veles-content/strategies/oathbreaker/oathbreaker_ral_zarek_no_hands/1/guide.md

Strategy Specifications

Deck Name And Archetype

Ral Zarek No Hands is an Oathbreaker singleton midrange discard-pressure deck built around the registered command-zone pairing implied by the deck name and draft scaffold: Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer with Pox as the signature spell. Active validation reports a legal 60-card main deck and 0-card sideboard for the current Oathbreaker contract: exactly 60 main-deck cards, singleton nonbasic and nonland names outside basic lands, 21 copies of Swamp allowed as basics, and no registered sideboard cards available for post-game swaps.

Treat this list as rogue or custom-metagame hybrid rather than stock archetype execution. The deck has familiar discard-prison and black midrange pressure patterns, but its exact configuration is highly idiosyncratic: one-copy discard engines, one-copy punishment permanents, planeswalker threats, sacrifice/resource denial, and a black-heavy mana base supporting cards such as Waste Not, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Words of Waste, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Bloodchief Ascension, Geth's Grimoire, Raiders' Wake, Quest for the Nihil Stone, and Pox. The pilot should not assume a solved format script; Veles must reason from current legal actions, visible game state, public logs, and the exact cards already revealed.

Use the active tags as midrange and midrange, with discard-punisher, resource-denial, attrition, and empty-hand pressure as operative subthemes. The deck is not pure aggro because most damage engines require setup or opponent hand depletion. The deck is not pure control because it has limited instant-speed answer density from the visible registered list and often wins by making repeated discard events matter. The deck is not deterministic combo, though Bloodchief Ascension plus Bloodthirsty Conqueror may create a dangerous payoff line if card text and runtime legal actions confirm the interaction; Card text check required before treating any such line as guaranteed.

Flag mana and color identity as runtime-sensitive concerns. The registered mana base is 21 Swamp, Castle Locthwain, and Cabal Stronghold, which strongly supports black spells and black activated abilities but may not support any nonblack requirement printed on Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer or other unusual card faces unless the rules engine exposes legal casting or command-zone actions. Card text check required for Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, Doomsday Confluence, Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, Entropic Battlecruiser, Arbiter of Woe, Withering Curse, and any other card whose exact color, type, or ability text is not known from the decklist alone. If Forge or the active rules engine does not expose a legal action for a card, the pilot must not plan as though that card can be cast or activated.

Classify the role as black discard midrange with prison-adjacent pressure. The normal plan is to land one or more permanent engines, force discard through creatures, enchantments, planeswalkers, or Pox effects, then convert low opposing hand size into damage, card advantage, tokens, or resource lock pressure. The list can pivot into larger black threats with Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Liliana Vess, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Dread Presence, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror when the opponent resists the empty-hand plan or when a drawn payoff demands a board-based finish.

Opponent information status is none supplied. Do not assume a metagame, opposing colors, commander identity, graveyard reliance, artifact density, or creature speed before runtime. Matchup posture should be inferred from revealed commander or oathbreaker information, early lands, public card types, life pressure, visible hand-reveal effects, graveyards, and legal actions. Sideboarding is unavailable because the registered sideboard contains no cards; post-game adaptation must happen through mulligan discipline, sequencing, priority decisions, and threat prioritization only.

Thesis

Ral Zarek No Hands assembles repeated discard, empty-hand punishment, and black attrition engines around the command-zone plan of Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer plus Pox when the rules engine exposes those actions as legal. The deck wants the opponent to run away of cards, lose resources, and then take damage from The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Bloodchief Ascension, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, and similar payoff permanents while larger threats or planeswalkers close the game.

Prioritize a functional black mana base, an early discard or pressure piece, and at least one payoff or engine before spending cards on symmetrical denial. Pox is strongest when Veles can see that the opponent loses more from the exchange than this deck does, or when the deck already has a discard payoff, recursion threat, planeswalker, or low-resource lock piece in place. Do not fire Pox just because it is available if the visible board shows that it strands the pilot without pressure, removes needed mana, or lets the opponent rebuild first.

Treat the deck as discard midrange, not as fast aggro, hard control, or guaranteed combo. It has many one-card engines, but no redundant four-of package; each decision should preserve the most important current role rather than chase a generic empty-hand script. If the opponent is pressuring life total, stabilize with blockers, sacrifice effects, planeswalker removal, or Pox timing before advancing slow damage engines. If the opponent is low on cards, shift toward maintaining hand pressure and landing damage payoffs rather than overextending into visible sweepers or discard-irrelevant board states.

Respect runtime legality over theory for every unusual card. Card text check required for Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, Doomsday Confluence, Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, Entropic Battlecruiser, Arbiter of Woe, Withering Curse, and any line involving exact transformed faces, modal text, or nonblack requirements. Bloodchief Ascension and Bloodthirsty Conqueror may represent a high-impact payoff pairing only if visible text, counters, and legal actions confirm the relevant interaction.

Role Package

• Threats: Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Arbiter of Woe, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Dread Presence, Entropic Battlecruiser, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Liliana Vess, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Tourach, Dread Cantor, and The Raven Man are the cards most likely to win through board presence or planeswalker pressure after discard has narrowed the opponent's options.

• Payoffs: The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Bloodchief Ascension, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, The Raven Man, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror convert discard, empty hands, life loss, or attrition into measurable advantage. Prioritize these before repeatable discard when the hand already contains discard effects but lacks a reason for the opponent's discarded cards to matter.

• Engines: Waste Not, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Geth's Grimoire, Library of Leng, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, and Dread Presence provide ongoing resource conversion. Sequence engines so symmetrical discard hurts the opponent more than the pilot; Library of Leng can change that calculus if its text and legal replacement choices are exposed.

• Velocity: Castle Locthwain, Dread Presence, Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Doomsday Confluence, and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer are the registered cards most likely to produce extra selection, draw, tutoring, or card flow, subject to card text and legal actions. Use velocity to find pressure after the opponent is empty-handed, not to ignore a visible lethal clock.

• Interaction: Pox, Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, Withering Curse, Doomsday Confluence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, and Liliana, Dreadhorde General are the primary disruptive tools. Choose discard targets or sacrifice modes from visible legal options only; do not assume hidden-card identities unless a reveal effect has made them known.

• Protection: Lightning Greaves is the explicit protection and haste module for key creatures such as Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Dread Presence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, and Sheoldred, Whispering One. Equip only when the legal action improves survival, immediate pressure, or activation timing more than holding mana or advancing discard.

• Recursion: Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Liliana Vess, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, and Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon may provide graveyard or transformed-face value; card text check required before relying on any exact recursion loop. Use recursion to rebuild after Pox or removal, not as permission to sacrifice essential board presence into an unfavorable exchange.

• Mana: 21 Swamp, Cabal Stronghold, and Castle Locthwain make the deck heavily black and reward preserving enough lands for expensive threats. Cabal Stronghold becomes more important as Swamp count rises; avoid sacrificing or discarding lands to Pox-style effects unless the current board, hand, and legal follow-up actions show the pilot can still operate.

• Sideboard modules: none are registered. Post-game adaptation must come from mulligans, sequencing, threat choice, Pox timing, and priority discipline rather than card swaps.

Primary Win Conditions

• Empty-hand punishment is the default kill path: establish The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, or Bloodchief Ascension, then force the opponent below useful hand size with Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, or Pox. Prioritize this path when the opponent has few cards, limited board pressure, or visible dependence on holding reactive cards; protect it by not overusing symmetrical discard when the pilot's own hand contains the next needed land, payoff, or stabilizer.

• Pox attrition is the command-zone pressure plan: use Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer plus Pox only when the visible exchange leaves this deck with a better permanent, hand, mana, or damage-payoff position than the opponent. Set up Pox with a payoff already on board, a planeswalker that can survive the low-resource game, expendable creatures such as Burglar Rat or Elderfang Disciple, or recursion from Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, or Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead if legal text confirms the line. Avoid Pox when it strands Cabal Stronghold, removes the only pressure, or lets an opponent with a better battlefield win through topdecks.

• Discard-engine advantage wins longer games: deploy Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, or Tinybones, Bauble Burglar to turn each discard step into cards, mana, bodies, life pressure, or repeated action. Prioritize engine setup when life total is stable and the opponent cannot immediately punish a low-tempo permanent; switch from engine building to damage once the opponent is empty-handed, because extra discard without a clock can give draw steps too much time.

• Big black finishers close after resource collapse: use Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, Dread Presence, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Liliana Vess, and Tourach, Dread Cantor as board-based closers once discard has reduced the opponent's answers. Prioritize Lightning Greaves on the creature that most changes the current turn cycle, especially Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Dread Presence, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, or Sheoldred, Whispering One, but only when equipping is legal and does not consume mana needed for a more urgent action.

• Bloodchief Ascension plus Bloodthirsty Conqueror may be a decisive payoff pairing only after card text, counters, and legal actions confirm the interaction. Treat this as a high-upside win path rather than a guaranteed combo; prioritize it when both pieces are visible, the opponent is already losing life, and committing to the board is safer than continuing slow discard.

Secondary Win Conditions

• Creature and planeswalker pressure is the backup when discard damage is absent: attack with The Raven Man tokens if created, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Tourach, Dread Cantor, Dread Presence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, or Sheoldred, Whispering One when the race favors the pilot. Do not send essential blockers into combat if the opponent's visible crack-back threatens planeswalkers or life total.

• Value recursion rebuilds through removal and Pox: use Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Liliana Vess, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, and Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon only according to exposed text and legal targets. Card text check required for Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon and exact transformed-face lines.

• Card-flow pressure can win without a clean engine: Castle Locthwain, Dread Presence, Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Doomsday Confluence, and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer can find enough action to keep the opponent empty or present repeated threats. Card text check required for Doomsday Confluence and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer before treating either as selection, draw, or finisher support.

• Soft lock pressure comes from Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, Library of Leng, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, and Quest for the Nihil Stone. Use this line when the opponent's board is contained; abandon pure lock building when the opponent already has enough battlefield damage to ignore an empty hand.

Emergency Lines

• When behind on life, stabilize before maximizing discard triggers. Block with expendable creatures, consider Pox or Liliana of the Veil if the legal sacrifice or discard exchange reduces incoming pressure, and avoid Castle Locthwain or other life-cost actions unless the drawn card is needed to survive.

• When behind on board, convert discard into removal-equivalent pressure only if it changes the battlefield race. Prioritize Pox, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Liliana of the Veil, Withering Curse, Doomsday Confluence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or creature deployment according to legal actions; card text check required for Withering Curse and Doomsday Confluence.

• When behind on cards, stop feeding symmetrical discard unless Library of Leng, Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, or another visible engine makes the exchange favorable. Preserve lands and the highest-impact payoff rather than emptying the pilot's hand for low damage.

• When behind on mana, protect Swamp count and Cabal Stronghold development. Do not sacrifice or discard lands to Pox-style effects unless the remaining mana casts the next stabilizer or payoff.

• When engines are removed, pivot to standalone pressure from The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, planeswalkers, or large creatures. When win conditions are exiled or destroyed, win by keeping the opponent low on resources while attacking with whatever legal threats remain.

Resource Model

• Life is a spendable buffer only after the opponent's battlefield is contained. Use Castle Locthwain, Pox, and any life-payment or life-loss legal action only when the exchange advances a discard engine, finds a stabilizer, or enables a decisive low-hand payoff; stop paying life when visible attackers can force a race that The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, or Bloodchief Ascension cannot finish first.

• Hand size is both fuel and liability. Preserve lands, the next engine, and the next stabilizer before activating Words of Waste, accepting symmetrical discard from Necrogen Mists or Cunning Lethemancer, or casting Pox; discard extra expensive finishers before discarding the only Swamp, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, or active payoff needed to convert the opponent's empty hand into damage.

• Mana converts into inevitability through repeated discard plus payoff permanents. Prioritize spending early mana on Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Bloodchief Ascension, or a hand-attack creature when legal, then use Cabal Stronghold and land-heavy draws to cast Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Bloodthirsty Conqueror.

• Board material is valuable when it survives or improves Pox math. Treat Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, and possible The Raven Man tokens as sacrifice fodder or blockers after their discard value is spent; keep Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Dread Presence, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, and Sheoldred, Whispering One alive when they are the current advantage engine or clock.

• Graveyard resources are conditional rebuild tools, not guaranteed zones. Use Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, and Liliana Vess only through legal actions and visible targets; card text check required before assuming exact recursion, transformation, or return timing.

• Exile is mostly a loss-of-access zone for this list unless a visible legal action says otherwise. Do not plan to recover exiled payoff cards; if The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Megrim, Liliana's Caress, Raiders' Wake, or Bloodchief Ascension is exiled, shift toward creatures, planeswalkers, and repeated discard rather than waiting for unavailable recursion.

• Information is a resource created by discard and visible reveal windows. Use Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, hand-size changes, and logged revealed cards to decide whether to commit Pox, hold a finisher, or deploy Lightning Greaves; never assume hidden cards beyond public information and matchup-level risk.

• Sideboard bullets do not exist in this registration. No registered addition or trim action is available, so between-game adaptation must come from mulligans, sequencing, command-zone use, and threat prioritization only.

Mana Guide

• Keep mana decisions mono-black unless the rules engine exposes another legal requirement. The registered land base is 21 Swamp, Castle Locthwain, and Cabal Stronghold, so most hands need early Swamp access and enough black mana to cast discard engines, Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, and payoff permanents on curve.

• Keep opening hands with at least two functional lands or one land plus a legal early play only when the hand has clear draw or discard pressure and the matchup is slow. Mulligan hands that cannot cast a spell before turn three, hands with Cabal Stronghold as the only mana source if it cannot cast early black spells, or hands where Castle Locthwain life loss is the only path to action.

• Sequence Swamp count before utility whenever Cabal Stronghold or Dread Presence matters. Play basic Swamp early unless Castle Locthwain is needed as the only untapped black source or the engine requires an immediate utility land; do not expose Cabal Stronghold to Pox sacrifice math until it will produce meaningful mana or the remaining lands still cast the next spell.

• Play land before discard when the current hand contains Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, or Words of Waste and losing the land would strand future turns. Delay the land drop until after a draw, selection, or revealed legal action only when the new card could change whether Castle Locthwain, Cabal Stronghold, or Swamp is the correct land for the turn.

• Spend early mana on engines before expensive closers when life and board permit. A turn spent on Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Library of Leng, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, or Bloodchief Ascension is better than holding up nothing for a later finisher if the opponent's visible pressure is low.

• Reserve mana for survival over optional value. Do not activate Castle Locthwain, equip Lightning Greaves, or make optional payments if that mana is needed for a legal stabilizing action, a Pox turn that preserves parity, a planeswalker activation line, or a removal-equivalent spell such as Withering Curse or Doomsday Confluence; card text check required for those exact effects.

Mulligan Guide

• Strong keep: Keep two or three lands with at least one Swamp, one early discard piece, and one payoff. Examples include Swamp, Swamp, Waste Not, Burglar Rat, Liliana's Caress, plus any playable follow-up; or Swamp, Castle Locthwain, The Rack, Vicious Rumors, Elderfang Disciple, plus a midgame engine.

• Strong keep: Keep hands that curve pressure into repeat discard. The Rack or Shrieking Affliction plus Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, or Cunning Lethemancer gives the deck a clear route to turn hand pressure into damage.

• Medium keep: Keep three-land hands with one slow engine and one stabilizer when the opponent is not presenting immediate speed. Geth's Grimoire, Words of Waste, Library of Leng, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, or Tinybones, Bauble Burglar needs time, so require Swamp-heavy mana and at least one earlier discard or blocker.

• Medium keep: Keep one payoff plus command-zone access only when the rest of the hand casts spells without relying on topdecks. Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer and Pox are not a substitute for a functional opening hand; use them as a planned pressure pivot after the first turns have established mana and discard.

• Risky keep: Treat Cabal Stronghold, Castle Locthwain, and expensive cards as support, not a foundation. A hand with Cabal Stronghold, one Swamp, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror is too slow unless the legal mulligan context and matchup strongly reward greed.

• Automatic ship: Mulligan zero-land hands, one-land hands with no one- or two-mana play, and hands that cannot cast a black spell before turn three. Also ship hands overloaded on Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Arbiter of Woe, or Bloodthirsty Conqueror without early Swamp development.

• Matchup-dependent keep: Against fast creature pressure, require early board interaction, blockers, or life-preserving pressure from Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Withering Curse, Doomsday Confluence, or Pox; card text check required before assuming exact removal modes for Withering Curse or Doomsday Confluence. Against slow hands, prioritize Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Necrogen Mists, Words of Waste, Raiders' Wake, Megrim, and Liliana's Caress.

• Play/draw adjustment: On the play, value The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, and early discard because the opponent has less time to empty their hand voluntarily. On the draw, require better mana or stronger stabilization because Pox and symmetrical discard can punish the pilot first.

• Trap hand: Do not keep multiple empty-hand payoffs with no discard. The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Megrim, Liliana's Caress, and Raiders' Wake need the opponent's hand or life total to move in the right direction; without Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, or Pox, the hand can do nothing relevant.

Turn Arc

• Turn 1: Play Swamp first unless Castle Locthwain is the only legal black source or the engine exposes a better land action. Prefer Bloodchief Ascension, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Vicious Rumors, or Library of Leng when legal; if no one-mana action exists, preserve information and plan the turn-two discard/payoff sequence.

• Turn 2: Deploy the first engine or force the first discard. Waste Not is the highest setup play when follow-up discard is available; The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Burglar Rat, and Elderfang Disciple are preferred when they immediately create pressure, cards, or future punishment.

• Turn 3: Convert setup into repeat pressure. Cast Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana's Specter, Words of Waste, Raiders' Wake if legal, or Pox when the board and hand math favor the pilot; delay Pox if it strands the pilot on mana, sacrifices the only meaningful permanent, or leaves visible attackers unchecked.

• Turns 4-5: Turn the opponent's low hand into inevitability. Prioritize Geth's Grimoire with repeat discard, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar or The Raven Man when bodies matter, Dread Presence when Swamp drops are continuing, and Lightning Greaves when protecting Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Dread Presence, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Sheoldred, Whispering One, or another visible must-survive threat is worth the mana.

• Turns 4-5 deviation: Stabilize before adding slow damage. Use legal Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Doomsday Confluence, Withering Curse, Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, or blockers when the opponent's battlefield can win before The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Megrim, Liliana's Caress, or Raiders' Wake finishes the game; card text check required for uncertain modal or transformed-card effects.

• Late game: Spend excess mana on hard-to-answer closers only after checking visible interaction and survival. Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror should either stabilize the battlefield, rebuild resources, or shorten the clock immediately.

• Late game deviation: Use Castle Locthwain and Cabal Stronghold to break parity when life and Swamp count support it. Do not activate Castle Locthwain into lethal pressure, and do not let Cabal Stronghold sequencing reduce black mana needed for a legal discard, planeswalker, or stabilizing action.

Card Roles

• Waste Not: Treat Waste Not as the cleanest engine opener when the hand already contains Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Pox, or Words of Waste. Cast it before discard when the turn sequence allows; do not expose it as a blank setup play if the opponent is already empty-handed and the pilot needs board stabilization.

• Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer: Treat Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer as the Oathbreaker identity card and a commitment point, not a casual curve play. Card text check required; use legal loyalty or static output only after reading the runtime action labels, and avoid tapping low for Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer when visible attackers can immediately remove the planeswalker without advancing discard pressure.

• Pox: Treat Pox as the signature pressure reset when the pilot can break parity through low curve permanents, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Waste Not, Bloodchief Ascension, Geth's Grimoire, or planeswalker advantage. Do not cast Pox because it is available; count lands, creatures, cards in hand, life totals, and post-Pox legal follow-up before committing.

• Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, and Liliana's Specter: Use these as the early hand-emptying bridge from payoff permanents to actual pressure. Prefer Vicious Rumors when a one-mana action matters, prefer Burglar Rat or Elderfang Disciple when a body can block, and prefer Liliana's Specter when evasive chip damage or post-Waste Not discard value matters.

• Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, and Quest for the Nihil Stone: Treat these as damage converters, not discard sources. Deploy one before repeat discard when the opponent still has cards; delay redundant copies of this role when the pilot needs mana for interaction, blockers, or a card-advantage engine. Raiders' Wake and Quest for the Nihil Stone require card text check for exact trigger and threshold handling.

• Bloodchief Ascension: Treat Bloodchief Ascension as an early pressure investment that rewards life-loss events and graveyard movement. Card text check required for exact quest-counter and trigger rules; do not prioritize it over survival when the opponent can present lethal before it turns on.

• The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, and Tinybones, Bauble Burglar: Use these as repeat-discard payoff creatures that convert the deck's normal plan into material. Protect them when they are producing ongoing value; trade them off when the board is unstable and another payoff already handles the opponent's empty hand. Tinybones, Bauble Burglar needs card text check for exact theft or casting permissions.

• Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, and Geth's Grimoire: Treat these as the repeat-discard engine package. Words of Waste is strongest when draw replacement can be planned and the pilot has Library of Leng, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, or existing payoff pressure; Necrogen Mists and Cunning Lethemancer are best when symmetry hurts the opponent more; Geth's Grimoire should usually precede repeat discard if mana and tempo permit.

• Library of Leng: Use Library of Leng to reduce the self-damage from symmetrical discard and to improve planned discard sequences. Card text check required for exact replacement and hidden-zone handling; do not assume it protects every discard effect until the rules engine exposes the legal result.

• Liliana of the Veil, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, and Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer: Treat the Liliana suite as scalable discard, board control, tutoring, recursion, and attrition. Liliana of the Veil is an early pressure planeswalker when both hands matter; Liliana Vess is a slow selection or attrition tool; Liliana, Dreadhorde General is a late stabilizer; Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer needs creature-death timing checked before planning a transform line.

• Doomsday Confluence, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, and Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon: Treat these as conditional stabilizers until card text is confirmed. Card text check required for modes, targets, costs, and transformed-side behavior; choose these over discard payoff only when runtime legal actions show they answer visible pressure, clear blockers for a planeswalker, or preserve life better than advancing the empty-hand plan.

• Tourach, Dread Cantor: Use Tourach, Dread Cantor as a flexible threat/discard spell when legal action text offers the relevant mode or kicker. Card text check required for exact protection, discard, and scaling details; do not spend it into a board where a body without immediate discard value fails to matter.

• Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Entropic Battlecruiser, and Dread Presence: Treat these as finishers or stabilizing engines that require a commitment gate. Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead and Sheoldred, Whispering One can dominate long attrition games if the pilot survives the turn cycle; Bloodthirsty Conqueror and Entropic Battlecruiser need card text check before assuming combo or combat math; Dread Presence is best with continuing Swamp drops and should not be cast into obvious removal if a cheaper discard line advances lethal.

• Lightning Greaves: Use Lightning Greaves to protect a creature engine or give a finisher immediate pressure when equip actions are legal. Prioritize The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Dread Presence, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Sheoldred, Whispering One; do not move it in a way that prevents targeting the protected creature with a needed friendly action.

• Castle Locthwain, Cabal Stronghold, and Swamp: Treat Swamp count as the deck's mana backbone. Play Swamp early to enable black spells and Cabal Stronghold scaling, use Castle Locthwain only when life total and hand size make the activation safe, and avoid sequencing Cabal Stronghold as an early colorless bottleneck when the hand needs black mana immediately.

Interaction Priorities

• Priority: Remove or neutralize visible engines before ordinary attackers when they invalidate the empty-hand plan. Spend Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Pox, Doomsday Confluence, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, or Sheoldred, Whispering One on permanents that draw extra cards, create repeated tokens, recur threats, pressure planeswalkers every turn, or turn discard into an opponent advantage; Card text check required for Doomsday Confluence, Withering Curse, and Arbiter of Woe mode legality.

• Priority: Strip the opponent's hand before answering low-impact board pieces when the pilot is not under lethal or planeswalker-killing pressure. Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, and Pox are strongest when they push the opponent to zero cards while The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Waste Not, Bloodchief Ascension, or Geth's Grimoire is active.

• Priority: Treat discard as this deck's counterspell substitute. Against combo, control, and spell-heavy engines, prefer repeated discard and Liliana of the Veil pressure over creature trading, and use Pox only after checking whether sacrificing lands or cards still leaves enough mana to continue the lock.

• Priority: Use true removal or sacrifice pressure first against creature swarms, haste pressure, and wide boards. Do not spend the turn adding Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Bloodchief Ascension, or Quest for the Nihil Stone if visible attackers can remove Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer or force a losing life-total race before those permanents matter.

• Priority: Save Pox for parity-breaking or emergency reset spots. Fire Pox when the opponent has more lands, creatures, cards in hand, or life-buffer relevance than the pilot, or when The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Bloodchief Ascension, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, a Liliana planeswalker, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Sheoldred, Whispering One lets the pilot rebuild better.

• Priority: Bait interaction with redundant damage converters before committing fragile engines. Lead with Liliana's Caress, Megrim, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, or Quest for the Nihil Stone when losing one still leaves the deck functional; preserve Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Words of Waste, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, and Dread Presence when they are the current value bridge.

• Priority: Ignore creatures that cannot profitably attack, block, protect a planeswalker, or change the hand-size clock. A small creature that is not attacking through Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, The Raven Man, or Tinybones, Trinket Thief is lower priority than a card-draw permanent, graveyard engine, commander-equivalent threat, or lethal combat piece.

• Priority: Do not claim counter, exile, or bounce coverage unless runtime legal actions expose it. This registered list has no normal counterspell or bounce package; if Doomsday Confluence, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Liliana Vess, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, or another exact card exposes exile, sacrifice, destroy, tutor, or transformation choices, choose from visible legal labels and mark uncertain text as Card text check required.

Combat And Trading Rules

• Priority: Preserve engine creatures when they are producing repeated discard, cards, mana, or damage. Avoid trading The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Dread Presence, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Sheoldred, Whispering One unless the trade prevents lethal, protects Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer or a Liliana planeswalker, or keeps The Rack and Shrieking Affliction pressure online.

• Priority: Trade disposable discard bodies aggressively against pressure. Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, and Liliana's Specter can block after their discard trigger has resolved; use them to preserve life, protect planeswalkers, and buy time for Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, and Quest for the Nihil Stone.

• Priority: Attack only when damage advances a concrete clock or enables a visible trigger. Send evasive or expendable creatures when the opponent has no profitable block, when planeswalker pressure matters, or when Bloodchief Ascension, Raiders' Wake, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Entropic Battlecruiser, or another visible card shows a relevant life-loss or combat payoff; Card text check required for exact trigger conditions where uncertain.

• Priority: Do not expose Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, or Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer to crack-back damage for marginal attacks. Leave blockers back when a planeswalker activation or next-turn discard sequence is worth more than two or three combat damage.

• Priority: Treat Lightning Greaves as protection first and haste second. Equip it to a creature engine or finisher that must survive removal, but do not move it onto a low-value attacker if that leaves Waste Not synergy creatures, Dread Presence, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Sheoldred, Whispering One exposed.

• Priority: Race control and combo only after the hand is pressured. Against low-board opponents, attack with The Raven Man tokens or small discard creatures when blockers are absent, but keep mana and bodies available for Liliana of the Veil, Words of Waste, Pox, or signature-spell sequencing if attacking would weaken the lock.

• Priority: Stabilize against aggro before maximizing discard-damage engines. Block earlier at life totals where Castle Locthwain becomes unsafe, Pox would be self-lethal, or the opponent's visible board threatens a two-turn clock; the deck wins long games after hands empty, so life total is a real resource but not expendable without a stabilizing follow-up.

Selection And Tutor Rules

• Selection: Treat this deck's selection as tutor-light and discard-driven, not cantrip-driven. Liliana Vess is the only clearly deck-searching main-deck card; use other card-flow tools such as Castle Locthwain, Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Dread Presence, Library of Leng, and Words of Waste as pseudo-selection that converts repeated discard into cards, mana, damage, or hand quality.

• Tutor: Use Liliana Vess to find the missing lock, stabilizer, or finisher only after checking visible pressure. Find Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Necrogen Mists, Words of Waste, or Cunning Lethemancer when the opponent still has cards and the board is stable; find The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Bloodchief Ascension, or Tinybones, Trinket Thief when the opponent is already close to empty-handed; find Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, or Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead when the visible board or life totals require a swing.

• Land timing: Make the land drop after card-draw or known top-card selection only when the legal action can change which land to play. If Dread Presence is active, sequence Swamp entries for the visible mode the rules engine offers; if Castle Locthwain is the only draw source, preserve enough life and mana to activate it after confirming the turn does not require interaction, equip, or planeswalker development.

• Draw timing: Draw before committing redundant discard-damage permanents when the opponent's hand is already low. Castle Locthwain, Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, and Dread Presence can reveal whether the turn should add The Rack-style pressure, deploy a creature, hold mana, or start a Pox reset.

• Replacement choice: Use Words of Waste only when converting a draw into discard advances the active lock more than the drawn card would. Choose the discard replacement when Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, or Bloodchief Ascension materially rewards emptying the opponent's hand; decline it when the pilot needs lands, a stabilizer, or a specific answer.

• Library of Leng: Use Library of Leng as a discard-quality tool only when Forge exposes a legal choice about discarded-card destination or ordering. Put a card on top only when the next draw is worth more than graveyard access and the card is useful next turn; otherwise allow normal discard handling and do not infer hidden rules text beyond visible prompts.

• Bottoming and ordering: Bottom or move away expensive duplicate role pieces when mana is short or the board is unstable. Prefer early Swamp, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Vicious Rumors, Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Necrogen Mists, Liliana of the Veil, and Pox over late engines that cannot be cast or protected yet.

• Uncertain search or selection: Card text check required for Doomsday Confluence, Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer selection modes. When these cards expose visible legal choices, prefer choices that empty the opponent's hand, protect the lock, stabilize the board, or convert discard into lethal pressure.

Priority And Stack Rules

• Priority: Pass with discipline when the stack is empty and no legal action improves the current lock, board, or clock. This deck often wins by letting Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Raiders' Wake, Bloodchief Ascension, and planeswalker activations accumulate value instead of spending resources into open interaction.

• Commitment gate: Do not cast Pox, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or a major Liliana Vess tutor line without checking visible counterpressure, hand size, lands, life totals, and whether waiting is worse. These are high-commitment plays because the deck may sacrifice its own resources, tap low, or expose the finisher before the opponent is fully constrained.

• Stack response: Respond only with legal actions that the engine exposes; do not assume this list has counterspells or instant removal. If Withering Curse, Doomsday Confluence, Arbiter of Woe, Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, or another card presents an instant-speed or triggered response, choose it only when the visible spell, permanent, or attack step threatens lethal, breaks the discard lock, removes the main engine, or invalidates the current payoff.

• Optional triggers and payments: Accept optional discard, draw, damage, extort-like, life-loss, or payment prompts only when the visible exchange advances the plan. Pay or choose the value mode when it empties the opponent's hand, creates Waste Not or Geth's Grimoire value, turns on Bloodchief Ascension, protects a planeswalker, or creates lethal The Rack / Shrieking Affliction pressure; decline when life, mana, or cards are needed for survival.

• Activated abilities: Activate Castle Locthwain, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Liliana planeswalkers, Lightning Greaves, and any visible command-zone or permanent ability after checking land drops, combat, and stack risks. Use Lightning Greaves before passing if an important creature must be protected, but do not move it in response unless Forge shows a legal equip timing and the destination is visible and legal.

• Combat windows: Take priority after attackers and blockers when a legal action can preserve life, protect a planeswalker, or convert a dying creature into advantage. Otherwise pass through combat and use Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, The Raven Man tokens, or other disposable bodies as blockers rather than spending engines unnecessarily.

• Graveyard timing: Treat Sheoldred, Whispering One, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, and Bloodchief Ascension graveyard-related prompts as strategic choices, not automatic value. Choose recursion, theft, transformation, or graveyard pressure only when the target is visible, legal, and better than preserving mana or board safety; Card text check required for exact transformed-side and graveyard-mode text.

Sideboard Map

• Registration rule: This list has no registered sideboard, so every sideboarding request should preserve the exact 60-card main deck. Veles should reject any between-game plan that adds a card, removes a card, changes card counts, or names any card outside the registered main-deck inventory.

• Exact executable plans: None available. The sideboard count is 0, so there are no legal registered addition: names and no balanced plan can be generated under the active Oathbreaker validation contract.

• Sideboard-card coverage: There are no sideboard cards to map. Runtime guidance between games must therefore change only pilot priorities, mulligan standards, threat valuation, and sequencing around the fixed cards already registered: Waste Not, Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Bloodchief Ascension, Geth's Grimoire, Lightning Greaves, and the late-game planeswalker or creature finishers.

• Sideboard legality: Do not submit a generated plan using opponent cards, format staples, or imagined utility cards. If a decision provider proposes any non-registered card, treat the proposal as illegal and keep the deck unchanged.

• Post-game role change: Against fast creature pressure, keep the configuration fixed and raise the value of early blockers, life preservation, and board-stabilizing actions. Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, The Raven Man, Liliana of the Veil, Pox, Dread Presence, and Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead become survival tools before they become discard engines; The Rack and Quest for the Nihil Stone are slower payoffs unless the opponent is already low on cards.

• Post-game role change: Against slow control or spell-heavy decks, keep the configuration fixed and raise the value of recurring discard pressure. Waste Not, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana Vess, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Geth's Grimoire, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Bloodchief Ascension, The Rack, and Shrieking Affliction are the main pressure package, but the pilot must still respect visible mana, stack actions, and known interaction.

• Post-game role change: Against graveyard-centric opponents, keep the configuration fixed and use only registered cards that the engine exposes as legal graveyard interaction. Bloodchief Ascension, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, and Doomsday Confluence require visible legal prompts before they can be treated as graveyard tools; Card text check required for exact modes where Forge text is not already visible.

• Post-game role change: Against combo or low-creature decks, keep the configuration fixed and prioritize hand-size denial over creature trading. Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Tourach, Dread Cantor, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, Liliana of the Veil, and Pox should be sequenced to reduce the opponent's ability to assemble a turn, then The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, and Bloodchief Ascension convert that constraint into damage.

• Post-game role change: Against artifact, enchantment, or permanent-heavy engines, keep the configuration fixed and do not assume access to broad permanent answers. Use discard before the engine resolves when legal; once a permanent is visible, rely on Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Doomsday Confluence, Arbiter of Woe, Withering Curse, or command-zone prompts only if the rules engine offers a legal action that actually affects the permanent or the opponent's resources.

• Add role cards: none available from the registered sideboard. The functional adjustment is to emphasize existing roles: discard density, damage payoffs, attrition permanents, blockers, planeswalker pressure, and late finishers.

• Reduce main-deck emphasis: Against creature rushes, reduce runtime priority on slow draw-conversion locks such as Words of Waste plus Geth's Grimoire when life total or planeswalker defense is already under pressure. Against slow hands, reduce runtime priority on low-impact blocking lines and make the opponent discard before deploying redundant damage payoffs.

• Mulligan adjustment: Because no sideboard can patch matchup weaknesses, opening hands must carry more responsibility after Game 1. Keep hands with Swamp access, an early discard play, and either a payoff or stabilizer; ship hands that rely only on expensive cards such as Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Entropic Battlecruiser unless the visible matchup is slow and the mana is already credible.

• Between-game memory: Use previous-game public information to refine sequencing, not deck contents. If the opponent emptied their hand quickly, prioritize Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Waste Not, and Geth's Grimoire earlier; if they held cards, prioritize The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, and Words of Waste.

• Validation failure policy: If Veles receives a sideboard request for this deck, the correct strategic result is unchanged registration unless the request is a no-op accepted by the engine. Any action that changes the 60-card configuration should be treated as illegal for this registered list.

Matchup Guidance

• Aggro: Stabilize before assembling discard-damage engines. Keep hands with Swamp access plus early action from Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, The Raven Man, Liliana's Specter, Liliana of the Veil, Pox, or Withering Curse, and treat The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Megrim, and Raiders' Wake as secondary until life total and blockers are credible. Use Lightning Greaves defensively when it lets a stabilizing creature survive or attack immediately, but do not spend tempo equipping if the legal board shows lethal pressure. Prioritize Dread Presence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Arbiter of Woe, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, and Sheoldred, Whispering One as stabilizers only when mana and visible board state make them castable before dying; Card text check required for exact life-swing or removal modes on newer cards.

• Control: Force the opponent to operate with few cards before exposing slow finishers. Sequence Waste Not, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana Vess, Geth's Grimoire, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Bloodchief Ascension, and Quest for the Nihil Stone as a layered pressure plan, but avoid walking all payoffs into visible sweepers or open stack interaction if one active engine already threatens progress. Treat Pox as a commitment gate: cast it when the opponent's hand, lands, creatures, or planeswalkers are more important than yours, not merely because it is legal. Use Castle Locthwain and Cabal Stronghold as long-game resources when the engine reports enough mana and life safety.

• Combo: Attack hand density and timing windows before board development. Prioritize Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Tourach, Dread Cantor, Liliana of the Veil, Pox, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, and Words of Waste when legal because one discarded key card may matter more than incremental creature damage. Deploy Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, and Bloodchief Ascension early only if they accelerate the clock or punish repeated discard. Do not assume the opponent is empty-handed if the visible hand count is unknown; use engine-visible counts and revealed information only.

• Tempo: Preserve mana efficiency and deny the opponent clean windows. Cast one- and two-mana discard bodies before expensive engines when the opponent can punish tapped-away turns, and prefer threats that leave behind value if answered: The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Liliana of the Veil, Waste Not, and Bloodchief Ascension. Do not overvalue Castle Locthwain activations while under attack; card draw is correct only when the life cost and tempo loss are not creating a lethal crack-back. If Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer or Pox from the command zone is available, check commander-tax, stack, and board pressure before using it as the turn's main play.

• Midrange: Win the resource exchange by making every discard matter. Establish a payoff such as Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Geth's Grimoire, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, or Bloodchief Ascension before repeating discard if the opponent has time to rebuild. If both players trade creatures, value Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, and Liliana, Dreadhorde General as late-game recursion or advantage threats only through visible legal prompts; Card text check required for exact transformed-side or theft details. Use Pox when your permanents are redundant and the opponent's single large board piece or land count is central.

• Big mana: Pressure lands, hand, and payoff timing rather than trying to race with small creatures alone. Pox is most valuable when it reduces the opponent below a critical mana threshold while you keep enough Swamp count, Cabal Stronghold access, or cheap permanents to rebuild. Use Liliana of the Veil, Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Words of Waste, and Liliana Vess to strip payoff cards before they resolve. The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, and Raiders' Wake supply the clock; do not spend early turns on slow draw engines if the opponent is visibly approaching a decisive mana turn.

• Graveyard decks: Disrupt the hand first and use graveyard-facing cards only through legal engine prompts. Bloodchief Ascension, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Doomsday Confluence, and Liliana Vess may interact with graveyards, recursion, or card movement depending on exact card text, but the pilot must not infer unshown modes. If the opponent wants cards discarded, prefer discard that also damages, draws, or pressures life through Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Bloodchief Ascension, The Rack, or Shrieking Affliction. Avoid enabling a graveyard plan with Pox unless the visible board and hand pressure make the exchange favorable.

• Artifact/enchantment engines: Prevent the engine from resolving when possible because this list has limited visible permanent answers. Prioritize discard from Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Tourach, Dread Cantor, Liliana of the Veil, Pox, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, and Liliana Vess before the opponent's key permanent is public. Once an artifact or enchantment is on the battlefield, use Doomsday Confluence, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Pox, or Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer only if the rules engine exposes a legal action that affects it; Card text check required for exact mode coverage. Pressure life totals while the permanent sits unresolved by hand attack.

• Go-wide decks: Value sweep-like, sacrifice-like, and blocker-producing lines over hand-lock vanity. Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Dread Presence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, The Raven Man, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, and Liliana's Specter are higher priority than The Rack-only pressure when multiple attackers threaten planeswalkers or life. Use Lightning Greaves to preserve the stabilizer that changes combat math. Do not assume discard will matter if the opponent has already converted cards into creatures; visible battlefield damage matters first.

• Single-threat decks: Trade resources aggressively to answer or race the one visible threat. Liliana of the Veil, Pox, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Doomsday Confluence, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, and command-zone actions are premium if the legal action text targets, sacrifices, weakens, or otherwise handles the threat. If the threat cannot be answered, shift to a damage clock with The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, and evasive or protected pressure through Lightning Greaves when legal. Preserve blockers only when they change the next combat, not as generic material.

• Burn: Protect life total over card quantity. Avoid Castle Locthwain and other life-spending choices unless the draw is necessary to prevent imminent loss or produce a winning line. Prioritize early discard to reduce burn count, then pressure with The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, and Tinybones, Trinket Thief. Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Dread Presence, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, and Sheoldred, Whispering One may be stabilizers if exact card text and legal actions show life gain, life drain, or board control; Card text check required.

• Removal-heavy decks: Lead with redundant engines before fragile finishers. Waste Not, Necrogen Mists, Words of Waste, Geth's Grimoire, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Liliana of the Veil, and Liliana Vess pressure through creature removal better than relying on one large creature. Use Lightning Greaves when it converts Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Arbiter of Woe, Entropic Battlecruiser, or Dread Presence into an immediate protected threat, but do not expose the creature if the opponent has visible exile or sacrifice interaction. Rebuild with Castle Locthwain and discard engines after removal trades.

Specific Matchup Notes

• General note: Exact opponents are absent, so treat these notes as archetype-only heuristics and let revealed cards override assumptions. Keep sideboarding at none because the registered sideboard has 0 cards; do not invent registered addition or trim plans, and adapt only through mulligans, priority, target choice, and sequencing.

• Fast creature decks: Prioritize survival before discard-payoff elegance. Use Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, The Raven Man, and Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer as blockers or board-speed tools when the rules engine shows legal attacks or blocks. Hold Liliana of the Veil, Pox, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Dread Presence, and Doomsday Confluence for visible board-control actions; Card text check required for exact modes on Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Dread Presence, and Doomsday Confluence. Priority targets are creatures presenting the shortest clock, then cards that rebuild after discard.

• Slow control decks: Lead with durable pressure and repeated discard before committing a single expensive closer. Waste Not, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Geth's Grimoire, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, and Raiders' Wake are better early anchors than exposing Sheoldred, Whispering One or Bloodthirsty Conqueror into obvious open interaction. Priority targets are card-advantage engines, sweepers visible in hand or on stack, and answers to enchantments or planeswalkers.

• Big-mana decks: Attack mana development indirectly by forcing discard before payoffs become castable. Pox is strongest when it leaves this deck with enough Swamp count, Cabal Stronghold access, or cheap permanents to rebuild while reducing the opponent below a critical mana turn. Priority targets are payoff cards first, then ramp or utility permanents only if legal action text confirms they can be hit. Use Castle Locthwain cautiously because spending life to draw is poor if the opponent is about to resolve a decisive threat.

• Graveyard-recursion decks: Prefer discard that also produces damage, cards, or board advantage, because raw discard may stock the opponent's resource. Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Bloodchief Ascension, The Rack, and Shrieking Affliction turn hand pressure into progress even when discarded cards later matter. Priority targets are recursion engines, graveyard payoffs, and discard outlets. Use Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Tinybones, Bauble Burglar, Liliana Vess, and Doomsday Confluence only according to visible legal prompts; Card text check required.

• Artifact or enchantment engine decks: Strip key permanents before they resolve because this list has limited dependable permanent removal. Use Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Tourach, Dread Cantor, Liliana of the Veil, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Pox, and Liliana Vess to reduce the opponent's engine density. Priority targets are the first visible engine permanent, then protection or draw pieces that let it recover. Once the engine resolves, shift to clocking with empty-hand payoffs unless a legal action clearly answers it.

• Removal-heavy midrange: Make removal awkward by leading on enchantments, planeswalkers, discard engines, and hand-size punishers. Lightning Greaves is best when it protects a creature that immediately changes combat or life totals, not when it merely uses mana. Priority targets are sweepers, exile effects, and cards that answer The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Waste Not, Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Geth's Grimoire, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, or Raiders' Wake.

Risk Summary

• Mana risk: This deck is mostly black but can still stumble on expensive spells, Cabal Stronghold timing, Castle Locthwain life costs, and command-zone tax. Do not keep hands that only cast late closers unless early discard or payoffs are already present.

• Matchup risk: Creature swarms can convert cards to board before discard matters. Use Pox, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Dread Presence, and blockers ahead of slow empty-hand damage when life or planeswalkers are under pressure.

• Draw risk: Castle Locthwain, Geth's Grimoire, Words of Waste, Waste Not, and Liliana Vess can pull the deck ahead, but drawing instead of stabilizing loses races. Spend a turn on cards only when the visible board does not demand removal, blocking, or a discard clock.

• Over-sideboarding risk: There is no registered sideboard. Never propose sideboard swaps, and never treat matchup adaptation as access to unregistered cards.

• Graveyard risk: Pox, discard creatures, and repeat discard can help graveyard opponents if no payoff punishes the discard. Favor discard-damage, discard-draw, or board-control lines when the opponent visibly benefits from graveyard stocking.

• Sweeper/removal risk: Expensive closers such as Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Entropic Battlecruiser, and Arbiter of Woe can be stranded or answered. Commit them after discard has reduced answers or Lightning Greaves creates immediate protection.

• Closer risk: The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, and Raiders' Wake need the opponent's hand or life pattern to cooperate. If the opponent is empty-handed but killing quickly on board, survival still outranks incremental damage.

• Interaction risk: Do not infer removal modes from Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, Doomsday Confluence, Jecht, Reluctant Guardian // Braska's Final Aeon, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, or Entropic Battlecruiser without legal action text. Card text check required for exact tactical promises.

• Sequencing risk: Playing discard before a payoff wastes pressure when the opponent can rebuild. When safe, land Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Geth's Grimoire, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, or Bloodchief Ascension before repeated discard; when unsafe, use discard first to remove the card that punishes waiting.

Test Feedback Checklist

• Deciding factor: Identify the turn where the game swung, then record whether the swing came from discard pressure, empty-hand damage, board control, mana denial, a protected closer, or an unanswered opposing permanent.

• Mulligans: Check whether the opening hand had Swamp access, an early discard action such as Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, or Liliana's Specter, and either a payoff such as Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Bloodchief Ascension, or Quest for the Nihil Stone, or a stabilizer such as Liliana of the Veil or Pox.

• Mana: Record every game where Cabal Stronghold, Castle Locthwain, or too many expensive cards stranded action. Separate color failure from curve failure, and note whether Castle Locthwain life loss mattered in the race.

• Velocity: Ask whether Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not, Words of Waste, Castle Locthwain, Liliana Vess, or Liliana, Dreadhorde General generated enough cards to justify the mana and tempo spent. If the deck emptied its own hand too quickly, mark whether Library of Leng changed or should have changed the line.

• Engine timing: Check whether discard was cast before a payoff when waiting one turn for Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Waste Not, Raiders' Wake, Geth's Grimoire, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, or Bloodchief Ascension would have produced more pressure.

• Removal and stabilization: Record whether Liliana of the Veil, Pox, Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Dread Presence, or Doomsday Confluence was available when a creature clock became dangerous. Card text check required for exact mode evaluation on Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Dread Presence, and Doomsday Confluence.

• Sideboard: Confirm no sideboard decision was requested or invented. This registered deck has 0 sideboard cards, so any post-game adaptation must be strategic piloting only.

• Closing: Ask whether the deck actually closed after emptying the opponent's hand. Track which of The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, or Entropic Battlecruiser converted control into a win.

• Role: Record whether the pilot correctly shifted between discard-engine midrange, board-control survival, and closer deployment. Mark mistakes where the deck tried to race while behind on board or over-controlled while the opponent was already empty-handed.

• Mistakes: Flag any pass with mana open when legal discard, draw, removal, equip, or planeswalker actions were available and strategically relevant. Also flag any expensive closer cast before known or visible interaction was pressured.

• Stranded cards: Track cards stuck in hand for three or more turns, especially Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Entropic Battlecruiser, Arbiter of Woe, Liliana Vess, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Doomsday Confluence, and Pox.

• Overperformers and underperformers: Name the exact card and game state. Good notes explain whether the card won because of its own role, because discard already cleared the way, or because the opponent's draw failed to punish it.

First Tuning Questions

• Card quantities: Does singleton density make the discard-payoff package too inconsistent, or do overlapping effects from Liliana's Caress, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Waste Not, and Geth's Grimoire provide enough redundancy?

• Mana: Is 21 Swamp plus Cabal Stronghold and Castle Locthwain enough to cast Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Entropic Battlecruiser, Arbiter of Woe, and Doomsday Confluence on time?

• Aggro plan: Does the deck need more early board impact if Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, The Raven Man, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Liliana of the Veil, and Pox are not enough to survive creature pressure?

• Control plan: Does the deck have enough ways to punish full-hand opponents before they resolve engines, or should the build emphasize more repeat discard around Words of Waste, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, Raiders' Wake, and Liliana Vess?

• Closers: Are expensive finishers winning more games than cheaper empty-hand damage, or are Sheoldred, Whispering One, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead, Entropic Battlecruiser, and Arbiter of Woe creating stranded-card losses?

• Sideboard slots: Should future format configuration allow a sideboard, and if so, which recurring failures need slots first: fast creatures, graveyard recursion, artifact/enchantment engines, planeswalkers, or opposing card draw?

• Role conflicts: Does Pox conflict with expensive closers and planeswalkers, or does it buy the exact time needed for The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Quest for the Nihil Stone, Bloodchief Ascension, Liliana's Caress, Megrim, and Raiders' Wake to finish?

Veles Tactical Policy

Policy: Mulligan For Mana Plus Action

Priority: Medium Decision families: mulligan Cards: Swamp; Castle Locthwain; Cabal Stronghold; Vicious Rumors; Burglar Rat; Elderfang Disciple; Liliana's Specter; Waste Not; Liliana's Caress; Megrim; The Rack; Shrieking Affliction Phase windows: opening hand and mulligan decisions Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible:opening hand Use when: Decide whether the opener can cast a black spell before turn three and has either discard pressure, an empty-hand payoff, or board-control stabilization. Avoid when: The hand has no black mana, only expensive closers, or cannot spend early turns productively. Instructions: Keep Swamp-heavy hands with early discard and one payoff; ship hands that rely on Cabal Stronghold or Castle Locthwain without enough Swamp support. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Establish First Discard Payoff

Priority: High Decision families: priority Cards: Waste Not; Liliana's Caress; Megrim; Raiders' Wake; Geth's Grimoire; The Rack; Shrieking Affliction; Quest for the Nihil Stone; Bloodchief Ascension Phase windows: precombat main phase and postcombat main phase Runtime cues: action:cast; visible:payoff in hand; visible:opponent hand count greater than zero Use when: Choose whether to commit the first discard payoff before spending one-shot discard. Avoid when: Visible pressure requires immediate survival action or legal discard can remove a known threat before it resolves. Instructions: Prefer landing a payoff before Vicious Rumors, Burglar Rat, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana's Specter, Necrogen Mists, Cunning Lethemancer, or Words of Waste if the board allows one turn of setup. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Cast One-Shot Discard After Payoff

Priority: Medium Decision families: priority Cards: Vicious Rumors; Burglar Rat; Elderfang Disciple; Liliana's Specter; Liliana's Caress; Megrim; Waste Not; Geth's Grimoire; Raiders' Wake Phase windows: main phases with stack empty Runtime cues: action:cast Vicious Rumors; action:cast Burglar Rat; action:cast Elderfang Disciple; action:cast Liliana's Specter Use when: A discard payoff is already on battlefield and the opponent has at least one card in hand. Avoid when: The legal action would leave a lethal attacker unhandled this turn. Instructions: Convert one-shot discard into damage, cards, mana, or hand pressure while the opponent still has resources to lose. Pilot skill floor: basic No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Empty-Hand Damage Commitment

Priority: High Decision families: priority Cards: The Rack; Shrieking Affliction; Quest for the Nihil Stone; Bloodchief Ascension; Liliana's Caress; Megrim; Raiders' Wake Phase windows: main phases and opponent upkeep-sensitive windows Runtime cues: visible:opponent hand count zero or one; action:cast Use when: Decide whether to spend mana on empty-hand damage instead of another discard or creature. Avoid when: Opponent has visible board pressure that kills before the damage engine matters. Instructions: When the opponent is nearly empty-handed, prioritize permanents that punish low hand size over discard spells that may have no targetable resource left. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Repeat Discard Engine Gate

Priority: High Decision families: priority Cards: Necrogen Mists; Cunning Lethemancer; Words of Waste; Liliana of the Veil; Liliana Vess; The Raven Man Phase windows: main phases before combat when mana is available Runtime cues: action:cast Necrogen Mists; action:cast Cunning Lethemancer; action:activate Words of Waste; action:activate Liliana of the Veil; action:activate Liliana Vess Use when: Decide whether to start recurring discard that also reduces the pilot's hand or exposes a fragile permanent. Avoid when: The pilot needs specific cards in hand to answer lethal pressure, cast Pox profitably, or deploy a closer next turn. Instructions: Commit repeat discard when the pilot has payoff permanents, Library of Leng mitigation, or enough board stability to benefit from mutual resource loss. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Library Of Leng Self-Discard Filter

Priority: Medium Decision families: selection Cards: Library of Leng; Necrogen Mists; Cunning Lethemancer; Words of Waste; Liliana of the Veil; Pox Phase windows: discard-choice prompts and cleanup Runtime cues: prompt:discard; visible:Library of Leng on battlefield Use when: Choose which pilot card to discard under a visible self-discard effect. Avoid when: Rules text or legal choices do not show Library of Leng modifying the discard destination. Instructions: Preserve lands needed for expensive spells, preserve the active payoff if it is not redundant, and use Library of Leng only according to legal engine prompts. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Pox Commitment Gate

Priority: High Decision families: interaction Cards: Pox; The Rack; Shrieking Affliction; Quest for the Nihil Stone; Bloodchief Ascension; Sheoldred, Whispering One; Liliana, Dreadhorde General Phase windows: main phases with Pox legal Runtime cues: action:cast Pox Use when: Decide whether the symmetric resource hit improves the clock, breaks the opponent's board, or preserves survival better than developing. Avoid when: The pilot's expensive closer, planeswalker, or mana base is the main path to victory and Pox would strand it without stabilizing. Instructions: Treat Pox as a decisive commitment, not a routine spell; compare life totals, creature counts, hand counts, lands, and active empty-hand damage before casting. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Cabal Stronghold Mana Discipline

Priority: Medium Decision families: mana Cards: Cabal Stronghold; Swamp; Castle Locthwain; Sheoldred, Whispering One; Liliana, Dreadhorde General; Bloodthirsty Conqueror; Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead; Entropic Battlecruiser Phase windows: land play and mana payment prompts Runtime cues: action:play Cabal Stronghold; action:tap Cabal Stronghold; prompt:pay mana Use when: Decide land sequencing or payment for expensive spells. Avoid when: Tapping Cabal Stronghold before counting Swamp would reduce available black mana or prevent a required follow-up payment. Instructions: Sequence Swamp density first, use Castle Locthwain as a spell-like resource, and pay with ordinary Swamp before exposing Cabal Stronghold math unless the legal payment requires it. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Castle Locthwain Draw Gate

Priority: Medium Decision families: priority Cards: Castle Locthwain Phase windows: end step, main phase, and mana-sink windows Runtime cues: action:activate Castle Locthwain Use when: Decide whether drawing now is worth the visible life loss and mana. Avoid when: The opponent has lethal or near-lethal visible pressure, or the activation prevents casting a stabilizer this turn. Instructions: Use Castle Locthwain when the hand is small, the life total can absorb the cost, and additional action matters more than holding mana unused. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Tinybones Activation Gate

Priority: Medium Decision families: priority Cards: Tinybones, Trinket Thief; Tinybones, Bauble Burglar Phase windows: end step and main phases with legal Tinybones actions Runtime cues: action:activate Tinybones, Trinket Thief; action:activate Tinybones, Bauble Burglar Use when: The legal action text offers a Tinybones activation and the opponent has recently discarded or has low hand size. Avoid when: The activation consumes mana needed for removal, Pox, or a decisive empty-hand payoff. Instructions: Treat Tinybones actions as payoff conversion; activate when the engine has already created the condition and the mana would not protect survival. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Lightning Greaves Protection Target

Priority: Medium Decision families: priority Cards: Lightning Greaves; Tinybones, Trinket Thief; Tinybones, Bauble Burglar; Bloodthirsty Conqueror; Sheoldred, Whispering One; Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead; The Raven Man Phase windows: main phases after a creature enters Runtime cues: action:equip Lightning Greaves Use when: Choose whether to equip Lightning Greaves to a visible creature. Avoid when: The legal equip would block a target the pilot must use this turn or expose a more important creature. Instructions: Protect the creature that converts discard into victory or stabilizes the board; Card text check required before assuming haste or protection details beyond legal action output. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Planeswalker Activation Choice

Priority: High Decision families: selection Cards: Liliana of the Veil; Liliana Vess; Liliana, Dreadhorde General; Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer Phase windows: main phases with planeswalker loyalty actions Runtime cues: action:activate Liliana; action:activate Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer Use when: Select among legal loyalty abilities. Avoid when: Card text check required and the legal action text does not reveal enough effect detail to rank the modes safely. Instructions: Choose discard or sacrifice modes when they advance empty-hand pressure or survival; choose card-advantage or tutor-like modes only when the board is stable enough to spend the turn. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Removal And Edict Survival

Priority: High Decision families: interaction Cards: Liliana of the Veil; Pox; Withering Curse; Arbiter of Woe; Liliana, Dreadhorde General; Dread Presence; Doomsday Confluence Phase windows: priority windows before combat, blockers, damage, and main phases Runtime cues: action:cast Withering Curse; action:cast Doomsday Confluence; action:activate Liliana of the Veil; action:cast Pox Use when: Visible attackers or permanents threaten lethal, planeswalkers, or the discard engine before the next turn. Avoid when: The effect text is unknown; Card text check required for Withering Curse, Arbiter of Woe, Dread Presence, and Doomsday Confluence. Instructions: Spend interaction to preserve life and key engines before adding more discard pressure; never assume a card removes a target unless Forge offers that legal action. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Combat With Small Discard Bodies

Priority: Medium Decision families: combat Cards: Burglar Rat; Elderfang Disciple; Liliana's Specter; The Raven Man; Tinybones, Trinket Thief; Cunning Lethemancer Phase windows: declare attackers and declare blockers Runtime cues: prompt:declare attackers; prompt:declare blockers Use when: Decide whether utility creatures should attack, stay back, or trade. Avoid when: Attacking removes the only blocker against lethal or exposes a payoff creature for marginal damage. Instructions: Trade discard bodies for real board stabilization, but keep repeat engines and payoff creatures alive when empty-hand damage is already winning. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Deterministic No Attack

Priority: Low Decision families: combat Cards: none Phase windows: declare attackers Runtime cues: action:attack with no creatures; action:no attackers Use when: The only legal attack action declares no attackers. Avoid when: More than one attack action is legal. Instructions: Submit the single no-attack legal action without model reasoning. Pilot skill floor: basic No-API allowed: yes Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Big Closer Tap-away Gate

Priority: High Decision families: priority Cards: Bloodthirsty Conqueror; Sheoldred, Whispering One; Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead; Entropic Battlecruiser; Arbiter of Woe; Liliana, Dreadhorde General Phase windows: main phases with six-plus-mana plays legal Runtime cues: action:cast Bloodthirsty Conqueror; action:cast Sheoldred, Whispering One; action:cast Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead; action:cast Entropic Battlecruiser; action:cast Arbiter of Woe; action:cast Liliana, Dreadhorde General Use when: Decide whether to tap low for a finisher. Avoid when: Visible board state demands immediate removal, or the opponent has known interaction that should be pressured by cheaper plays first. Instructions: Commit the closer when it stabilizes, closes quickly, or follows hand disruption; otherwise keep advancing the discard engine. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Search Or Topdeck Selection Gate

Priority: Medium Decision families: selection Cards: Liliana Vess; Doomsday Confluence Phase windows: legal search, tutor, or selection prompts Runtime cues: prompt:search; prompt:choose card; action:activate Liliana Vess; action:cast Doomsday Confluence Use when: Select a card from library, hand, graveyard, or visible options. Avoid when: Card text check required and the engine prompt does not expose zone, candidate cards, or destination. Instructions: Choose survival first under pressure, choose payoff when the opponent has cards to discard, and choose closer when the opponent is empty-handed and the board is stable. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Payoff Trigger And Optional Payment

Priority: Medium Decision families: priority Cards: Bloodchief Ascension; Raiders' Wake; Waste Not; Geth's Grimoire; Dread Presence Phase windows: triggered ability and optional-payment prompts Runtime cues: prompt:trigger; prompt:optional; action:pay Use when: A legal optional trigger or payment from a registered payoff is offered. Avoid when: Paying consumes mana needed for a visible stack tax, removal action, or survival play this turn. Instructions: Accept payoff triggers that cost no strategic resource; evaluate payments by whether the mana has a higher-priority legal use. Pilot skill floor: light-model No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Pass Priority With Empty Stack

Priority: Low Decision families: priority Cards: none Phase windows: any priority window with stack empty Runtime cues: action:pass priority; action:pass Use when: The only legal non-mana action is pass priority and the stack is empty. Avoid when: Any legal cast, activation, attack, block, selection, or interaction action is also available. Instructions: Submit the single pass action when no other non-mana decision exists. Pilot skill floor: basic No-API allowed: yes Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Sideboard Is Disabled

Priority: High Decision families: sideboard Cards: none Phase windows: between games and sideboard prompts Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; visible:registered sideboard count zero Use when: A sideboard decision is requested for this registered 60 main / 0 sideboard configuration. Avoid when: The engine presents any sideboard card name not in the registered inventory. Instructions: Make no card changes; continue with strategic role adjustment only, because there are no legal registered addition cards. Pilot skill floor: basic No-API allowed: no Light-model allowed: yes