilot to a worse visible crack-back, or Card text check required prevents knowing the target class.
• Instructions: Spend removal on board states that change combat or survival; Card text check required for exact targeting and consequences.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Protect Decisive Pressure

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: interaction, priority
• Cards: Shardmage's Rescue; Shove Aside; Boros Charm
• Phase windows: response to removal, combat trick window, sweeper response.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Shardmage's Rescue; action:cast Shove Aside; action:cast Boros Charm; stack targets own permanent.
• Use when: visible stack text threatens a creature or board state that is needed for lethal damage, survival, or continued pressure.
• Avoid when: the protected permanent is replaceable and spending protection prevents a stronger same-turn attack or lethal line.
• Instructions: Protect the board only when the saved resource matters to the next combat cycle; Card text check required for exact coverage.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Attack Before Passing With Pressure

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: Flowerfoot Swordmaster; A-Heartfire Hero; Brave Meadowguard; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Recruit Instructor; Valiant Emberkin; Restless Bivouac
• Phase windows: beginning of combat and declare attackers.
• Runtime cues: action:attack; visible untapped attackers; opponent life total and blockers.
• Use when: attacking preserves the aggressive role and visible blockers do not create a clearly losing exchange.
• Avoid when: racing math shows the pilot must hold blockers, a key creature would die for no meaningful damage, or the legal attack set requires judgment across multiple options.
• Instructions: Keep pressure high, but route multi-attacker combat through reasoning because creature identity and crack-back risk matter.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Single Forced No-Block

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: declare blockers.
• Runtime cues: action:no blocks
• Use when: action:no blocks is the only legal blocker action and the rules engine lists no alternative block action.
• Avoid when: any action:block text is present or the prompt contains prevention, sacrifice, or protection options.
• Instructions: Select no blocks only when it is the sole legal blocker action.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Do Not Pass Through Lethal Setup

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority, combat, interaction
• Cards: Boros Charm; Might of the Meek; Sheltered by Ghosts; Rockface Village; Restless Bivouac
• Phase windows: precombat, combat, postcombat, opponent end step.
• Runtime cues: action:pass; action:cast; action:activate; visible life totals and attackers.
• Use when: legal non-pass actions may create lethal, prevent lethal, or force the opponent to answer immediately.
• Avoid when: all legal actions are low-impact, mana must be held for a visible stack threat, or the board state requires waiting for opponent commitment.
• Instructions: Count damage from attackers, pump, reach, and utility lands before passing priority.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Sideboard Without Diluting Threat Density

• Priority: High
• Decision families: sideboard
• Cards: Shardmage's Rescue; Shove Aside; Soul Shredder; Crystal Barricade; Get Lost; Rest in Peace; Flowerfoot Swordmaster; A-Heartfire Hero; Emberheart Challenger; Manifold Mouse; Recruit Instructor; Valiant Emberkin; Brave Meadowguard; Might of the Meek; Boros Charm; Sheltered by Ghosts
• Phase windows: sideboarding after game one or game two.
• Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; matchup label; previous game public logs.
• Use when: selecting post-board configuration from legal sideboard actions.
• Avoid when: a proposed plan trims too many early creatures, adds narrow cards without a visible matchup reason, or exceeds registered quantities.
• Instructions: Add role cards for the opponent's proven axis while preserving the early creature core; Rest in Peace is for graveyard reliance, Get Lost and Soul Shredder for permanent problems, Crystal Barricade for creature races, and Shardmage's Rescue or Shove Aside for removal-heavy games. Card text check required for exact sideboard-card coverage.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Graveyard Hate Commitment Gate

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: sideboard, priority, interaction
• Cards: Rest in Peace
• Phase windows: sideboarding and early main phases after boarding.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Rest in Peace; public graveyard count; matchup plan.
• Use when: public information or matchup guidance shows graveyard resources are central enough to spend a noncreature slot.
• Avoid when: the opponent is racing on battlefield and Rest in Peace does not affect visible pressure.
• Instructions: Cast Rest in Peace early only when graveyard denial is worth slowing the Boros Mice clock.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes