veles-content/strategies/legacy/legacy_saga_storm/1/guide.md

Strategy Specifications

Deck Name And Archetype

• Identity: Saga Storm is a Legacy artifact-storm combo deck built around fast black mana, artifact mana, discard, tutors, and Urza's Saga pressure or setup. The registered name is Saga Storm, the active format is Legacy, and the cleaned archetype tags are combo, storm, and artifact.

• Validation status: The registered list is 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards, matching the active Legacy deck construction contract supplied for this guide. The main deck contains 4 Vault of Whispers, 2 Badlands, 2 Beseech the Mirror, 4 Urza's Saga, 4 Thoughtseize, 1 Tendrils of Agony, 1 Swamp, 1 Polluted Delta, 1 Gaea's Will, 4 Mox Opal, 3 Mishra's Bauble, 4 Lotus Petal, 4 Lion's Eye Diamond, 4 Infernal Tutor, 4 Duress, 4 Dark Ritual, 1 City of Traitors, 4 Chrome Mox, 2 Burning Wish, 1 Ad Nauseam, 4 Wishclaw Talisman, and 1 Skateboard. The sideboard contains 1 Beseech the Mirror, 1 Tendrils of Agony, 2 Surge Node, 1 Peer into the Abyss, 1 Debt to the Deathless, 1 Cabal Therapy, 2 Feed the Swarm, 1 Echo of Eons, 2 Fatal Push, 1 Grafdigger's Cage, and 2 Shattering Spree.

• Stock status: Treat this as a rogue or hybrid Saga Storm shell, not as a stock Legacy storm list. The deck blends discard-heavy black storm tools such as Thoughtseize, Duress, Dark Ritual, Infernal Tutor, Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, and Tendrils of Agony with an artifact density and Urza's Saga package that can create pressure, enable Mox Opal, and locate artifact engines when the rules engine exposes legal lines.

• Role status: The default role is proactive combo with discard protection, but the deck can briefly become a Saga artifact midrange deck when Urza's Saga, Mox Opal, Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Vault of Whispers, Wishclaw Talisman, Surge Node, and Skateboard create board-based resources. Do not overvalue combat damage as the main plan unless visible legal actions and board state show that Urza's Saga Construct pressure is the fastest available route.

• Legality concerns: The user-supplied format-aware validation result says the list passes, so Veles should not reject the deck specification on construction grounds. Card text check required for Skateboard and Surge Node before relying on detailed tactical assumptions, because the guide must not invent exact text or legality behavior for unusual or less commonly modeled cards.

• Mana concerns: The mana base is explosive and fragile because Badlands, Swamp, Polluted Delta, Vault of Whispers, City of Traitors, Urza's Saga, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, and artifact counts all shape whether a line can cast discard, activate or cast tutors, and finish with Tendrils of Agony. Runtime decisions must count visible mana, floating mana, imprint costs, Metalcraft status, Lion's Eye Diamond timing, City of Traitors sacrifice risk, and whether Urza's Saga is about to leave the battlefield.

• Strategic uncertainty: Opponent information is not supplied for this specification batch, so matchup labels, known hate, and post-board assumptions must remain conditional until Veles receives public match context, visible permanents, revealed cards, or logged prior-game information. Do not name opponent cards in policy Cards: fields unless they are registered in Saga Storm; if future sections need metagame examples, keep them in prose or prefix them as opponent: where policy formatting requires it.

• Runtime authority: Legal actions from the rules engine override this guide, visible board state narrows this guide, and hidden information must never be assumed. The pilot should use this specification to rank legal choices, not to synthesize actions, targets, storm counts, tutor results, or mana payments that Forge or Veles has not explicitly exposed.

Thesis

• Assemble a protected storm turn by converting discard, fast black mana, artifact mana, and tutors into a lethal Tendrils of Agony line. The cleanest wins use Thoughtseize or Duress to clear interaction, then chain Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Mishra's Bauble, Infernal Tutor, Wishclaw Talisman, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, or Gaea's Will until Tendrils of Agony is legal and lethal by visible storm count and life totals.

• Prioritize deterministic mana and tutor math over speculative value. Count black mana, artifact count for Mox Opal, Chrome Mox imprint costs, Lion's Eye Diamond timing, storm count, hand size, life total for Ad Nauseam, and whether the final tutor can access Tendrils of Agony from main deck or sideboard before committing.

• Use Urza's Saga as a resource engine, backup threat, and artifact-enabler, not as the default victory plan. Construct pressure matters when the combo is disrupted or when Saga-created artifacts turn on Mox Opal and tutor lines, but the deck should not drift into fair combat if a protected storm kill or decisive engine setup is available.

• Treat Wishclaw Talisman and Beseech the Mirror as commitment gates. Wishclaw Talisman can create a winning line, but activating it without winning or locking the opponent out may hand the opponent a tutor effect; Beseech the Mirror should be used only when the rules engine exposes legal casting, bargain, and search/cast choices that advance the selected storm line.

• Use disruption as combo protection first and attrition second. Thoughtseize and Duress should normally reveal whether a combo turn is safe, remove the most relevant visible or revealed blocker, and help decide whether to go now, wait for mana, or shift into Urza's Saga pressure.

• Do not try to play a long generic control game. This deck has discard and sideboard interaction, but it is not built to answer every permanent, win through repeated topdeck exchanges, or preserve resources indefinitely; prioritize windows where the deck can convert temporary information and mana into a win.

Role Package

• Threats: Tendrils of Agony is the primary lethal threat, usually after a high storm count rather than as a small stabilizing drain. Urza's Saga can produce Construct threats and pressure planes or life totals when visible combo resources are insufficient. Debt to the Deathless is a sideboard payoff for Burning Wish or sideboarded games only when legal access and mana make it better than Tendrils of Agony. Skateboard requires card text check before assigning exact combat, artifact, or engine roles.

• Payoffs: Tendrils of Agony converts storm count into the normal kill, so every pre-kill action should be evaluated by whether it increases storm, mana, card access, or safety. Burning Wish can access sideboard payoffs such as Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Debt to the Deathless, Echo of Eons, Cabal Therapy, Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, Shattering Spree, Beseech the Mirror, Grafdigger's Cage, or Surge Node only when Veles exposes a legal wish selection; do not assume a sideboard card is available before the engine presents it.

• Engines: Lion's Eye Diamond plus Infernal Tutor is a central empty-hand tutor engine when the legal timing and mana are visible. Wishclaw Talisman is a slower tutor engine that should generally find the winning card or a card that immediately creates a winning state. Beseech the Mirror is a high-impact tutor/cast engine when bargain and target spell choices are legal. Urza's Saga supplies artifact density, Constructs, and possible artifact access through rules-engine choices.

• Velocity: Mishra's Bauble is cheap storm and information flow, especially with artifact-count needs, but it should not be held if casting it enables Mox Opal or a lethal storm sequence. Ad Nauseam is a major draw engine when life total, mana floating, and remaining deck risk make continuing plausible. Peer into the Abyss and Echo of Eons are sideboard velocity options that require explicit legal access and careful assessment of mana, hand state, and opponent benefit.

• Interaction: Thoughtseize and Duress are proactive protection and information tools. Fatal Push, Feed the Swarm, Shattering Spree, Cabal Therapy, and Grafdigger's Cage are sideboard interaction modules for creature pressure, problematic permanents, artifact-heavy boards, revealed hand disruption, and graveyard or library-action constraints when those roles are relevant.

• Protection: Discard is the main protection suite, so the pilot should use revealed information to identify whether the combo turn can beat the opponent's available interaction. Protection also includes sequencing: preserve Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, and Dark Ritual until they produce a complete line or force the opponent to act at an inefficient point.

• Recursion: Gaea's Will is the main recursion payoff and should be treated as a commitment spell that reuses graveyard mana, artifacts, discard, tutors, and Tendrils of Agony only if visible graveyard contents, mana, and storm math justify going now. Echo of Eons can reset resources from the sideboard, but it may also help the opponent, so use it as a chosen recovery or combo line rather than generic card draw.

• Mana: Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Vault of Whispers, Badlands, Swamp, Polluted Delta, City of Traitors, and Urza's Saga form the mana package. Prioritize black access, artifact count, and one-turn explosiveness; account for City of Traitors risk and Chrome Mox card disadvantage before spending irreplaceable resources.

• Sideboard modules: Beseech the Mirror, Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Debt to the Deathless, Echo of Eons, and Cabal Therapy extend wish and combo lines. Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, Grafdigger's Cage, and Shattering Spree answer specific opposing pressure or hate. Surge Node requires card text check before tactical reliance.

Primary Win Conditions

• Kill with Tendrils of Agony when visible storm count and opponent life total make the drain lethal. Set up with Thoughtseize or Duress, then convert Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Mishra's Bauble, Infernal Tutor, Wishclaw Talisman, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, or Gaea's Will into enough spells, mana, and access to Tendrils of Agony.

• Prioritize Lion's Eye Diamond plus Infernal Tutor when the line can empty the hand, preserve enough mana, and tutor for the exact payoff or engine piece. Execute only after checking that cracking Lion's Eye Diamond will not strand required cards in hand, lose needed colored mana, or remove the ability to cast the tutored card.

• Prioritize Ad Nauseam when life total is high enough, black mana is available after casting it, and the remaining deck can realistically produce Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Dark Ritual, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, or Tendrils of Agony. Avoid low-life Ad Nauseam unless waiting is visibly worse or the rules engine exposes a near-certain lethal continuation.

• Prioritize Gaea's Will when the graveyard already contains mana, tutors, discard, artifacts, or Tendrils of Agony and the deck can convert replayed cards into a kill this turn. Treat it as a commitment line: opposing graveyard pressure, insufficient mana, or a graveyard without meaningful resources should push the pilot toward another tutor or Saga plan.

• Prioritize Wishclaw Talisman only when the activation finds a card that wins now, creates an immediate forced win, or removes a visible blocker before the opponent can profit from controlling Wishclaw Talisman. Do not activate it for generic setup if the opponent will untap with a tutor and the Veles state does not show a winning continuation.

• Use Burning Wish as a payoff bridge when sideboard Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Echo of Eons, Debt to the Deathless, Beseech the Mirror, Cabal Therapy, Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, Shattering Spree, Grafdigger's Cage, or Surge Node is legally selectable and tactically relevant. For kills, sideboard Tendrils of Agony is the default wish target when storm math is lethal; Peer into the Abyss or Echo of Eons are engine choices only when mana and risk justify continuing.

Secondary Win Conditions

• Win with Urza's Saga Constructs when the opponent has disrupted the storm line or when combat pressure creates a faster, safer clock than forcing an underprotected combo turn. Artifact density from Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Mishra's Bauble, Vault of Whispers, Wishclaw Talisman, and Saga-created artifacts can make Constructs meaningful without abandoning the combo plan.

• Use Urza's Saga to bridge stalled combo hands by creating pressure while improving artifact count for Mox Opal and future storm turns. Protect black mana and tutor density while making Constructs; do not spend the whole hand on a fair board if a one-turn Tendrils of Agony setup is close.

• Use small Tendrils of Agony only when life gain materially changes survival or when partial drain plus Construct pressure creates a clear two-step kill. Do not burn Tendrils of Agony for low impact if it is the only visible primary payoff and tutors cannot reliably recover another payoff.

• Use Debt to the Deathless as a sideboard or wish-accessible alternate payoff only when the rules engine presents legal access and mana makes it superior to Tendrils of Agony. Treat exact text, scaling, and color requirements as runtime-checked; do not assume it kills through unknown interaction.

• Use Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, Shattering Spree, Grafdigger's Cage, and Cabal Therapy as sideboard tools that reopen the primary plan rather than as a plan to become a control deck. Their job is to answer visible hate, pressure, artifacts, graveyard issues, or revealed interaction long enough for the combo engine to finish.

• Treat Skateboard as an unassigned fallback permanent until card text is verified. Card text check required; use it only according to legal actions and visible rules-engine text.

Emergency Lines

• When behind on life, reduce reliance on Ad Nauseam and look for deterministic Tendrils of Agony, Burning Wish into Tendrils of Agony, or Gaea's Will lines that gain life or end the game immediately. If no kill exists, prioritize discard only when it stops the next visible lethal or protects a near-term kill.

• When behind on board, use Urza's Saga Constructs to block or race only if that buys a real combo window. Sideboarded Fatal Push, Feed the Swarm, or Shattering Spree should answer the permanent that most directly stops the kill or ends the game; do not spend removal on low-pressure targets while a hate piece or lethal attacker remains.

• When behind on cards, favor engines that convert one card into many decisions: Infernal Tutor with Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman for an immediate payoff, Beseech the Mirror when bargain is legal, Gaea's Will with stocked graveyard, or sideboard Echo of Eons when the reset is worth helping the opponent.

• When behind on mana, preserve Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, and Dark Ritual until they form a complete line. Avoid sacrificing City of Traitors value or imprinting crucial business cards under Chrome Mox unless the resulting mana enables a clear engine or kill.

• When graveyard recursion is shut off or empty, stop planning around Gaea's Will and win through hand-based tutor chains, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, or Urza's Saga pressure. If sideboard Grafdigger's Cage or opposing graveyard constraints are present, rely on Veles legal actions before assuming any graveyard line works.

• When Tendrils of Agony is discarded, exiled, unavailable, or not enough by storm count, pivot to Burning Wish for sideboard Tendrils of Agony if legal, Wishclaw Talisman or Beseech the Mirror for alternate payoff access, or Urza's Saga Constructs. If both Tendrils of Agony copies are inaccessible, pressure and sideboard Debt to the Deathless become emergency payoff paths only when legally exposed.

Resource Model

• Convert life into cards only when the payoff window is immediate. Ad Nauseam is strongest at high life totals, but every Thoughtseize, opposing attack, fetch from Polluted Delta, or small Tendrils of Agony line changes whether more cards are worth the life risk.

• Convert hand into mana and storm when the line is already coherent. Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Dark Ritual, Mishra's Bauble, and zero- or low-cost artifacts are resources to spend on a kill turn, not trophies to deploy automatically into open uncertainty.

• Convert hand disruption into time and certainty. Thoughtseize and Duress should clear the card that stops the selected line, reveals whether to commit, and tells the pilot whether Wishclaw Talisman can be activated without giving the opponent a better untap.

• Convert board presence into both artifact count and pressure. Vault of Whispers, Urza's Saga, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman, and Saga Constructs can make Mox Opal reliable while also threatening a non-storm kill.

• Convert graveyard contents into a second hand only when Gaea's Will is legal and stocked. Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, discard, tutors, Mishra's Bauble, and Tendrils of Agony in the graveyard matter; an empty graveyard or visible graveyard constraint should move planning toward Ad Nauseam, Burning Wish, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, or Urza's Saga.

• Convert exile cautiously because this deck can exile its own options. Chrome Mox imprint choices and any resolved Gaea's Will exile consequences should be treated as permanent strategic costs; do not exile Tendrils of Agony, Ad Nauseam, Burning Wish, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, or Gaea's Will unless the runtime line wins or clearly requires it.

• Convert lands into color, artifact count, and timing. Badlands, Swamp, Polluted Delta, and Vault of Whispers support black spells; Badlands and Lotus Petal support red Burning Wish and Shattering Spree; City of Traitors and Urza's Saga supply colorless tempo but can leave black-heavy hands short.

• Convert sacrifice fodder into bargain or mana only after the engine names the legal cost. Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mishra's Bauble, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Vault of Whispers, Wishclaw Talisman, and Saga artifacts can be expendable, but the pilot must preserve enough mana, storm, artifacts, and tutor access after paying costs.

• Convert tempo into either a protected kill or an Urza's Saga clock. If the opponent is slow or disrupted, taking a turn to make Constructs or deploy Wishclaw Talisman may be correct; if the opponent threatens lethal or hate, the deck should bias toward immediate discard, removal, or combo.

• Convert sideboard bullets into narrow resource fixes. Fatal Push and Feed the Swarm buy survival or remove hate, Shattering Spree answers artifacts, Grafdigger's Cage contests graveyards, Cabal Therapy adds discard density, Surge Node is conditional on visible text and board context, and sideboard Beseech the Mirror, Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Echo of Eons, and Debt to the Deathless are Burning Wish or post-board payoff resources.

Mana Guide

• Prioritize black mana before all other colors. Dark Ritual, Thoughtseize, Duress, Infernal Tutor, Wishclaw Talisman, Beseech the Mirror, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Tendrils of Agony, Fatal Push, Feed the Swarm, Cabal Therapy, Peer into the Abyss, and Debt to the Deathless all depend on black access or black-heavy turns.

• Preserve red mana when Burning Wish or Shattering Spree is part of the plan. Badlands, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox with a red imprint if legal, and any runtime-exposed red source should be sequenced so Burning Wish can still find the sideboard card and the deck can cast it afterward when required.

• Treat Mox Opal as conditional mana until metalcraft is visibly satisfied. Vault of Whispers, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Mishra's Bauble, Wishclaw Talisman, Urza's Saga tokens, and other artifacts can enable it, but do not plan a line that needs Mox Opal mana unless the current state shows enough artifacts after costs are paid.

• Sequence Lion's Eye Diamond around Infernal Tutor and Burning Wish with exact mana accounting. Crack Lion's Eye Diamond only when discarding the hand is part of the legal line and the floating mana can cast the tutored or wished payoff through the remaining steps.

• Use Chrome Mox as acceleration when the imprint cost does not remove the only route to action. Imprinting redundant discard or extra business can be right; imprinting the only tutor, payoff, or color source is a commitment that needs a clear payoff line.

• Use Lotus Petal as flexible color fixing before it is free storm. Spending Lotus Petal early for discard or Wishclaw Talisman is acceptable when it creates protection or a deterministic next turn, but holding it often preserves red for Burning Wish or black for the kill turn.

• Play Vault of Whispers early when artifact count and black mana matter. Its artifact status improves Mox Opal and Saga Constructs, but it is also exposed as a permanent; preserve nonartifact black sources if the visible board suggests artifact pressure.

• Play Urza's Saga when the hand needs a delayed artifact engine, Construct pressure, or a future searchable artifact. Do not rely on it for black mana, and avoid making it the only early land in hands that must cast Thoughtseize, Duress, Dark Ritual, or Infernal Tutor on schedule.

• Play City of Traitors only when the colorless burst is needed before another land drop. If the hand requires multiple land turns, delay City of Traitors until it accelerates Wishclaw Talisman, Urza's Saga activations, artifact deployment, or a combo turn that can absorb losing it.

• Fetch Polluted Delta before draw effects when deck thinning or black access is required now. Delay the fetch when Mishra's Bauble information or known top-card context makes the draw-step decision more valuable, and respect life total before Ad Nauseam.

• Cast Mishra's Bauble before a planned shuffle only when the information changes whether to fetch, tutor, or wait. Hold Bauble when it is needed as artifact count for Mox Opal, bargain fodder for Beseech the Mirror, storm count, or a post-Gaea's Will replay resource.

• Make land drops before drawing only when mana is needed for the current legal action or the hand has no meaningful draw-dependent land choice. Delay land drops until after Mishra's Bauble delayed draw, Echo of Eons, Ad Nauseam reveals, or other visible draw effects when the next card could change whether Badlands, Swamp, Vault of Whispers, City of Traitors, Polluted Delta, or Urza's Saga is the correct land.

Mulligan Guide

• Strong keeps start with black mana, acceleration, and a real payoff path. Keep hands such as Badlands, Dark Ritual, Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Duress, Lotus Petal, Mox Opal when the visible matchup rewards a protected fast kill, because discard plus ritual mana plus tutor plus Lion's Eye Diamond can become Tendrils of Agony, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Beseech the Mirror, or Burning Wish depending on legal actions.

• Strong keeps also include Urza's Saga plus artifact density when the hand can function without drawing black immediately. Keep Urza's Saga, Vault of Whispers, Mox Opal, Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Wishclaw Talisman, Thoughtseize when the plan is discard on turn 1, Saga pressure, and a tutor turn, but do not treat this as a guaranteed storm hand unless mana and tutor legality are already visible.

• Medium keeps have protection and mana but need one draw step for a payoff. Keep Swamp, Duress, Thoughtseize, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mishra's Bauble on the draw more often than on the play, because the hand can disrupt first and use Bauble or the draw step to find Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Wishclaw Talisman, or Tendrils of Agony.

• Risky keeps rely on Urza's Saga or City of Traitors as the only early land. Keep only when the hand has multiple zero-mana artifacts and a clear nonblack development path; ship when the hand needs Thoughtseize, Duress, Dark Ritual, Infernal Tutor, Wishclaw Talisman, Beseech the Mirror, or Ad Nauseam before finding black mana.

• Automatic ships lack mana, lack action, or fold to their own costs. Ship seven-card hands with no land and no Mox Opal metalcraft path, hands with only Lion's Eye Diamond as mana and no legal payoff, hands with Tendrils of Agony but no acceleration or tutor, and hands where Chrome Mox must imprint the only business spell just to cast a low-impact card.

• Matchup-dependent keeps change with speed and hate pressure. Against fast creature pressure, value hands with Fatal Push or Feed the Swarm post-board only if they also have black mana and a combo plan; against slower disruption, value Thoughtseize, Duress, Wishclaw Talisman, Urza's Saga, and redundant tutors over fragile all-in Lion's Eye Diamond lines.

• Play/draw decisions reward discard differently. On the play, prefer hands that cast Thoughtseize or Duress before committing Wishclaw Talisman or Lion's Eye Diamond; on the draw, accept slightly slower hands with Mishra's Bauble, Urza's Saga, or extra discard because the extra card improves payoff density.

• Trap hands look explosive but cannot finish. Treat double Lion's Eye Diamond plus Infernal Tutor without black mana, multiple Mox Opal without three artifacts, Burning Wish without red mana, Ad Nauseam at a pressured low life total, and Beseech the Mirror without a legal bargain plan as hands that need close runtime checking, not automatic keeps.

• Unknown-text hands require caution around Skateboard. Card text check required for Skateboard; keep or ship decisions involving it should depend on the rules engine's legal actions rather than assumed combo value.

Turn Arc

• Turn 1 should either protect, accelerate into a legal kill, or establish Urza's Saga. Prefer Thoughtseize or Duress before exposing Wishclaw Talisman, Infernal Tutor, Lion's Eye Diamond, or Ad Nauseam unless the legal action list already contains a deterministic win.

• Turn 1 all-in lines need exact mana and storm math. Use Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, Gaea's Will, Ad Nauseam, or Tendrils of Agony only when the visible legal sequence either wins now or leaves a protected, high-probability next turn.

• Turn 1 development should make Mox Opal real without wasting key resources. Deploy Vault of Whispers, Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, and Mox Opal when they enable discard or Wishclaw Talisman, but hold Lotus Petal or Lion's Eye Diamond if spending them removes red for Burning Wish or black for the payoff turn.

• Turn 2 is the default pivot turn for Wishclaw Talisman and Urza's Saga pressure. If discard cleared the way, cast or activate Wishclaw Talisman only when the chosen card can be used before the opponent benefits from the exchange; if Urza's Saga is ticking, decide whether Construct pressure, artifact count, or chapter search best supports the combo.

• Turn 2 deviations prioritize survival and hate answers. Use Fatal Push, Feed the Swarm, Shattering Spree, or discard post-board when the visible board threatens lethal, lock pieces, or a faster opposing combo; do not spend the turn cantripping with Mishra's Bauble if a known permanent or hand card demands action.

• Turn 3 should convert accumulated artifacts and graveyard into a kill attempt or a dominant Saga board. Prefer Infernal Tutor plus Lion's Eye Diamond, Burning Wish for a sideboard payoff, Beseech the Mirror with a legal bargain, Gaea's Will with stocked graveyard, or Ad Nauseam when life total and mana support continuing.

• Turn 3 deviations preserve inevitability when the opponent is constrained. If discard has stripped interaction and Urza's Saga is producing lethal Construct pressure, avoid forcing a storm line into open mana unless waiting loses to visible pressure, known hate, or a shrinking Ad Nauseam life total.

• Turns 4-5 require discipline because resources become public and life total matters. Use Urza's Saga Constructs, Wishclaw Talisman, Burning Wish, and Beseech the Mirror to assemble a protected payoff, but account for every artifact sacrificed, every Chrome Mox imprint, every Lion's Eye Diamond discard, and every Gaea's Will exile consequence.

• Turns 4-5 against pressure favor concrete stabilization into combo. Remove must-answer creatures or hate with Fatal Push, Feed the Swarm, or Shattering Spree when legal, then win before the opponent's next attack if the board clock beats Saga Constructs or Ad Nauseam becomes unsafe.

• Late game shifts from speed to exact resource reconstruction. Count graveyard spells for Gaea's Will, sideboard access for Burning Wish, remaining Tendrils of Agony access, available black and red mana, visible artifacts for Mox Opal, and whether Wishclaw Talisman activation gives the opponent a meaningful untap.

• Late game emergency wins can come from non-storm pressure. When storm is cut off by visible constraints, build Urza's Saga Constructs, use discard to protect attacks, and keep tutor lines available for Tendrils of Agony, Debt to the Deathless, Peer into the Abyss, Echo of Eons, or another legal payoff only when the engine exposes the required action.

Card Roles

• Thoughtseize is the highest-information protection spell and the cleanest way to decide whether to commit. Cast it before exposing Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, or Ad Nauseam when the hand can still win after paying 2 life; hold it only when the current legal action list already shows a winning line or when life total makes Ad Nauseam materially worse. Prioritize cards that stop the current kill, remove hate permanents before they resolve, or race faster combo; do not take a generic threat over visible interaction unless the board clock is lethal or nearly lethal.

• Duress is the low-cost protection spell that preserves life for Ad Nauseam. Lead with Duress over Thoughtseize when both are legal and the main fear is a noncreature answer, a combo piece, a lock spell, or a counterspell; use Thoughtseize first when the opponent's relevant card could be a creature or when the visible matchup makes creature-based hate likely. Duress also improves Wishclaw Talisman turns because it can clear the most dangerous answer before giving the opponent future access to the artifact.

• Dark Ritual is the primary black burst and should be saved for a payoff turn unless it creates a protected development that matters. Use it to cast Ad Nauseam, power Infernal Tutor chains, enable Beseech the Mirror, activate Wishclaw Talisman with follow-up mana, or convert Gaea's Will into a real turn. Do not spend Dark Ritual just to cast discard plus a stranded artifact if the remaining hand cannot win or rebuild.

• Lotus Petal is flexible storm, color fixing, and metalcraft support. Deploy it early when it enables Thoughtseize, Duress, Mox Opal, Wishclaw Talisman, or a same-turn tutor, but hold it when the combo turn needs a specific red source for Burning Wish or a black source after Lion's Eye Diamond discards the hand. Count Lotus Petal as both mana and a spell for Tendrils of Agony math, not as a free resource to throw away.

• Chrome Mox is acceleration with a real card-cost decision. Imprint the least essential redundant colored card only when the resulting mana advances protection, tutor access, or a near-term win; avoid imprinting the only Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, Beseech the Mirror, Gaea's Will, or Tendrils of Agony unless the legal line already compensates. Chrome Mox is strongest in hands with duplicate discard, duplicate tutor effects, or a clear need to turn on Mox Opal quickly.

• Mox Opal is powerful only when metalcraft is visible or immediately reachable. Sequence Vault of Whispers, Lotus Petal, Mishra's Bauble, Chrome Mox, Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman, and Urza's Saga tokens around Mox Opal so the mana appears before the decisive spell, not after. Do not assume Mox Opal makes mana in planner logic unless the engine's visible battlefield and legal actions confirm three artifacts.

• Lion's Eye Diamond is the highest-risk combo mana and a commitment marker. Use it with Infernal Tutor when Hellbent or the discard is part of the plan, with Burning Wish when the wish target can be cast from floating mana, or with Gaea's Will when discarded cards become usable from the graveyard. Avoid activating Lion's Eye Diamond before the relevant spell or ability timing is legal; never discard a protected hand just to create mana without a visible payoff.

• Infernal Tutor is the main deterministic tutor when Hellbent is reachable. Pair it with Lion's Eye Diamond to find Tendrils of Agony, Gaea's Will, Ad Nauseam, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, or the missing mana piece according to legal action text and storm count. Without Hellbent, use Infernal Tutor as a duplicate finder only when the copied card materially improves the next turn; do not reveal a weak duplicate just because mana is available.

• Wishclaw Talisman is a tutor engine that must win quickly or be protected before the opponent gets value. Cast it as development when discard has reduced opposing interaction or when Urza's Saga/artifact count makes the body of artifacts useful; activate it when the searched card can be used immediately or when the opponent cannot meaningfully exploit the exchange. Common searches are Infernal Tutor, Lion's Eye Diamond, Dark Ritual, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Tendrils of Agony, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, or a sideboard-answer line after boarding, but always choose from visible legal needs rather than a fixed script.

• Beseech the Mirror is a tutor and payoff bridge that depends on bargain and exact mana. Treat it as a commitment spell when it can legally find and cast Gaea's Will, Tendrils of Agony, Ad Nauseam, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, or an answer; treat it as slower selection when bargain is unavailable. Bargain artifacts such as Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman, Vault of Whispers, or Urza's Saga tokens only if losing that permanent does not break metalcraft, storm mana, or the backup Saga plan.

• Burning Wish is the maindeck bridge to sideboard payoffs and answers. Use it as a kill card when it can get Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Debt to the Deathless, Echo of Eons, or Beseech the Mirror with the visible mana to continue; use it as interaction only when Feed the Swarm, Shattering Spree, Cabal Therapy, Fatal Push, or Grafdigger's Cage access is legally relevant after sideboarding rules and card types permit. Preserve red mana for Burning Wish turns because the rest of the deck is mostly black and artifact-based.

• Ad Nauseam is the life-total payoff and should be cast when life, mana, and follow-up spell density justify the risk. Prefer it after discard clears the way and before creature pressure makes life too low; avoid it when visible board damage, Thoughtseize life loss, or prior Ad Nauseam reveals make continuation unlikely. After resolving it, prioritize zero-mana artifacts, Dark Ritual, Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, and Tendrils of Agony lines that are actually legal from the new hand.

• Gaea's Will is the graveyard conversion engine and should be treated as a planned storm turn, not a value spell. Set it up with used Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, discard, Mishra's Bauble, tutors, and Lion's Eye Diamond so the graveyard contains mana plus action; sequence replayed cards so exile replacement effects do not strand needed resources. Be careful with artifacts sacrificed before and after Gaea's Will because the deck may need metalcraft, red mana, or black mana at specific points.

• Tendrils of Agony is the primary maindeck kill and the storm-count checkpoint. Cast it only when copies plus life drain are lethal, stabilizing enough to survive, or part of a line that the engine shows as legal and strategically necessary. Do not expose Tendrils of Agony to discard from Lion's Eye Diamond unless Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, or Gaea's Will will recover access.

• Mishra's Bauble is a free artifact, delayed card, bargain material, and storm count. Play it early to enable Mox Opal, increase artifact count for Urza's Saga Constructs, or stock Gaea's Will, but hold it if the extra spell is needed on the kill turn or if sacrificing it to Beseech the Mirror gives a cleaner bargain. Use its information only according to rules-engine output; do not infer hidden cards beyond what the engine reveals.

• Urza's Saga is a backup threat, artifact engine, and tutor land. Develop it when the hand needs pressure, metalcraft, or a slower artifact search; prioritize Construct creation when the opponent is pressured or removal-light, and prioritize chapter search when Lion's Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, Mox Opal, Mishra's Bauble, or Wishclaw Talisman access changes the combo turn. Remember that Urza's Saga eventually leaves the battlefield, so do not rely on it as permanent mana through a delayed combo turn.

• Vault of Whispers is both black source support and artifact count. Play it early to turn on Mox Opal, improve Beseech the Mirror bargain options, and grow Urza's Saga Constructs, but account for vulnerability to artifact hate after sideboarding. Badlands, Swamp, Polluted Delta, and City of Traitors provide nonartifact mana texture: use Badlands for Burning Wish access, Swamp for stable black through artifact hate, Polluted Delta for fixing when legal, and City of Traitors for explosive artifact or tutor turns while respecting its sacrifice drawback.

• Skateboard requires rules-engine caution. Card text check required; treat every keep, tutor, cast, bargain, and sacrifice decision involving Skateboard as conditional on the exact legal actions exposed by Veles, and do not assume it is mana, protection, payoff, or a combo piece without visible confirmation.

Interaction Priorities

• Clear the card that stops the current legal line first. Use Thoughtseize and Duress to remove visible permission, discard, prison pieces, or hate before committing Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Wishclaw Talisman, or Tendrils of Agony. Prefer the card that interacts with the exact spell being cast this turn over a stronger generic card that does not stop the current sequence.

• Prioritize stack interaction before payoff spells. If the hand is ready to win, take opponent: Force of Will, opponent: Daze, opponent: Flusterstorm, opponent: Mindbreak Trap, opponent: Surgical Extraction, or any visible equivalent before taking creatures or value engines. If multiple answers are present, remove the one that remains live after the planned mana sequence; opponent: Daze matters less when extra mana is visible, while opponent: Mindbreak Trap can matter even through mana abundance.

• Prioritize permanent hate before development turns. If the plan is Wishclaw Talisman, Urza's Saga, Mox Opal, or graveyard setup into Gaea's Will, take visible hate that blocks artifacts, graveyards, tutors, or storm before taking slow card advantage. When the opponent already has hate on board, pivot interaction toward Burning Wish or Beseech the Mirror lines that can access Feed the Swarm, Shattering Spree, Fatal Push, Cabal Therapy, Grafdigger's Cage, Echo of Eons, Peer into the Abyss, Debt to the Deathless, Beseech the Mirror, or Tendrils of Agony only if the engine exposes the relevant legal action.

• Treat Lion's Eye Diamond as the most important bait and commitment card. Cast lower-risk artifacts such as Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Vault of Whispers, and Wishclaw Talisman before asking whether the opponent spends interaction, but do not activate Lion's Eye Diamond until the legal spell or tutor sequence makes the discard beneficial or recoverable. If the opponent can answer only one payoff, bait with Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, or Wishclaw Talisman when a stronger Infernal Tutor or Ad Nauseam line remains available.

• Ignore threats that do not change the combo clock. Against creature decks, discard the hate or lethal clock piece before ordinary attackers; this deck can often win through damage if Ad Nauseam life remains high enough and Tendrils of Agony is reachable. Against control, ignore slow removal and creature combat unless it answers Urza's Saga Constructs or forces an immediate Ad Nauseam life crisis. Against graveyard decks, only spend discard or sideboard access on their engine when racing is slower than disruption.

• Remove or answer permanents only when they affect legality, survival, or the chosen engine. Feed the Swarm should address enchantments or creatures that block the active combo path or force lethal pressure; Shattering Spree should address artifacts that stop mana, storm, or artifact development; Fatal Push should address creatures that shorten the clock enough to make Ad Nauseam, Urza's Saga, or setup turns unsafe. Do not use sideboard answers merely to trade resources if a legal win line is already available.

• Preserve discard for the decisive turn when information is stale. Early Thoughtseize and Duress are good when the hand needs time or must know whether to develop Urza's Saga or Wishclaw Talisman; late discard is stronger when the combo turn is assembled and opposing draw steps may have found new interaction. Use Mishra's Bauble information only as shown by Veles and do not infer hidden cards beyond rules-engine output.

Combat And Trading Rules

• Treat combat as a clock-management problem, not the primary plan. Saga Storm normally wins with Tendrils of Agony, Burning Wish lines, Beseech the Mirror lines, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, or tutor chains, so attacks and blocks should preserve mana artifacts, life total, and engine timing unless Urza's Saga Constructs create a real backup kill.

• Attack with Urza's Saga Constructs when pressure does not compromise the combo. Construct attacks are valuable against slow control, discard-heavy opponents, or hands where Wishclaw Talisman gives the opponent time if the game drags. Hold Constructs back when blocking protects an Ad Nauseam life total, buys a Gaea's Will setup turn, or prevents lethal damage before Tendrils of Agony is ready.

• Preserve artifact count before trading Constructs. Vault of Whispers, Mox Opal, Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Lion's Eye Diamond, Wishclaw Talisman, Urza's Saga tokens, and Skateboard can all affect metalcraft, Construct size, bargain, storm, or tutor lines. Trade a Construct only when the life saved matters more than the lost clock and artifact body; do not sacrifice artifact permanence for small damage if Mox Opal or Beseech the Mirror depends on it.

• Protect life total aggressively when Ad Nauseam is the planned payoff. Thoughtseize already spends life, and creature pressure lowers the number of safe reveals, so block earlier against fast decks when the hand needs Ad Nauseam to win. When Tendrils of Agony, Infernal Tutor plus Lion's Eye Diamond, or Burning Wish is already lethal, ignore nonlethal attacks unless they disrupt mana or force a rules-engine loss.

• Race differently by archetype. Against combo, creature combat is mostly irrelevant unless Urza's Saga presents a fast clock while discard slows them. Against control, Constructs are a legitimate pressure plan that can force action before the storm turn. Against creature tempo, preserve life, black mana, and artifact count while using discard to clear interaction. Against prison or artifact-hate decks, value nonartifact mana from Badlands, Swamp, Polluted Delta, and City of Traitors more highly and avoid relying on a single large Construct plan.

• Do not block with engine permanents unless Veles shows them as creatures and the trade is essential. Wishclaw Talisman, Mox Opal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, and Mishra's Bauble are combo resources first. Skateboard requires Card text check required; attack, block, tap, sacrifice, or preserve Skateboard only according to visible legal actions and confirmed rules text.

Selection And Tutor Rules

• Use selection to convert temporary mana into a deterministic win, not to accumulate generic value. Infernal Tutor, Wishclaw Talisman, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Urza's Saga, and Mishra's Bauble should be sequenced around the exact visible resources Veles reports: mana, storm count, hand size, graveyard access, artifact count, and available black sources.

• Treat Infernal Tutor plus Lion's Eye Diamond as the cleanest primary tutor line when hellbent is reachable. Cast Infernal Tutor, retain priority only if Veles exposes the legal Lion's Eye Diamond activation before Infernal Tutor resolves, then use Lion's Eye Diamond for the color that makes the found card castable. Find Tendrils of Agony when storm is lethal, Ad Nauseam when life and mana support a reload, Gaea's Will when the graveyard contains enough mana and tutors, or Burning Wish/Beseech the Mirror only when those legal follow-up lines are better than the direct win.

• Use Wishclaw Talisman only when the searched card matters before the opponent receives meaningful use of the Talisman. Prefer activating it on the combo turn, after discard has cleared interaction, or when the found card immediately wins or answers a blocking permanent. Do not give away Wishclaw Talisman for a slow setup card unless the visible board shows the opponent cannot exploit it before the next decisive turn.

• Use Burning Wish as a sideboard access tutor with strict purpose. Find Tendrils of Agony when a sideboard storm payoff is needed, Peer into the Abyss when mana and life allow a large draw line, Echo of Eons when Lion's Eye Diamond or graveyard context makes a wheel legal and desirable, Shattering Spree or Feed the Swarm when a visible permanent blocks the combo, Cabal Therapy when a discard effect is needed and legal information supports naming, Beseech the Mirror when a sideboard tutor is the correct bridge, and Debt to the Deathless only when Veles shows enough mana and the line is lethal or stabilizing.

• Use Beseech the Mirror as a commitment tutor when bargain is available without breaking the engine. Bargain artifacts can include temporary or redundant pieces, but preserve Mox Opal metalcraft, Lion's Eye Diamond combo access, Wishclaw Talisman activations, and Urza's Saga Construct size when those resources are still needed. If bargain is not legal or not tactically acceptable, treat Beseech the Mirror as slower selection rather than an automatic payoff.

• Use Urza's Saga tutoring as setup for mana or engine texture. Search Lion's Eye Diamond when Infernal Tutor, Gaea's Will, or Echo of Eons lines are forming; search Lotus Petal or Mox Opal when immediate colored mana is the bottleneck; search Mishra's Bauble when information, storm count, or artifact count is more important than mana. Wishclaw Talisman has mana value two and is not an Urza's Saga target.

• Use Mishra's Bauble information only as public rules-engine output. Bauble can add storm, artifact count, and delayed draw, but it should not be held so long that it weakens Mox Opal, Urza's Saga, or Beseech the Mirror. Crack it before committing if the visible top-card information can affect discard timing, Ad Nauseam risk, or whether to wait.

• Make land drops after checking whether City of Traitors or Urza's Saga timing constrains the turn. Prefer holding a land only when Veles shows a real reason, such as protecting City of Traitors, preserving storm sequencing, or delaying the third chapter of Urza's Saga; otherwise develop black mana sources so Thoughtseize, Duress, Dark Ritual, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, and Tendrils of Agony remain castable.

Priority And Stack Rules

• Pass priority on harmless opponent actions unless they change the combo clock, remove a key permanent, counter a payoff, or resolve hate that blocks the selected line. Saga Storm has little instant-speed interaction in the main deck, so most meaningful priority decisions are about activating mana, sacrificing Lion's Eye Diamond, cracking Mishra's Bauble, or choosing whether to continue a storm chain.

• Activate Lion's Eye Diamond only at stack windows where discarding the hand is part of the plan. The highest-value window is while Infernal Tutor is on the stack and hellbent is desired, or while a legal Echo of Eons, Gaea's Will, Burning Wish, or payoff sequence can use the generated mana immediately. Do not activate Lion's Eye Diamond merely to float mana if the remaining hand contains necessary spells that will be discarded.

• Cast discard before payoff spells when interaction is plausible and mana permits it. Thoughtseize and Duress should clear opponent: Force of Will, opponent: Daze, opponent: Flusterstorm, opponent: Mindbreak Trap, graveyard interaction, artifact hate, or removal for Urza's Saga pressure before committing Ad Nauseam, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Beseech the Mirror, Gaea's Will, or Tendrils of Agony.

• Let mana abilities and rituals resolve in the order that preserves colored requirements. Dark Ritual should usually be cast before black-intensive tutors or Tendrils of Agony, while Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Badlands, Swamp, Vault of Whispers, Polluted Delta, and City of Traitors should be tapped or sacrificed according to the exact legal costs Veles presents. Preserve at least one usable black source when the stack still contains or will require Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, or Tendrils of Agony.

• Treat Ad Nauseam as a life-total and priority commitment. Cast it when the opponent's relevant stack interaction has been checked, life total supports enough reveals, and floating mana or zero-mana artifacts can turn the new cards into a win. Stop relying on Ad Nauseam if visible pressure, Thoughtseize life loss, or known top-card risk makes the reveal chain too dangerous.

• Treat Gaea's Will as a graveyard timing commitment. Cast it when the graveyard already contains enough Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Dark Ritual, discard, tutors, or payoff access to justify giving every spell a one-turn permission window. Do not fire Gaea's Will into visible graveyard hate unless the line wins through the hate or first answers it.

• Resolve Urza's Saga triggers with the engine plan in mind. Make Constructs when artifact count creates a real clock or blocker, but prioritize the chapter-three search when it finds the missing combo piece. Do not sacrifice or tap artifacts before Saga-based sizing, metalcraft, or tutor needs are checked.

• Use sideboard interaction at the last safe window that still preserves legality. Fatal Push should answer a creature that creates lethal pressure or blocks the combo clock; Feed the Swarm should answer a visible creature or enchantment stopping the line; Shattering Spree should be saved for artifacts that materially constrain mana, storm, tutors, or survival. Skateboard requires Card text check required; respond with it only according to confirmed legal actions and visible rules text.

Sideboard Map

• Priority: protect the Burning Wish package while sideboarding. Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Debt to the Deathless, Cabal Therapy, Echo of Eons, Shattering Spree, Feed the Swarm, and Beseech the Mirror all change value depending on whether they remain accessible to Burning Wish. If a plan moves a singleton wish target into the main deck, the pilot should recognize that Burning Wish may lose that exact sideboard option for the game.

• Beseech the Mirror: use as a sideboard tutor upgrade in slower interactive matchups where discard can clear counters and bargain artifacts are expendable. It is strongest against blue control, black discard mirrors, and permanent-heavy decks where finding Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, or Tendrils of Agony matters more than raw speed. It is bad when bargain costs would break Mox Opal metalcraft, remove the only Lion's Eye Diamond line, or leave no mana after tutoring.

• Tendrils of Agony: keep as the primary Burning Wish payoff unless the matchup rewards a second main-deck kill card against discard, surgical effects, or long games. Add it to the main only when the pilot expects the first Tendrils of Agony to be discarded, exiled, or unreachable. It is bad as a main-deck addition when speed and card density matter more than payoff redundancy.

• Surge Node: use as Urza's Saga support when the game is expected to hinge on Saga timing, artifact count, and Construct pressure rather than a pure turn-one or turn-two storm kill. Card text check required for exact counter interactions, so only follow legal actions Veles exposes. It is low priority against fast combo, heavy artifact removal, or decks where a non-mana artifact that does not immediately disrupt the opponent is too slow.

• Peer into the Abyss: keep as a Burning Wish high-ceiling draw payoff for grindy or discard-heavy matchups where seven mana is realistic through Dark Ritual, Lion's Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, and City of Traitors. It is bad against very fast pressure, low life totals, and open stack interaction unless discard has cleared the way. Treat it as a commitment card, not a setup cantrip.

• Debt to the Deathless: preserve as a Burning Wish payoff for very high mana or life-swing situations. Card text check required for exact mana scaling and kill math; use it only when Veles shows enough mana and legal targeting for lethal or survival. It is bad when the plan needs storm count, graveyard recursion, or cheap payoff access.

• Cabal Therapy: add against combo and blue decks when revealed information, Mishra's Bauble context, prior discard, or matchup knowledge makes a name materially better than blind guessing. It is also a Burning Wish discard option when Thoughtseize and Duress are not enough. It is bad when the opponent's relevant cards are unknown and the game is about speed rather than hand disruption.

• Feed the Swarm: add against enchantments or creatures that stop storm, mana, graveyard use, or combat survival. Use it for visible permanents such as opponent: Leyline of the Void, opponent: Deafening Silence, opponent: Counterbalance, opponent: Collector Ouphe, or a lethal creature threat; keep opponent examples prefixed in policy contexts. It is bad when the opponent presents no permanent hate and life loss or sorcery speed creates risk.

• Echo of Eons: keep as a Burning Wish or Lion's Eye Diamond recovery engine when the hand empties quickly or discard fights over the first tutor. It is strong against discard attrition and games where graveyard access is available. It is bad into visible graveyard hate, opponent flashback denial, or when wheeling gives the opponent a better interaction hand before Saga Storm can continue.

• Fatal Push: add against creature pressure, hate creatures, and tempo decks where a single creature forces a faster combo than the hand supports. It is strongest against opponent: Delver of Secrets, opponent: Dragon's Rage Channeler, opponent: Orcish Bowmasters, opponent: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and similar visible pressure or tax pieces. It is bad against spell-only combo and control decks with few legal targets.

• Grafdigger's Cage: add when the opponent's engine depends on graveyard casting, library creature deployment, or recursion, while Saga Storm can still win through hand-based rituals, artifacts, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, and Tendrils of Agony. It is bad when Gaea's Will and Echo of Eons are central to the selected plan or when the opponent does not use the affected zones. Do not play it before checking whether it blocks the current Saga Storm line.

• Shattering Spree: add against artifact prison, artifact mana mirrors, and decks with visible artifacts that stop storm or mana development. Use it to answer opponent: Chalice of the Void, opponent: Trinisphere, opponent: Thorn of Amethyst, opponent: Grafdigger's Cage, or artifact creatures that create lethal pressure. It is bad against creature-only hate, enchantment hate, and matchups where red mana is unreliable.

Fast blue tempo Side in: 2 Fatal Push; 1 Cabal Therapy; 1 Beseech the Mirror Cut: 1 Skateboard; 1 Mishra's Bauble; 1 Chrome Mox; 1 Burning Wish

Artifact prison Side in: 2 Shattering Spree; 2 Feed the Swarm; 1 Beseech the Mirror Cut: 3 Mishra's Bauble; 1 Thoughtseize; 1 Burning Wish

Graveyard combo Side in: 1 Grafdigger's Cage; 1 Cabal Therapy; 1 Tendrils of Agony Cut: 1 Skateboard; 1 Mishra's Bauble; 1 Burning Wish

Permanent-heavy fair decks Side in: 2 Feed the Swarm; 2 Fatal Push; 1 Beseech the Mirror Cut: 1 Skateboard; 3 Mishra's Bauble; 1 Chrome Mox

Storm or spell combo mirror Side in: 1 Cabal Therapy; 1 Tendrils of Agony; 1 Echo of Eons Cut: 1 Skateboard; 1 Mishra's Bauble; 1 Burning Wish

Slow discard or control Side in: 1 Beseech the Mirror; 1 Tendrils of Agony; 1 Peer into the Abyss; 1 Echo of Eons Cut: 1 Skateboard; 1 Mishra's Bauble; 1 Chrome Mox; 1 Burning Wish

• Archetype rule: against blue interaction, Add role cards: Cabal Therapy, Beseech the Mirror, Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, Echo of Eons. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Skateboard, Mishra's Bauble, one fast-mana card only when the curve remains functional, and extra Burning Wish copies when the wishboard must stay stocked.

• Archetype rule: against creature pressure, Add role cards: Fatal Push and Feed the Swarm. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow information artifacts and uncertain text cards before reducing discard, because Thoughtseize and Duress still clear counterspells, hate, and removal for Urza's Saga Constructs.

• Archetype rule: against prison permanents, Add role cards: Shattering Spree, Feed the Swarm, and Beseech the Mirror. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Mishra's Bauble and fragile speed cards before reducing the black tutor core, because the post-board game is about answering a visible lock piece and then winning immediately.

• Archetype rule: against graveyard hate, keep Gaea's Will and Echo of Eons conditional. If Grafdigger's Cage is added for the opponent, avoid building the game plan around Saga Storm's own graveyard permissions unless Veles shows that Cage does not stop the selected legal line or can be removed first.

• Archetype rule: preserve at least one clean payoff route. Do not configure a game where Burning Wish has no meaningful sideboard target and the main deck has only one fragile Tendrils of Agony line unless the matchup demands maximum interaction and Veles confirms an alternate route through Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, Beseech the Mirror, or Urza's Saga pressure.

Matchup Guidance

• Aggro: race with discard only when it buys a full turn, then convert artifact mana into Tendrils of Agony before combat damage decides the game. Prioritize hands with Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, or Ad Nauseam over hands that merely make Urza's Saga Constructs too slowly. Add role cards: Fatal Push and Feed the Swarm for visible hate creatures or a creature clock that forces early action. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Mishra's Bauble and Skateboard, with Card text check required for Skateboard before relying on it as a stabilizer or engine card. Keep Thoughtseize life loss in mind against creature starts; Duress is cleaner when the visible problem is a noncreature spell.

• Burn: protect life total as a combo resource, not a cushion. Thoughtseize, Ad Nauseam, Peer into the Abyss, Feed the Swarm, and City of Traitors tempo all become more dangerous as life drops, so prefer Duress, fast mana, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, and deterministic Tendrils of Agony lines when legal. Add role cards: Tendrils of Agony when the second payoff improves access to a lifegain kill, and Fatal Push only when the opposing creature damage is visible and relevant. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Mishra's Bauble setups and any line that passes with no meaningful protection or clock.

• Tempo: treat the matchup as a fight over one protected combo window. Thoughtseize and Duress should take the card that stops the selected legal line, not the most expensive card in hand; if Veles shows only creature pressure and no known interaction, prioritize speed. Add role cards: Fatal Push for visible early threats and Cabal Therapy when prior discard, Mishra's Bauble information, or public decisions make the name grounded rather than blind. Add role cards: Beseech the Mirror and Tendrils of Agony when games become discard-heavy and payoff redundancy matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Skateboard, one Mishra's Bauble, and excess Burning Wish reliance if red mana or sideboard access is under pressure.

• Control: spend discard to create a clear turn, then commit only when the payoff chain can beat the visible stack and known hand. Wishclaw Talisman is powerful but dangerous if activating it gives the opponent a meaningful untap or tutor window; use it when the same turn can convert the card found into a win or when the opponent is constrained. Add role cards: Cabal Therapy, Beseech the Mirror, Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, and Echo of Eons. Reduce main-deck emphasis: the lowest-impact artifact setup and one fragile acceleration slot if the hand can still produce black mana reliably. Use Urza's Saga pressure as a secondary plan when the opponent overloads on permission, but do not let Construct combat distract from a protected storm kill.

• Combo: prioritize speed plus discard, and assume the opponent can win if given an uncontested turn unless Veles shows otherwise. Thoughtseize and Duress should take the opponent's engine, payoff, or protection according to visible hand information; Cabal Therapy improves when a revealed card, prior discard, or public tutor makes the name reliable. Add role cards: Cabal Therapy and the second Tendrils of Agony for redundancy; add Grafdigger's Cage only when it disrupts the opponent more than it disrupts Gaea's Will or Echo of Eons. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Skateboard and slow Mishra's Bauble lines before reducing Dark Ritual, Lion's Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, or Infernal Tutor.

• Storm mirror or spell combo: make the opponent discard first when the hand can still win quickly afterward. Duress is often better than Thoughtseize if life matters less than preserving black count and storm resources, but Thoughtseize can hit creatures or unusual engines if legal targets show that need. Burning Wish should preserve access to Tendrils of Agony, Echo of Eons, Cabal Therapy, Peer into the Abyss, or Debt to the Deathless according to the mana and storm state. Card text check required for exact Debt to the Deathless kill math; use it only when Veles confirms legal mana and targeting.

• Midrange: expect discard, removal, and permanent pressure to stretch the game, so value redundant tutors and payoff density. Wishclaw Talisman, Beseech the Mirror, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Gaea's Will, and Urza's Saga all matter because the first attempt may be disrupted. Add role cards: Beseech the Mirror, Tendrils of Agony, Feed the Swarm, and Fatal Push when creatures or hate permanents are visible. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Mishra's Bauble and Skateboard before cutting discard, because Thoughtseize and Duress clear both interaction and hate. Do not overvalue Construct combat into visible removal-heavy boards unless the combo hand lacks a near-term path.

• Removal-heavy decks: shift some pressure to spells and discard rather than relying on Urza's Saga Constructs to carry the match. Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, and Vault of Whispers still support fast storm turns even when creatures die. Add role cards: Beseech the Mirror, Tendrils of Agony, Peer into the Abyss, and Echo of Eons for attrition recovery. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-combat assumptions from Urza's Saga, not the artifact mana core. Fatal Push is only needed when the removal-heavy opponent also presents creatures that shorten the clock or hate creatures that stop the combo.

• Big mana: win before the opponent's high-impact permanents invalidate discard. Thoughtseize and Duress are strongest early because later topdecks can outscale single-card disruption. Add role cards: Shattering Spree if visible artifacts are the mana engine or prison layer, Feed the Swarm if a visible enchantment or creature permanent blocks storm, and Beseech the Mirror when the matchup is slower but still demands a decisive turn. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Mishra's Bauble lines and uncertain Skateboard use. Do not keep a hand that only disrupts once and lacks a tutor, payoff, or Urza's Saga clock.

• Graveyard decks: decide whether Grafdigger's Cage is a hate card or a liability before committing. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage, Cabal Therapy, and Fatal Push only if the opponent's visible or known plan uses the affected zones or creature engine. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Gaea's Will and Echo of Eons planning when Grafdigger's Cage or opponent graveyard hate makes those lines questionable. If the hand already has Lion's Eye Diamond plus Infernal Tutor for a non-graveyard kill, prefer that over a slower hate-piece game. If Burning Wish can find Echo of Eons, confirm that graveyard access and timing are legal before selecting the line.

• Artifact/enchantment decks: answer the permanent that stops the combo, then win before another lock piece arrives. Add role cards: Shattering Spree for artifacts, Feed the Swarm for enchantments or creatures, and Beseech the Mirror for post-answer threat density. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Mishra's Bauble and slow setup that does not beat a visible lock. Against opponent: Chalice of the Void, opponent: Trinisphere, opponent: Thorn of Amethyst, opponent: Leyline of the Void, opponent: Deafening Silence, or opponent: Counterbalance, use Veles legal actions to confirm whether Feed the Swarm, Shattering Spree, discard, or a fast mana line can actually operate through the restriction. Do not assume Lion's Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, or Dark Ritual can be cast through a visible tax or prohibition unless the engine exposes the legal action.

• Go-wide decks: ignore small combat math only when the hand can win before the next attack. Fatal Push is less valuable against many small bodies unless it removes a hate creature or buys the exact turn needed. Feed the Swarm matters for permanent-based hate, not for ordinary board control unless Veles shows the creature target is decisive. Urza's Saga Constructs can block or race, but the main plan is still storm through Dark Ritual, artifact mana, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, and Tendrils of Agony. Add role cards: Fatal Push and Feed the Swarm when the board state proves they change the clock or unlock combo.

• Single-threat decks: remove or race the one threat according to clock and disruption. Fatal Push is high value when one visible creature creates the short clock; Thoughtseize and Duress are high value when the threat is backed by interaction. Add role cards: Fatal Push, Cabal Therapy with reliable information, and Beseech the Mirror for a resilient kill turn. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Mishra's Bauble and speculative Urza's Saga-only hands. If the single threat is a permanent that stops spells, use Feed the Swarm or Shattering Spree according to permanent type and visible legality, then commit immediately if a payoff line is available.

Specific Matchup Notes

• General/archetype-only note: revealed cards override every matchup assumption. Treat the opponent's public zones, discard-revealed hand, companion/registered-deck signal, and Veles legal actions as higher authority than these labels; when the visible game contradicts an archetype read, choose the line that beats the visible card or clock.

• Blue permission shells: prioritize Thoughtseize and Duress before committing Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, or Burning Wish. Add role cards: Cabal Therapy when information is reliable, Beseech the Mirror for extra must-answer action density, and the second Tendrils of Agony when a single payoff is too vulnerable. Priority targets are visible counterspells, discard, lock permanents, and effects that stop graveyard or storm execution. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow Mishra's Bauble and uncertain Skateboard use before reducing fast mana.

• Fast combo: take the opponent's fastest deterministic engine or protection first, then win before draw steps rebuild. Add role cards: Cabal Therapy, Tendrils of Agony, and sometimes Grafdigger's Cage only if it does not shut off your selected Gaea's Will or Echo of Eons plan. Priority targets are revealed payoff cards, mana accelerants, and protection that beats Thoughtseize or Duress. Do not keep a hand that interacts once but lacks a credible tutor, payoff, or Urza's Saga clock.

• Permanent-hate decks: identify whether the blocking card is artifact, enchantment, creature, graveyard hate, tax, or spell prohibition before selecting an answer. Add role cards: Feed the Swarm for visible enchantments or creatures, Shattering Spree for visible artifacts, Fatal Push for hate creatures, and Beseech the Mirror for post-answer pressure. Priority targets include opponent: Chalice of the Void, opponent: Trinisphere, opponent: Thorn of Amethyst, opponent: Deafening Silence, opponent: Leyline of the Void, and opponent: Counterbalance when actually visible or strongly revealed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow cantrip artifacts and Saga-only clocks that cannot beat the lock.

• Creature tempo: preserve life total enough for Ad Nauseam and racing, but do not turn into a fair removal deck. Add role cards: Fatal Push for hate creatures or a short clock, Feed the Swarm for permanent hate, and Beseech the Mirror when games go longer. Priority targets are the card that creates the fastest clock, the card that protects interaction, or the hate permanent that blocks storm. Urza's Saga Constructs can buy turns, but the kill still comes from Tendrils of Agony, Burning Wish, Infernal Tutor, or Gaea's Will lines.

• Graveyard pressure or graveyard hate: decide early whether Gaea's Will, Echo of Eons, or a non-graveyard Tendrils of Agony line is the plan. Add role cards: Grafdigger's Cage only when it disrupts the opponent more than the selected line, Cabal Therapy when information exists, and Shattering Spree or Feed the Swarm when hate permanents are visible. Priority targets are opponent graveyard engines, graveyard hate that stops your committed line, and cards that punish a Lion's Eye Diamond discard.

Risk Summary

• Mana risk: this deck can produce explosive black mana but also loses games to mismatched colors, sacrificed Lion's Eye Diamond timing, Chrome Mox imprint costs, City of Traitors sequencing, and Mox Opal artifact-count failures. Use Veles legality for every payment; do not assume Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Opal, or Chrome Mox can pay a cost until the engine exposes the action.

• Matchup risk: the deck is strongest when it knows whether to race, discard, answer a permanent, or build through Urza's Saga. Incorrect archetype labeling wastes Thoughtseize, Duress, Burning Wish, and sideboard cards; revealed cards override assumptions.

• Draw risk: Mishra's Bauble, Urza's Saga, and Wishclaw Talisman can make a hand look functional while delaying the actual kill. Mulligan or pivot when the hand lacks a payoff path through Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Tendrils of Agony, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, or a credible Construct clock.

• Over-sideboarding risk: too many Fatal Push, Feed the Swarm, Shattering Spree, Grafdigger's Cage, or Cabal Therapy effects can dilute storm count, mana density, and tutor chains. Add role cards only for visible or strongly expected blockers, then preserve Dark Ritual, Lion's Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, and Tendrils of Agony access.

• Graveyard risk: Gaea's Will and Echo of Eons lines are powerful but fragile to visible hate and timing mistakes. If Grafdigger's Cage is brought in, re-check whether it conflicts with your own selected line before committing.

• Sweeper/removal risk: Urza's Saga Constructs are a backup clock, not a protected primary plan. Do not overcommit to Construct combat against removal-heavy boards unless spell-combo lines are absent or delayed.

• Closer risk: Tendrils of Agony math, Debt to the Deathless math, Peer into the Abyss setup, and Ad Nauseam life totals all require engine-visible legality and current life totals. Card text check required for exact Skateboard role and exact Debt to the Deathless kill math.

• Interaction risk: handing Wishclaw Talisman to the opponent or cracking Lion's Eye Diamond at the wrong moment can lose immediately. Commit only when the visible legal line uses the tutor now, wins now, or leaves the opponent without a meaningful window.

• Sequencing risk: discard should often precede payoff commitment, artifact deployment should respect Mox Opal, and Urza's Saga timing should not strand mana or tutor windows. Prioritize exact legal actions over assumed combo shortcuts.

Test Feedback Checklist

• Deciding factor: Identify whether the game was won or lost by speed, disruption, mana, permanent hate, life total pressure, tutor access, or a missed legal action. Record the exact card or visible board state that forced the pivot, especially before committing Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Ad Nauseam, Gaea's Will, or Tendrils of Agony.

• Mulligans: Ask whether the opener had a credible kill path, discard path, Urza's Saga plan, or sideboard-answer path. Flag hands that kept only fast mana without payoff, only Wishclaw Talisman without safe activation timing, only Urza's Saga without pressure support, or only Thoughtseize and Duress without a clock or combo line.

• Mana: Check whether losses came from black mana shortage, Mox Opal being inactive, Chrome Mox lacking a good imprint, City of Traitors sequencing, Polluted Delta or Badlands timing, or sacrificing Lion's Eye Diamond before the needed spell was legally cast. Note whether Lotus Petal and Dark Ritual were spent on setup when they needed to preserve a deterministic payoff turn.

• Velocity: Track whether Mishra's Bauble, Urza's Saga, Wishclaw Talisman, and Skateboard improved the hand or delayed the kill. Card text check required for Skateboard; until verified, record every Skateboard decision as conditional rather than treating it as proven velocity or engine material.

• Engines: Record whether Urza's Saga produced enough pressure, found the right artifact, or merely telegraphed a slow plan. Record whether Gaea's Will, Echo of Eons, Ad Nauseam, or Peer into the Abyss would have won if selected earlier, or whether visible graveyard hate, life total, mana, or stack pressure made waiting correct.

• Interaction: Evaluate whether Thoughtseize and Duress took the card that actually mattered. Separate mistakes caused by hidden information from mistakes where the revealed hand clearly showed a counterspell, hate permanent, fast combo piece, removal spell, or discard spell that should have been prioritized.

• Removal and answers: Record whether Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, Shattering Spree, Grafdigger's Cage, Cabal Therapy, Surge Node, Debt to the Deathless, Echo of Eons, Peer into the Abyss, Beseech the Mirror, or the sideboard Tendrils of Agony had a clear role after sideboarding. Flag sideboard cards that appeared in hand without a legal or relevant target.

• Closing: Verify the exact storm, mana, target, and life-total math for Tendrils of Agony, Burning Wish into Tendrils of Agony, Beseech the Mirror lines, Ad Nauseam continuation, Peer into the Abyss setup, and Debt to the Deathless. Card text check required for exact Debt to the Deathless kill thresholds.

• Role: Ask whether Saga Storm correctly acted as the faster combo deck, the discard-protected combo deck, the answer-then-combo deck, or the Urza's Saga pressure deck. Mark role mistakes where the pilot spent resources fighting a fair game while a legal combo line existed, or raced while a visible blocker required Thoughtseize, Duress, Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, or Shattering Spree first.

• Mistakes and stranded cards: List cards stranded by color, timing, life total, artifact count, graveyard access, sideboard dilution, or opponent pressure. Call out overperformers and underperformers by exact name, especially Wishclaw Talisman, Infernal Tutor, Beseech the Mirror, Burning Wish, Urza's Saga, Mishra's Bauble, Chrome Mox, Mox Opal, and Lion's Eye Diamond.

First Tuning Questions

• Quantity question: Are 2 Beseech the Mirror and 2 Burning Wish enough primary tutor density, or do games show too many hands that produce mana but cannot convert into Tendrils of Agony, Gaea's Will, Ad Nauseam, or a sideboard payoff?

• Mana question: Does the land mix of 4 Vault of Whispers, 2 Badlands, 4 Urza's Saga, 1 Swamp, 1 Polluted Delta, and 1 City of Traitors support enough black mana without making Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, or City of Traitors sequencing too fragile?

• Artifact question: Does the deck need 3 Mishra's Bauble and 1 Skateboard for artifact count and velocity, or do logs show these cards fail to convert into storm, metalcraft, tutor targets, or lethal pressure? Card text check required before changing Skateboard assumptions.

• Aggro-plan question: Against creature pressure, do Fatal Push and Feed the Swarm create enough time for Ad Nauseam and Urza's Saga, or does the deck need a different balance between removal, discard, and faster closing?

• Control-plan question: Against permission and discard, is the current mix of Thoughtseize, Duress, Cabal Therapy, Beseech the Mirror, and the second Tendrils of Agony enough threat density, or do games show repeated losses to one protected counterspell or one post-Wishclaw Talisman window?

• Closer question: Is 1 main-deck Tendrils of Agony plus 1 sideboard Tendrils of Agony enough, or do Burning Wish, Infernal Tutor, and Beseech the Mirror lines too often fail because the payoff is inaccessible, discarded, exiled, or locked behind sideboard structure?

• Graveyard question: Do Gaea's Will and Echo of Eons win enough games to justify graveyard exposure, or do visible hate cards force too many non-graveyard lines? Reassess Grafdigger's Cage only if logs show it disrupts opponents more than it conflicts with the selected Saga Storm plan.

• Sideboard-slot question: Are Surge Node, Debt to the Deathless, Peer into the Abyss, Grafdigger's Cage, Shattering Spree, Feed the Swarm, Fatal Push, Cabal Therapy, Beseech the Mirror, Echo of Eons, and Tendrils of Agony all producing distinct roles, or are some slots overlapping without improving bad matchups?

• Role-conflict question: Does Urza's Saga pressure support the combo plan, or does it tempt the pilot into slow Construct games that strand Dark Ritual, Lion's Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, and Ad Nauseam? Tune only after separating correct backup-clock wins from games where Saga delayed a faster legal kill.

Veles Tactical Policy

Policy: Mulligan To A Real Engine

• Priority: High
• Decision families: mulligan; pregame
• Cards: Dark Ritual; Lion's Eye Diamond; Infernal Tutor; Wishclaw Talisman; Beseech the Mirror; Burning Wish; Ad Nauseam; Urza's Saga; Thoughtseize; Duress
• Phase windows: opening hand and London mulligan bottoming.
• Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
• Use when: evaluating whether the hand has mana plus payoff, discard plus payoff, or Urza's Saga plus enough time.
• Avoid when: the hand only has fast mana, only discard, or only artifacts with no conversion path.
• Instructions: Keep hands with a credible tutor/payoff route and black mana. Mulligan hands that cannot pressure, disrupt, or assemble storm before the opponent's visible plan matters.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: London Bottoms Preserve Conversion

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mulligan; selection
• Cards: Chrome Mox; Lotus Petal; Lion's Eye Diamond; Mox Opal; Dark Ritual; Infernal Tutor; Burning Wish; Beseech the Mirror; Wishclaw Talisman; Tendrils of Agony
• Phase windows: mulligan bottom selection.
• Runtime cues: prompt:bottom; action:put on bottom
• Use when: choosing exact cards to bottom after a mulligan.
• Avoid when: all choices require hidden card-text certainty not exposed by the engine.
• Instructions: Preserve one payoff or tutor, enough black mana, and one protection spell when available. Bottom redundant acceleration before bottoming the only route to a win.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Early Artifact Setup

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana; priority
• Cards: Urza's Saga; Vault of Whispers; Mox Opal; Chrome Mox; Lotus Petal; Mishra's Bauble; Skateboard; Wishclaw Talisman
• Phase windows: turns one to three, main phases.
• Runtime cues: action:play Urza's Saga; action:cast Mox Opal; action:cast Mishra's Bauble; action:cast Wishclaw Talisman
• Use when: establishing metalcraft, Urza's Saga pressure, or a future tutor turn.
• Avoid when: playing setup consumes the only black mana needed for a same-turn protected kill.
• Instructions: Deploy zero-mana artifacts before Mox Opal checks when legal. Treat Skateboard as conditional until card text is verified.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Exact Storm Commitment Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority; mana; selection
• Cards: Dark Ritual; Lotus Petal; Lion's Eye Diamond; Infernal Tutor; Beseech the Mirror; Burning Wish; Gaea's Will; Ad Nauseam; Tendrils of Agony
• Phase windows: main phases with priority.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Dark Ritual; action:activate Lion's Eye Diamond; action:cast Infernal Tutor; action:cast Beseech the Mirror; action:cast Burning Wish
• Use when: deciding whether to start the combo turn.
• Avoid when: visible interaction, low storm count, insufficient black mana, or life-total risk makes waiting better.
• Instructions: Count mana, storm, tutor access, and payoff location before sacrificing resources. Start only when the line beats visible disruption or waiting is worse.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Lion's Eye Diamond With Tutor On Stack

• Priority: High
• Decision families: mana; priority
• Cards: Lion's Eye Diamond; Infernal Tutor; Burning Wish; Beseech the Mirror; Echo of Eons
• Phase windows: while a compatible spell or ability is on the stack, or when an engine explicitly needs discard.
• Runtime cues: action:activate Lion's Eye Diamond
• Use when: a visible pending spell or legal line can use the mana after hand discard.
• Avoid when: activating would discard the only payoff or leave no legal way to spend the mana.
• Instructions: Treat Lion's Eye Diamond as a commitment resource. Verify the stack and hand-empty requirement before using it.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Target Opponent Tendrils

• Priority: High
• Decision families: selection; priority
• Cards: Tendrils of Agony
• Phase windows: Tendrils of Agony target prompts.
• Runtime cues: action:target opponent Tendrils of Agony
• Use when: the legal action text targets the opponent with Tendrils of Agony.
• Avoid when: multiple opponent-like targets or prevention/redirection prompts require combat or stack reasoning.
• Instructions: Select the opponent as the Tendrils of Agony target when the deck is executing a kill or life-buffer line.
• Pilot skill floor: low.
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Burning Wish Payoff Selection

• Priority: High
• Decision families: selection; priority
• Cards: Burning Wish; Tendrils of Agony; Peer into the Abyss; Debt to the Deathless; Echo of Eons; Beseech the Mirror; Cabal Therapy; Shattering Spree
• Phase windows: Burning Wish resolution and follow-up main phase.
• Runtime cues: action:choose; prompt:Burning Wish
• Use when: choosing the sideboard card that converts current mana, storm, and board state.
• Avoid when: card text or legal sideboard visibility is incomplete.
• Instructions: Prefer Tendrils of Agony for lethal storm, Peer into the Abyss for a resource rebuild, Shattering Spree for artifact hate, and Cabal Therapy for exposed disruption.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Beseech Bargain Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: selection; priority; mana
• Cards: Beseech the Mirror; Chrome Mox; Lotus Petal; Lion's Eye Diamond; Mishra's Bauble; Wishclaw Talisman; Tendrils of Agony; Gaea's Will; Ad Nauseam
• Phase windows: main phases before casting Beseech the Mirror.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Beseech the Mirror; prompt:bargain
• Use when: deciding whether to cast or bargain Beseech the Mirror.
• Avoid when: the sacrifice removes required mana, storm, or the only artifact enabling Mox Opal.
• Instructions: Bargain only when the sacrifice still leaves a winning tutor target or decisive engine spell.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Wishclaw Activation Timing

• Priority: High
• Decision families: selection; priority; interaction
• Cards: Wishclaw Talisman; Thoughtseize; Duress; Infernal Tutor; Burning Wish; Beseech the Mirror; Tendrils of Agony
• Phase windows: main phases with priority.
• Runtime cues: action:activate Wishclaw Talisman
• Use when: deciding whether to give the opponent future access to Wishclaw Talisman.
• Avoid when: passing after activation gives the opponent a decisive visible response or turn.
• Instructions: Activate Wishclaw Talisman primarily on the same turn it wins or after discard clears the relevant visible answer.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Discard Before Commitment

• Priority: High
• Decision families: interaction; priority; selection
• Cards: Thoughtseize; Duress; Cabal Therapy
• Phase windows: pre-combo main phases and sideboard games.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Thoughtseize; action:cast Duress; action:cast Cabal Therapy
• Use when: the opponent can have visible or revealed disruption and the combo line is not yet forced.
• Avoid when: life loss from Thoughtseize or mana spent on discard prevents the current deterministic kill.
• Instructions: Take the revealed card that stops the selected line, then the fastest opposing kill card, then the card that attacks future tutor access.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Ad Nauseam Life Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: selection; priority
• Cards: Ad Nauseam; Dark Ritual; Lotus Petal; Chrome Mox; Mox Opal; Tendrils of Agony
• Phase windows: main phase or instant-speed window when Ad Nauseam is legal.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Ad Nauseam; prompt:continue revealing
• Use when: choosing whether Ad Nauseam is the resource engine or whether to stop revealing.
• Avoid when: life total, visible pressure, or known deck costs make further reveals unsafe.
• Instructions: Cast Ad Nauseam when life and mana can convert new cards this turn. Stop revealing before a visible lethal life-loss threshold.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Gaea's Will Graveyard Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority; selection
• Cards: Gaea's Will; Lion's Eye Diamond; Dark Ritual; Lotus Petal; Thoughtseize; Duress; Tendrils of Agony; Grafdigger's Cage
• Phase windows: main phases with a stocked graveyard.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Gaea's Will
• Use when: deciding whether the graveyard produces mana, storm, and payoff this turn.
• Avoid when: visible graveyard hate, insufficient mana, or missing payoff makes the line speculative.
• Instructions: Commit to Gaea's Will only when the visible graveyard contains enough legal actions to rebuild a kill or overpower the board.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Urza's Saga Backup Clock

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: combat; priority; selection
• Cards: Urza's Saga; Mox Opal; Lion's Eye Diamond; Lotus Petal; Mishra's Bauble; Wishclaw Talisman; Grafdigger's Cage; Surge Node
• Phase windows: Saga chapter triggers, main phases, combat.
• Runtime cues: prompt:Urza's Saga; action:create; action:search
• Use when: combo is delayed and Urza's Saga can create pressure or find a legal artifact.
• Avoid when: activating Urza's Saga prevents a same-turn combo kill.
• Instructions: Use Constructs as a real backup clock, but do not let combat sizing distract from a legal Tendrils of Agony turn.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Mandatory Mana Payments

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana
• Cards: Badlands; Swamp; Polluted Delta; Vault of Whispers; City of Traitors; Dark Ritual; Lotus Petal; Chrome Mox; Mox Opal; Lion's Eye Diamond
• Phase windows: mana payment prompts.
• Runtime cues: action:pay; prompt:choose mana
• Use when: a selected spell or ability is already committed and the prompt only asks how to pay visible costs.
• Avoid when: multiple payment choices change future colored mana or sacrifice timing.
• Instructions: Preserve black mana for tutors and Tendrils of Agony when possible; spend temporary mana before reusable sources when the engine confirms legality.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Removal And Hate Answers

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: interaction; priority; selection
• Cards: Feed the Swarm; Fatal Push; Shattering Spree; Thoughtseize; Duress; Burning Wish
• Phase windows: sideboard games, main phases, legal instant windows.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Feed the Swarm; action:cast Fatal Push; action:cast Shattering Spree
• Use when: a visible permanent or creature blocks the combo, threatens lethal, or invalidates Urza's Saga pressure.
• Avoid when: answer mana delays a protected kill that already beats the visible board.
• Instructions: Remove hate before committing fragile resources. Use Fatal Push for pressure, Feed the Swarm for noncreature obstacles, and Shattering Spree for artifact-heavy obstruction.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Echo And Peer Refill Gate

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: selection; priority
• Cards: Echo of Eons; Peer into the Abyss; Lion's Eye Diamond; Burning Wish; Lotus Petal; Dark Ritual; Tendrils of Agony
• Phase windows: post-Wish or graveyard-enabled main phases.
• Runtime cues: action:cast Echo of Eons; action:cast Peer into the Abyss
• Use when: the hand cannot currently kill but mana can convert a refill into more actions.
• Avoid when: refilling gives the opponent the first meaningful use or life total makes Peer into the Abyss unsafe.
• Instructions: Choose refill lines when immediate storm kill is unavailable and the current mana base can continue after resolution.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Sideboard Plan Selection

• Priority: High
• Decision families: sideboard; pregame
• Cards: Beseech the Mirror; Tendrils of Agony; Surge Node; Peer into the Abyss; Debt to the Deathless; Cabal Therapy; Feed the Swarm; Echo of Eons; Fatal Push; Grafdigger's Cage; Shattering Spree; Thoughtseize; Duress; Mishra's Bauble; Skateboard; Burning Wish
• Phase windows: between games.
• Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
• Use when: selecting a legal sideboard configuration from registered cards.
• Avoid when: the plan exceeds registered counts or cuts too much mana, payoff, or protection.
• Instructions: Add answers only for observed or strongly expected obstacles. Keep enough tutors, acceleration, and a Tendrils of Agony access path after sideboarding.
• Pilot skill floor: high.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Combat Is Secondary

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: combat; priority
• Cards: Urza's Saga
• Phase windows: declare attackers, declare blockers, combat trick windows.
• Runtime cues: action:attack; action:block
• Use when: Construct combat is legal and combo is not immediately selected.
• Avoid when: attacking exposes lethal crack-back or removes a needed blocker under visible pressure.
• Instructions: Attack when damage advances a real clock without reducing survival. Block to preserve life for Ad Nauseam or another setup turn.
• Pilot skill floor: medium.
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes