Brad Stein 6e673260eb generated all guides

2026-06-19 18:54:22 -03:00

87 KiB

Raw Permalink Blame History

Strategy Specifications

Deck Name And Archetype

Orzhov Greasefang is a Pioneer combo-midrange graveyard deck built around resolving Greasefang, Okiba Boss with Parhelion II in the graveyard while using black-white disruption, removal, resilient creatures, and land-based utility to force the combo through interactive games. Treat the deck as a hybrid rather than a pure stock Greasefang list: the Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II core is familiar, but the registered configuration uses Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Monument to Endurance, Iron-Shield Elf, The Mycosynth Gardens, and a varied sideboard package in ways that require deck-specific runtime guidance rather than generic archetype heuristics.

Active validation status is clean for the supplied contract: the format is Pioneer, the registered main deck contains 60 cards, the registered sideboard contains 15 cards, and the format-aware validation result says the list passes. Use only the registered main-deck inventory for Cut: names and only the registered sideboard inventory for Side in: names in executable sideboard plans. Do not assume legality of any action from deck construction alone; runtime choices must still follow the rules engine's legal action list.

Primary archetype tags are combo, midrange, and graveyard. The combo tag matters because Greasefang, Okiba Boss can convert a graveyarded Parhelion II into a fast battlefield kill or near-kill; the midrange tag matters because Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, Guardian of New Benalia, and creature combat can buy time or win without immediate combo access; the graveyard tag matters because several core lines depend on moving or keeping relevant objects in the graveyard and because opponents may bring graveyard interaction after sideboarding.

Mana and role concerns are real despite the clean count validation. The mana base is black-white with Concealed Courtyard, Godless Shrine, Brightclimb Pathway, Bleachbone Verge, Shadowy Backstreet, Plains, Swamp, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and The Mycosynth Gardens; runtime play should respect visible untapped sources, life total pressure from shock lands, and whether early black mana is needed for Thoughtseize or Fatal Push versus white mana for protective or board-stabilizing lines. Card text check required for newer or less familiar registered cards before relying on exact triggered abilities, activated abilities, or alternate uses.

Opponent information status is unspecified beyond the active format and this decklist. Before sideboarding or matchup-specific play, the agent should treat the opposing archetype, revealed cards, public graveyard, battlefield, exile, hand counts, and logged decisions as runtime evidence rather than assuming a metagame deck. When no opponent profile is provided, default to preserving the Greasefang, Okiba Boss combo threat while selecting discard, removal, and graveyard-setup lines from visible legal actions and public information.

Thesis

Orzhov Greasefang assembles Parhelion II in the graveyard plus Greasefang, Okiba Boss on the battlefield, then converts the beginning-of-combat trigger into an immediate high-damage vehicle attack that often ends the game or leaves the opponent facing lethal pressure. Prioritize the combo when the legal action list shows a safe path to put Parhelion II into the graveyard, resolve or protect Greasefang, Okiba Boss, and move to combat without exposing the plan to visible removal, graveyard hate, or lethal counterpressure.

The deck wins by making the opponent answer two different axes: a graveyard-combo kill from Greasefang, Okiba Boss and Parhelion II, and a fair black-white pressure plan backed by Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Iron-Shield Elf, and Monument to Endurance. Use the fair plan to buy time, clear blockers, punish stumble draws, and force opponents to spend interaction before the combo turn; do not play as a slow hard-control deck that hoards resources forever while the opponent develops unchecked.

The deck is not trying to cast Parhelion II as a normal primary plan unless runtime mana, battlefield, and legal actions make that realistic. Treat hard-casting or copying utility through The Mycosynth Gardens as conditional backup texture, not the default path. Card text check required before relying on exact The Mycosynth Gardens, Monument to Endurance, Iron-Shield Elf, Bleachbone Verge, Seam Rip, or Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer functionality.

Prioritize information and timing over raw speed when the opponent shows open interaction. Thoughtseize should often clear the way before committing Greasefang, Okiba Boss; removal should protect life total or remove blockers that change the attack math; discard outlets and selection should value placing Parhelion II where Greasefang, Okiba Boss can use it rather than cycling away all redundant pressure without a plan.

Role Package

Threats: Greasefang, Okiba Boss is the defining must-answer threat because it turns a graveyarded Parhelion II into an immediate combat step. Guardian of New Benalia, Fleeting Spirit, and Iron-Shield Elf supply non-combo pressure that can chip damage, carry games through graveyard hate, and make opposing removal awkward. Card text check required for exact Iron-Shield Elf combat or utility rules before treating it as more than a creature threat.
Payoffs: Parhelion II is the main payoff and should usually be valued more in the graveyard than stranded in hand. Sheltered by Ghosts is a stabilizing payoff when legal text supports removing or neutralizing a visible permanent while improving the board. Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer is a sideboard payoff only after sideboarding; card text check required before using it as a specific engine, threat, or interaction piece.
Engines: Monument to Endurance appears to support the discard/graveyard plan and should be evaluated as an engine when legal actions show it turning discard into material advantage. Fleeting Spirit and Guardian of New Benalia can function as repeat or tactical discard outlets if their visible legal actions offer discard choices, especially when discarding Parhelion II advances the combo. Geier Reach Sanitarium is a land-based velocity engine when activating it improves the graveyard setup or hand texture more than it helps the opponent.
Velocity: Lively Dirge, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and discard-capable creatures are the main ways to convert awkward cards into graveyard or hand progress. Use velocity to find or enable Greasefang, Okiba Boss, place Parhelion II in the graveyard, or recover after disruption; avoid spending velocity just because it is available when the hand already contains a coherent near-term plan.
Interaction: Thoughtseize is the proactive shield and scouting tool for combo turns. Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Bitter Triumph, Sheltered by Ghosts, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Duress, Damping Sphere, Soul-Guide Lantern, Doorkeeper Thrull, and Seam Rip form the removal, disruption, hate, and matchup-control modules. Use interaction to clear the specific visible obstacle to winning or surviving rather than trading down into low-impact targets.
Protection: Thoughtseize and Duress protect the combo by removing visible or known answers before Greasefang, Okiba Boss is exposed. Guardian of New Benalia and Fleeting Spirit may protect themselves through discard or exile-style legal actions; use those protections only when the engine output confirms the action and the card being discarded improves or preserves the plan.
Recursion: Takenuma, Abandoned Mire and Lively Dirge are the named recursion or recovery module, subject to runtime legal actions and card text verification. Prioritize recovering Greasefang, Okiba Boss when Parhelion II is already positioned, and prioritize rebuilding fair pressure when graveyard hate blocks the immediate combo.
Mana: Concealed Courtyard, Godless Shrine, Brightclimb Pathway, Bleachbone Verge, Shadowy Backstreet, Plains, Swamp, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, The Mycosynth Gardens, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, and Geier Reach Sanitarium must support early black for Thoughtseize and Fatal Push, white for creatures and protective plays, and utility timing without missing the combo turn.
Sideboard modules: Duress increases proactive protection, Bitter Triumph and the extra Vanishing Verse increase answer density, Soul-Guide Lantern fights opposing graveyard plans, Damping Sphere pressures spell-chain or big-mana opponents, Doorkeeper Thrull attacks triggered-ability reliance if card text confirms the matchup relevance, Seam Rip answers a specific permanent class only after card text check, and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer is a transformational or grindy module only when its verified text fits the matchup.

Primary Win Conditions

Combo kill: Put Parhelion II into the graveyard, resolve Greasefang, Okiba Boss, and use the beginning-of-combat trigger to return and crew Parhelion II for an immediate attack. Prioritize this path when Thoughtseize or visible information shows the opponent lacks a live answer, when the opponent is about to outscale the fair board, or when waiting gives graveyard hate or removal more time to matter.
Combo setup: Treat Parhelion II in hand as a resource to discard, not as a normal castable spell, unless runtime mana and legal actions prove otherwise. Use legal discard or filtering actions from Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and any verified Monument to Endurance or Lively Dirge action to place or find the missing combo piece; card text check required before assuming exact Monument to Endurance or Lively Dirge output.
Combo protection: Use Thoughtseize before exposing Greasefang, Okiba Boss when the opponent could have removal, counterplay, or graveyard interaction. If the legal action list offers multiple development lines, prefer the line that either clears the known answer or keeps a backup Greasefang, Okiba Boss, pressure creature, or recursion line available after disruption.
Combo disruption response: If Parhelion II is exiled, Greasefang, Okiba Boss is removed, or graveyard access is blocked, pivot immediately into pressure plus interaction instead of spending turns on impossible graveyard actions. Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, and Sheltered by Ghosts should remove the permanent or creature most responsible for stopping the attack, preserving life, or opening a fair-damage clock.

Secondary Win Conditions

Fair pressure: Win with Guardian of New Benalia, Fleeting Spirit, Iron-Shield Elf, and repeated attacks while interaction keeps the opponent off balance. Prioritize this plan when graveyard hate is visible, Parhelion II is unavailable, or the opponent has spent resources respecting Greasefang, Okiba Boss; card text check required before using Iron-Shield Elf for any role beyond visible creature pressure.
Disruption tempo: Use Thoughtseize plus cheap removal to create a low-resource game where small creatures matter. Fatal Push is best when it prevents early damage, clears a blocker for lethal pressure, or stops a creature that invalidates the combo turn; Vanishing Verse is best saved for a permanent that Fatal Push cannot answer or that materially blocks the winning line.
Stabilizing enchantment line: Use Sheltered by Ghosts when legal actions confirm it removes or neutralizes a relevant visible permanent while improving a race or protecting a creature-based plan. Do not spend it on low-impact targets if a larger threat, graveyard-hate permanent, or blocker is the real obstacle to winning.
Value engine line: Use Monument to Endurance, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, and Lively Dirge to rebuild after one-for-one trades when the game slows down. Card text check required for exact Monument to Endurance, Lively Dirge, and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire decisions; conditionally prioritize actions that recover Greasefang, Okiba Boss, find a creature, or turn discarded Parhelion II into pressure rather than empty card movement.
Hard-payoff backup: Treat hard-casting Parhelion II or copying/leveraging utility with The Mycosynth Gardens as a rare late-game line that must be verified by legal actions, mana, and board state. Do not keep weak hands solely because they contain lands and Parhelion II; the deck’s normal win path is graveyard deployment plus combat, not eight-mana inevitability.

Emergency Lines

Behind on life: Stabilize first with Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, and profitable blocks before pursuing slow selection. A near-term Greasefang, Okiba Boss attack can reverse a race, but only commit if the engine shows the trigger and combat line are legal and the opponent’s visible board does not already present lethal through the attempt.
Behind on board: Remove the creature or permanent that changes the next combat step most, then deploy the cheapest relevant blocker or pressure creature. Avoid discarding the only interactive card to protect Fleeting Spirit or Guardian of New Benalia unless the discarded card is Parhelion II or the protected creature is essential to surviving the turn.
Behind on cards: Favor recursive or multi-card actions from Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Lively Dirge, Monument to Endurance, and Geier Reach Sanitarium only when they improve the next two turns. Do not activate symmetrical draw-discard effects into an opponent who benefits more unless the action places Parhelion II into the graveyard or finds a needed answer.
Behind on mana: Keep land drops and colored requirements above optional utility activations. Early black enables Thoughtseize and Fatal Push; white enables the creature plan and Greasefang, Okiba Boss; utility lands should not strand key spells when the hand needs colored mana.
Graveyard shut off: Stop treating Greasefang, Okiba Boss as the immediate win condition while the hate remains active. Build a fair battlefield, pressure life total, hold or use removal for the hate piece if legal, and preserve Parhelion II only when a future discard or recovery line can matter.
Win conditions removed: If all visible Greasefang, Okiba Boss access is gone or Parhelion II is no longer usable, shift to creature combat backed by every remaining answer. Use Thoughtseize to protect the fair clock, use removal to clear blockers or lethal attackers, and make the opponent answer each Guardian of New Benalia, Fleeting Spirit, and Iron-Shield Elf instead of waiting for a combo that cannot be assembled.

Resource Model

Life: Spend life aggressively for Thoughtseize and untapped shock-land mana when the payoff is a protected Greasefang, Okiba Boss turn, a stopped opposing combo, or survival against pressure. Conserve life when the hand is already configured for a turn-three combo and the opponent is presenting creature damage; do not pay life merely to curve a low-impact creature if a tapped land still keeps the combo timeline intact.
Hand: Treat cards in hand as both spell access and discard fuel. Parhelion II is the preferred discard payload, while extra legendary or redundant pieces can be spent only when visible legal actions confirm the resulting graveyard, protection, or selection value; do not discard the only Greasefang, Okiba Boss or only interaction unless the action wins or prevents an immediate loss.
Mana: Convert early mana into black interaction first, white combo access second, and utility activations third. Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Vanishing Verse, and Sheltered by Ghosts make colored sequencing more important than maximizing utility-land text.
Board: Convert creatures into pressure, blockers, crew material when the engine shows legal crew actions, and resilience against graveyard hate. Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, and Iron-Shield Elf should keep attacking only when they do not expose the pilot to a worse crack-back or discard the card needed for the next combo/protection window; card text check required for exact Iron-Shield Elf utility.
Graveyard: Treat the graveyard as the main combo staging zone, not a passive discard pile. A Parhelion II in the graveyard plus live Greasefang, Okiba Boss access is worth more than most fair exchanges, but visible graveyard hate changes the resource model immediately toward creature combat and removal.
Exile: Treat exiled combo pieces as mostly unavailable unless a legal action explicitly says otherwise. If Parhelion II or Greasefang, Okiba Boss is exiled, stop spending selection on that exact line and prioritize fair damage, removal, and any verified recovery route from Lively Dirge, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, or Monument to Endurance; card text check required for exact recovery modes.
Lands: Treat land drops as a protected resource through turn four because the deck wants discard, removal, setup, and Greasefang, Okiba Boss on time. Geier Reach Sanitarium, The Mycosynth Gardens, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire are powerful only after colored requirements are safe.
Sacrifice fodder: Do not assume the deck has a sacrifice plan. Use creatures as sacrifice fodder only when the rules engine exposes a legal action that names a sacrifice cost or effect, and prefer expendable or redundant bodies over a live Greasefang, Okiba Boss or the only blocker needed to survive.
Tempo: Convert tempo into a short protected attack window. A turn spent on Thoughtseize or discard setup is good when it makes the next Greasefang, Okiba Boss turn safe; a turn spent filtering is poor when a visible attacker, hate permanent, or lethal clock demands Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, or Sheltered by Ghosts.
Information: Use Thoughtseize and visible public zones to decide whether to commit or wait. Known removal, counterplay, or graveyard hate should push the agent toward discard first, backup threat deployment, or fair pressure instead of blind combo exposure.
Sideboard bullets: Convert sideboard slots into narrow resource pressure after Game 1. Duress adds information and protection, Soul-Guide Lantern contests opposing graveyards, Damping Sphere taxes mana/combo decks, Bitter Triumph and the extra Vanishing Verse increase removal density, Doorkeeper Thrull, Seam Rip, and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer need card text verification before assigning exact tactical roles.

Mana Guide

Color priority: Secure black on turn one for Thoughtseize or Fatal Push, then secure white and black together for Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Vanishing Verse, and Sheltered by Ghosts. Hands without early black need a strong visible reason to keep, such as multiple correct lands plus a fast white creature plan and no immediate need for disruption.
Untapped sequencing: Prefer Concealed Courtyard, untapped Godless Shrine, Brightclimb Pathway, Bleachbone Verge, or basics when the turn requires interaction or combo setup. Use tapped or conditional lands only when the current legal actions do not require that mana before the next untap; card text check required for exact Bleachbone Verge and Shadowy Backstreet timing.
Utility-land sequencing: Delay Geier Reach Sanitarium, The Mycosynth Gardens, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire if playing them would strand Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, or Vanishing Verse. Lead on utility lands only when colored sources are already covered or the hand specifically needs the utility action to put Parhelion II into the graveyard.
The Mycosynth Gardens: Treat The Mycosynth Gardens as a utility land before treating it as colored fixing or a copied object. Card text check required for exact activation choices; do not spend mana on it if that prevents casting Greasefang, Okiba Boss, holding Fatal Push, or paying for a visible protection/removal line.
Keep/mulligan mana: Keep hands that can produce black early and reach Greasefang, Okiba Boss mana on schedule with either Parhelion II access, discard/filter access, or disruption. Mulligan hands with only utility lands, no black source, no realistic path to white-black mana, or lands that enter tapped in a way that misses the first relevant interaction window.
Land count: Two-land hands are acceptable when both colors are covered and the hand has Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, a discard outlet, or a clear combo route. One-land hands need exceptional legal-format evidence and should usually be rejected; five-plus-land hands need Geier Reach Sanitarium, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Monument to Endurance, or a strong interactive curve to avoid flooding.
Play land before draw/filter: Play a land before activating Geier Reach Sanitarium or any verified draw-discard action when the land drop is already known and unlocks current-turn interaction. Delay the land drop until after draw/filter when the choice of land depends on whether the agent finds Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Parhelion II, Fatal Push, or a missing color.
Channel/utility timing: Hold Takenuma, Abandoned Mire and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as lands unless the rules engine exposes a legal utility action that is better than making the next land drop. Use those actions only when the effect matters immediately or the mana base can still cast the next planned spell.
Shock-land life rule: Pay life for Godless Shrine when the untapped mana enables same-turn discard, removal, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, or a protected setup action. Let it enter tapped when the turn is noninteractive and the opponent’s visible pressure makes life the limiting resource.

Mulligan Guide

Strong keeps: Keep two- or three-land hands with early black, turn-three white-black access, and either Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus a way to place Parhelion II in the graveyard or Thoughtseize plus interaction. A hand like Concealed Courtyard, Godless Shrine, Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Parhelion II, and Fleeting Spirit is strong because it disrupts first, interacts, and threatens the combo if the engine exposes a discard/filter route.
Medium keeps: Keep fair-leaning hands with colored mana, Thoughtseize or Fatal Push, and pressure from Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, or Iron-Shield Elf when the matchup is unknown or visible opponent pressure matters. Monument to Endurance hands are keepable when they also contain lands and action; card text check required for exact setup value and whether it enables discard, recursion, or pressure.
Risky keeps: Keep one missing combo half only when the hand has disruption, selection, or repeatable filtering such as Geier Reach Sanitarium, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Lively Dirge, or Monument to Endurance; card text check required for exact search or recovery modes. Do not keep a hand just because it has Parhelion II; it must also have a route to the graveyard, a way to find Greasefang, Okiba Boss, or a credible fair plan.
Automatic ships: Mulligan hands with no early black source, no realistic white-black mana for Greasefang, Okiba Boss, zero lands, one land without Thoughtseize or Fatal Push, or five-plus lands without Geier Reach Sanitarium, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Monument to Endurance, or strong interaction. Ship hands that are only Parhelion II plus slow lands and no discard/filter outlet.
Matchup-dependent keeps: Against fast creature decks, keep Fatal Push, Sheltered by Ghosts, or Vanishing Verse hands more aggressively than slow combo hands. Against control or graveyard hate decks, prefer Thoughtseize, redundant Greasefang, Okiba Boss, and a fair creature plan over all-in graveyard dependence.
Play/draw adjustment: On the play, prioritize Thoughtseize into protected turn-three Greasefang, Okiba Boss; on the draw, prioritize Fatal Push, stable mana, and hands that do not fold to the opponent developing first. A slower hand with Guardian of New Benalia, Fleeting Spirit, and removal is more acceptable on the draw than an unprotected fragile combo hand.
Trap hands: Do not keep double Parhelion II hands without a discard outlet or interaction. Do not keep utility-land-heavy hands with The Mycosynth Gardens, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire if they cannot cast Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, or Greasefang, Okiba Boss on time.

Turn Arc

Turn 1: Prefer untapped black for Thoughtseize when the opponent is unknown, likely interactive, or capable of racing. Use Fatal Push instead when a visible one-drop or early attacker changes the race; deploy no spell only when the hand needs a tapped land or the legal actions offer no relevant setup.
Turn 1 deviation: Lead on a mana-safe land over a utility land unless Geier Reach Sanitarium or another visible legal action is needed to set up Parhelion II. Do not expose life with untapped Godless Shrine unless it unlocks Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, or a turn-two line.
Turn 2: Set up the combo or stabilize the board. Cast Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Iron-Shield Elf, or Monument to Endurance when the hand needs pressure or filtering; hold up Fatal Push when the opponent’s visible board threatens the turn-three combo window. Card text check required for exact Iron-Shield Elf and Monument to Endurance sequencing.
Turn 2 deviation: Use Thoughtseize before committing a creature if known removal, graveyard hate, or counterplay would stop Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Use Vanishing Verse or Sheltered by Ghosts only when the engine shows a legal target that matters more than preserving mana for the next combo turn.
Turn 3: Commit Greasefang, Okiba Boss when Parhelion II is in the graveyard, the legal action is available, and the visible/known interaction check is acceptable. If the combo is not ready, play a fair threat, use Thoughtseize, remove a blocker or hate piece, or activate a verified filter/search action to assemble the next turn.
Turn 3 deviation: Wait on Greasefang, Okiba Boss when known removal, open mana, or visible graveyard hate makes the attack unlikely to resolve and the hand contains discard, removal, or a backup threat. Do not spend The Mycosynth Gardens utility mana if it prevents casting or protecting Greasefang, Okiba Boss; card text check required for exact copy/activation lines.
Turns 4-5: Rebuild after the first exchange and force a second must-answer line. Use extra Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Lively Dirge, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Monument to Endurance, or creature pressure to recover; card text check required for exact recursion/search modes. Use Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, and Sheltered by Ghosts to clear blockers, hate permanents, or lethal pressure before spending mana on low-impact filtering.
Late game: Shift from speed to inevitability only if the visible board allows it. Repeated filtering with Geier Reach Sanitarium, utility from Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and The Mycosynth Gardens, and attacks from Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, and Iron-Shield Elf should pressure life totals while preserving any route back to Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II.
Late-game deviation: Prioritize survival over combo purity when the opponent has lethal or a short clock. A removal spell, blocker, or life-preserving line is correct over setup when the rules engine shows that waiting loses before Greasefang, Okiba Boss can matter.

Card Roles

Greasefang, Okiba Boss: Treat this as the defining commitment card, not a normal three-drop. Cast it when Parhelion II is already in the graveyard, the engine offers the legal line, and visible or known interaction does not make waiting clearly better. Greasefang, Okiba Boss can also pressure as a 4-power creature, but its main role is to return Parhelion II for a combat step, so avoid exposing it into open removal when discard or another setup action can clear the way first. Against fast creature decks, cast it sooner if the combo attack is the only stabilization line; against discard, removal, or graveyard-hate decks, value redundant copies and recovery lines more highly.
Parhelion II: Treat this as the graveyard payoff and a poor normal cast in most games. Prioritize lines that place Parhelion II into the graveyard before combat with Greasefang, Okiba Boss; do not strand it in hand unless the same hand has Fleeting Spirit, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Guardian of New Benalia, Monument to Endurance, or another verified discard/filter route. Hard-casting is rarely realistic, but if the rules engine presents it in a long game, consider board state, mana stability, and whether a cheaper Greasefang, Okiba Boss line is available.
Thoughtseize: Use this to clear the path, identify the opponent’s clock, and decide whether the current hand should combo or play midrange. On turn one, take the card that stops Greasefang, Okiba Boss when the combo is close; otherwise take the card that produces the fastest lethal pressure or the permanent hate that your current removal cannot answer. Avoid firing Thoughtseize late as a reflex when life total is under pressure and the opponent’s visible board already demands Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, or a blocker.
Fatal Push: Use this as the cheap tempo shield that buys the combo turn or protects the fair plan. Hold it when the opponent may commit a more important creature before your Greasefang, Okiba Boss turn; spend it early when a visible attacker, mana creature, or hate creature changes the race. Do not waste Fatal Push on a low-impact target if Vanishing Verse or Sheltered by Ghosts is better suited for the permanent already pressuring the board.
Vanishing Verse: Use this as premium exile interaction for monocolored blockers, hate permanents, and threats that Fatal Push cannot cleanly answer. Hold it when the opponent’s deck is likely to present a specific must-answer permanent, but spend it before committing Greasefang, Okiba Boss if the target would stop combat, remove the graveyard route, or create lethal pressure. Do not assume it answers multicolored or colorless permanents; follow legal target text from the engine.
Sheltered by Ghosts: Use this as conditional removal or protection only after confirming the exact legal action and card text. Card text check required. If it functions as an aura-style answer or protection piece, respect the risk of being punished by removal on the enchanted permanent; prefer it when the target matters immediately or when it unlocks a safe combo attack. Against decks with many cheap removal spells, avoid making a fragile creature carry too much of the plan unless no cleaner line exists.
Fleeting Spirit: Use this as the flexible fair threat and likely discard outlet; card text check required for exact activation costs and protection text. Its tactical role is to turn clunky Parhelion II hands into live combo hands while also attacking through stalled boards. Cast it early when the hand needs a discard/filter route or repeatable pressure, but hold mana-sensitive activations if the same turn requires Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, or Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Do not discard important redundancy just to use an ability unless the graveyard setup or survival payoff is visible.
Guardian of New Benalia: Use this as pressure, filtering, and a resilient body when the combo is incomplete or interaction-heavy. Card text check required for exact enlist, scry/discard, and protection details. It is strongest when it can attack while improving hand texture, discard Parhelion II, or force removal before Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Avoid attacking into bad trades if the body is needed to pressure planeswalkers, crew, block, or support a later fair game.
Iron-Shield Elf: Use this as an early stabilizer or enabling permanent only after card text is verified. Card text check required. If it produces mana, protects creatures, or contributes to combat, sequence it according to the exact legal actions shown by the engine rather than assuming a generic ramp role. In unknown matchups, cast it when it improves turn-three Greasefang, Okiba Boss or blocks profitably; in removal-heavy games, avoid treating it as guaranteed protection or acceleration unless the visible rules text confirms that role.
Monument to Endurance: Use this as the long-game engine or setup piece only when the hand can afford the tempo. Card text check required. Its likely role is to convert discard, graveyard movement, or repeated actions into advantage, but the decision agent must not assume triggers or modes without engine output. Cast it early against slower decks if it helps assemble Parhelion II plus Greasefang, Okiba Boss; delay it against aggro when removal, blockers, or immediate combo setup are more urgent.
Lively Dirge: Use this as a one-copy search, recursion, or setup spell only after checking the legal mode text. Card text check required. If the engine presents it as a way to find or return Greasefang, Okiba Boss, prioritize it when the graveyard already contains Parhelion II or when a second combo attempt is needed. Do not spend it for low-impact value if the current hand lacks the payoff or if holding mana for interaction prevents a loss.
The Mycosynth Gardens: Use this as a utility land that may support artifact or combo lines, but do not let its utility text distort the mana plan. Card text check required for exact copy and mana abilities. Prioritize colored lands over The Mycosynth Gardens when the hand must cast Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Fleeting Spirit, or Greasefang, Okiba Boss on curve. In long games, look for legal activations that copy a relevant artifact or improve a Parhelion II plan only when the board and mana make that action better than casting spells.
Geier Reach Sanitarium: Use this as a repeatable way to move Parhelion II from hand to graveyard and dig toward missing pieces. Activate it when both players drawing and discarding is acceptable, especially at end step before a Greasefang, Okiba Boss turn. Avoid activating it when the opponent benefits more from the extra card selection, when mana must remain available for Fatal Push or Vanishing Verse, or when discarding reveals a plan the opponent can immediately answer.
Takenuma, Abandoned Mire: Use this as a land first and a recovery spell when the game reaches a resource fight. Channel or activate it only when the engine confirms the legal action and the graveyard or library outcome can recover Greasefang, Okiba Boss, a pressure creature, or another relevant card. Do not hold it too long if missing black mana prevents early plays, but preserve it in grindy games when other lands already cast the hand.
Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire: Use this as white mana first and interaction later when the game is likely to involve combat. Its channel line can answer an attacking or blocking creature if the engine presents the legal action, which matters for clearing a Parhelion II attack, surviving an alpha strike, or winning a race. Do not keep a weak opener merely because Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire has utility; it must still cast the deck’s early black spells.
Mana lands: Use Concealed Courtyard, Godless Shrine, Brightclimb Pathway, Bleachbone Verge, Shadowy Backstreet, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Swamp, and Plains to secure black on turn one and white-black by turn three. Choose untapped black early for Thoughtseize or Fatal Push; choose painless or tapped sequencing only when it does not delay disruption, setup, or Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Treat utility-heavy hands as risky if they cannot produce both colors on schedule.

Interaction Priorities

Discard first when the hand needs a clear Greasefang, Okiba Boss turn; Thoughtseize should take the visible card that stops the combo, not the flashiest threat. Prioritize graveyard hate, instant-speed creature removal, exile effects, sweepers that reset pressure, and combo pieces that will win before Parhelion II connects. Against fast creature decks, take the card that produces the most immediate damage only when removal cannot cover it.
Remove first when the battlefield threatens either lethal pressure or a lock on the graveyard plan. Use Fatal Push on cheap creatures that race Greasefang, Okiba Boss, enable sacrifice/combo turns, or force bad blocks; avoid spending it on low-pressure creatures if Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, or combat can answer later. Use revolt or other engine-confirmed modifiers only when the legal action text shows them.
Exile first when the permanent is outside Fatal Push range or invalidates the combo. Vanishing Verse should answer monocolored hate permanents, large attackers, planeswalkers, or blockers that prevent a decisive Parhelion II attack, but do not assume it can target multicolored or colorless cards. Sheltered by Ghosts is interaction only under engine-confirmed text; Card text check required before treating it as removal, lifegain, or protection.
Bait removal with secondary bodies before committing the key combo creature when time allows. Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Iron-Shield Elf, and sometimes Monument to Endurance can pressure or tax answers while preserving Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Do not bait if the opponent is presenting lethal, if Parhelion II is already in the graveyard and the opponent is tapped low, or if waiting gives them a clean graveyard-hate window.
Ignore low-impact targets when they do not affect the next combo turn, race math, or resource engine. Do not fire Fatal Push at a creature that cannot profitably attack or block, do not spend Thoughtseize on redundant fair threats while a hate card remains, and do not use Vanishing Verse on a permanent that Parhelion II combat will overpower.
Adjust interaction by archetype before choosing the action. Against aggro, preserve life and remove attackers before spending life on speculative Thoughtseize; against control, discard permission, exile effects, and graveyard hate before committing Greasefang, Okiba Boss; against combo, use Thoughtseize and sideboard disruption like Duress, Damping Sphere, or Soul-Guide Lantern according to legal text and visible timing; against midrange, trade interaction for the card that stops the next combo attempt or wins the long exchange.
Counter and bounce choices are not normal registered-deck actions. Orzhov Greasefang has no main-deck counterspell or bounce spell, so select counter or bounce only if the rules engine presents a legal action from a visible effect; never wait for an unavailable protection line.

Combat And Trading Rules

Attack with Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus returned Parhelion II when the engine shows the crew/return/combat line is legal and the attack changes the game immediately. Prefer the combo attack when it creates lethal, a dominant token board, or a life swing that beats the opponent’s crack-back; pause for light-model reasoning if open mana, known removal, or visible hate can break the line.
Preserve Greasefang, Okiba Boss over fair combat unless the attack is part of the combo or a lethal race. Do not send it into blocks that trade for an ordinary creature when another combo attempt is likely. Blocking with it is an emergency line for lethal prevention or when recursion/redundancy is visible.
Trade secondary creatures when the trade buys the combo turn or protects life total. Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, and Iron-Shield Elf may attack or block as fair-game tools, but keep the body if it is needed to discard Parhelion II, pressure a planeswalker, enable protection text, or support a future legal action. Card text check required for exact combat and protection abilities.
Treat life total as a resource until the opponent can kill before the next Greasefang, Okiba Boss window. Above roughly 12 life, prioritize setup and discard if the opponent’s board is not presenting a two-turn clock. At 8 or below, removal, blockers, lifelink from engine-confirmed Sheltered by Ghosts, and Parhelion II stabilization become higher priority than speculative engine setup.
Block conservatively against pump, sacrifice, and instant-speed removal archetypes. Make blocks that survive visible damage or prevent lethal, but avoid relying on unverified protection from Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Iron-Shield Elf, or Sheltered by Ghosts. If the engine exposes only one legal no-block action and no lethal risk, passing combat can be acceptable.
Use Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as a combat trick only when the engine presents a legal channel or activation and the target matters now. The best combat uses are clearing a blocker for Parhelion II, killing an attacker to survive, or turning a trade into a favorable exchange; do not hold white mana for it if casting Greasefang, Okiba Boss is the stronger visible line.
Shift combat posture by matchup. Against aggro, block earlier and make trades that preserve life for a single combo swing; against control, attack with resilient secondary threats to force action before Greasefang, Okiba Boss; against creature-light combo, pressure life total while keeping discard and removal aligned with their key turn; against graveyard hate, win with fair attacks while searching for a clean interaction window.

Selection And Tutor Rules

Prioritize Parhelion II access before fair-card smoothing when the hand already has Greasefang, Okiba Boss or a credible route to it. Use discard, channel, connive, rummage, mill, or search actions only as the rules engine exposes them; the strategic target is to put Parhelion II into the graveyard while preserving enough mana and timing to resolve Greasefang, Okiba Boss on the next meaningful window.
Use Thoughtseize as selection for opponent disruption, not as generic information gathering. When the visible hand contains graveyard hate, instant-speed removal for Greasefang, Okiba Boss, exile interaction, or a faster combo piece, take the card that most directly prevents the next planned Parhelion II turn. If no card stops the combo and pressure is low, take the card that makes the opponent’s next turn strongest.
Sequence land drops to preserve both colors before choosing optional filtering. Play untapped black early for Thoughtseize and Fatal Push; play white/black access by turn three for Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Vanishing Verse, or sideboard interaction. Use The Mycosynth Gardens, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as utility only when the engine confirms their legal activated or channel actions and the line does not strand a required colored spell.
Treat Geier Reach Sanitarium as a combo enabler when a legal activation can discard Parhelion II without giving the opponent a better immediate response. Activate it before committing Greasefang, Okiba Boss if the discard is required for the combo; delay if the opponent benefits more from a draw/discard window or if spending mana prevents interaction.
Treat Takenuma, Abandoned Mire as graveyard selection only under legal channel text. Prefer it when it can find or return Greasefang, Okiba Boss, stock the graveyard with Parhelion II, or recover a key creature after removal. Do not spend it as a land or channel resource if black mana is needed now and the selection result is uncertain.
Treat Lively Dirge as conditional tutoring or graveyard setup only after reading the engine’s exact legal modes. Card text check required. If the legal action can place Parhelion II in the graveyard or find Greasefang, Okiba Boss, choose the mode that completes the missing half of the combo unless survival or disruption is visibly more urgent.
Use Monument to Endurance, Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, and Iron-Shield Elf filtering or discard-related actions only when their legal action text is visible. Card text check required for exact abilities. Prefer discarding Parhelion II; keep Greasefang, Okiba Boss unless a duplicate exists or recursion is already legal.
Bottom or decline low-impact cards when a scry, surveil, or selection prompt appears from any registered card. Keep Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Parhelion II access, untapped colored mana, Thoughtseize, and matchup-relevant interaction. Send redundant legendary lands, extra expensive vehicles without discard access, and slow fair threats away when the current hand lacks the combo or survival tools.

Priority And Stack Rules

Pass priority when no legal action improves the current combo turn, protects against a visible threat, or converts mana into necessary setup. Do not cast spells just to use mana; Orzhov Greasefang wins by timing a compact graveyard-creature-vehicle turn, not by emptying its hand into open interaction.
Commit Greasefang, Okiba Boss only when the battlefield and stack make the attempt worth exposing the creature. Prefer casting it with Parhelion II already in the graveyard, with opposing mana constrained, after Thoughtseize has cleared the known answer, or when waiting gives the opponent lethal pressure or graveyard hate time. If the engine presents the triggered return action, choose Parhelion II when visible and legal.
Respond to graveyard hate before it resolves when a legal action can preserve the combo. Use Thoughtseize proactively before hate reaches the battlefield; use Vanishing Verse, Fatal Push, Bitter Triumph, Seam Rip, or Soul-Guide Lantern only when their legal action text confirms a relevant target or timing. Do not assume a card can answer artifacts, enchantments, graveyards, or stack objects without engine confirmation.
Hold instant-speed interaction for the opponent’s decisive step unless using it now enables a lethal or stabilizing Parhelion II attack. Fatal Push should answer a creature that threatens lethal, blocks the combo, or enables a faster engine. Vanishing Verse should answer a legal monocolored permanent that stops the combo or dominates the board.
Use optional payments and optional triggers only when the visible payoff is immediate or strategically necessary. Accept a Greasefang, Okiba Boss return trigger for Parhelion II; decline optional effects that spend mana needed for interaction, channel lands, or post-removal recovery. Card text check required for Sheltered by Ghosts, Monument to Endurance, and Iron-Shield Elf optional effects.
Let opposing setup spells resolve when interaction is more valuable against the payoff. Against control, preserve discard or removal for graveyard hate and Greasefang, Okiba Boss answers. Against aggro, respond earlier to damage sources that compress the clock below one combo turn. Against combo, interact with the card that changes the kill turn, not a replaceable cantrip.
Use combat-step priority to force the highest-value vehicle outcome. After Greasefang, Okiba Boss returns Parhelion II, attack when legal unless visible stack or removal risk makes waiting mandatory; if the opponent acts before damage, respond with available protection, removal, or discard-channel actions only when the legal text directly preserves the attack or prevents lethal crack-back.
Activate The Mycosynth Gardens only when the rules engine presents a legal action whose target or copy outcome is clear. Card text check required. Do not spend it during priority windows that require holding black/white mana for Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, or sideboard interaction unless the activation itself completes the chosen line.

Sideboard Map

Use sideboarding to choose whether the matchup is a protected combo race, a discard-heavy attrition game, or a hate-card containment game. Keep the Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II plan intact unless graveyard hate, removal density, or speed forces a heavier midrange posture.
Add Duress against control, combo, Lotus-style mana engines, removal-heavy midrange, and graveyard-hate decks where the important opposing cards are noncreature spells. Duress is bad against creature-dense aggro when the opponent’s most dangerous cards are battlefield threats; in those games, avoid flooding on discard that cannot affect combat.
Add Damping Sphere against decks whose visible plan depends on chaining spells or producing extra mana from lands. Prioritize it against Lotus-style combo, spell-chain combo, and big-mana shells; avoid it when the opponent is mostly fair creatures or when your own curve needs every mana to assemble Parhelion II plus Greasefang, Okiba Boss without disruption.
Add Soul-Guide Lantern against graveyard decks, recursive creature decks, delve-style pressure, Phoenix-style engines, opposing Greasefang, Okiba Boss shells, and any matchup where a single graveyard card visibly changes the opponent’s next turn. It is weaker when the opponent uses the graveyard only incidentally; then prefer cards that protect the combo or answer board pressure.
Add the sideboard Vanishing Verse when monocolored permanents are the key opposing pressure, hate, or engine. It improves matchups where exile matters and the target class is visible; it is poor against multicolored threats, colorless hate pieces, and decks where the main problem is a spell on the stack or graveyard action rather than a permanent.
Add Bitter Triumph when killing a creature or planeswalker is more important than preserving life or cards. It is strongest against fast creature decks, planeswalker midrange, and creature-combo shells; it is weaker against low-threat control and spell combo unless a specific creature or planeswalker is visible as the bottleneck.
Add Doorkeeper Thrull against enters-the-battlefield engines, artifact/creature trigger shells, and creature-combo decks where stopping triggered abilities buys time for Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Card text check required for exact coverage. It is bad when the opponent attacks mostly with efficient stats, removal, or noncreature spells rather than triggered permanent value.
Add Seam Rip only when the engine confirms its exact legal text and the matchup presents artifact or enchantment hate, vehicles, lock pieces, or other targets it can answer. Card text check required. Do not bring it in as generic interaction if the opponent’s relevant cards are creatures, planeswalkers, or stack-based spells.
Add Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer only when the matchup allows a slower non-graveyard threat or value plan and its legal text is confirmed by the engine. Card text check required. Prefer it against removal-heavy or graveyard-hate-heavy opponents where diversifying threats matters; avoid it against fast aggro and combo unless its visible abilities directly stabilize or accelerate a kill.

Control Or Removal-Heavy Midrange Balanced Plan Side in: 3 Duress; 1 Vanishing Verse; 2 Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer Cut: 4 Fatal Push; 2 Sheltered by Ghosts

Plan: protect the combo with more discard while adding a slower alternative threat package. Fatal Push loses value when the opponent has few creature targets; Sheltered by Ghosts becomes risky if removal or exile effects can undo the tempo. Keep Thoughtseize, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Parhelion II, Monument to Endurance, and discard outlets because the primary kill still pressures control to have an answer immediately.

Fast Creature Aggro Balanced Plan Side in: 2 Bitter Triumph; 1 Vanishing Verse; 3 Doorkeeper Thrull Cut: 4 Thoughtseize; 1 Lively Dirge; 1 Monument to Endurance

Plan: reduce life-loss and slow selection while increasing board interaction. Thoughtseize is still powerful on the play against a known hate card, but the default post-board posture should preserve life and answer creatures. Doorkeeper Thrull is included only when opposing creature or artifact trigger text is relevant; if the engine or matchup notes show no trigger reliance, use archetype advice instead and keep more main-deck engine density.

Graveyard Mirror Or Recursive Graveyard Deck Balanced Plan Side in: 2 Soul-Guide Lantern; 3 Duress; 2 Bitter Triumph Cut: 2 Sheltered by Ghosts; 1 Lively Dirge; 2 Vanishing Verse; 2 Fatal Push

Plan: fight over graveyards, discard, and the creature that enables the opponent’s decisive line. Soul-Guide Lantern should not replace your own graveyard plan; use it to force the opponent to act first or to interrupt the exact graveyard card the engine exposes. Keep enough discard outlets for Parhelion II, because becoming only a fair deck usually makes the opponent’s hate better.

Lotus, Big-Mana, Or Spell-Chain Combo Balanced Plan Side in: 3 Duress; 1 Damping Sphere; 2 Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer Cut: 4 Fatal Push; 2 Sheltered by Ghosts

Plan: slow the opponent’s engine while protecting a compact combo turn. Damping Sphere matters most when deployed before the opponent’s explosive turn; do not delay it for marginal filtering if the legal action is available and mana permits. Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer is conditional on confirmed text and matchup speed; if too slow, keep additional main-deck selection instead.

Artifact Or Enchantment Hate Permanent Plan Side in: 1 Seam Rip; 3 Duress; 1 Vanishing Verse Cut: 2 Fatal Push; 2 Sheltered by Ghosts; 1 Lively Dirge

Plan: answer or strip hate that stops Parhelion II recursion, graveyard access, or Greasefang, Okiba Boss survival. Seam Rip must match a legal target class before it is valued. Duress should take the hate card before it resolves when possible; Vanishing Verse should be held for a monocolored permanent that blocks the combo or pressures lethal.
Against creature-light combo, add role cards: Duress; Damping Sphere; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fatal Push; Sheltered by Ghosts; slow removal that has no visible target. Keep Thoughtseize because the first discard spell often decides whether turn-three Greasefang, Okiba Boss is safe.
Against creature-heavy aggro, add role cards: Bitter Triumph; Vanishing Verse; Doorkeeper Thrull when triggers matter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Thoughtseize; Lively Dirge; excess slow engine pieces beyond the first discard outlet. Preserve combo density when life totals are pressured, because Parhelion II is the fastest stabilizer.
Against graveyard hate decks, add role cards: Duress; Seam Rip if legal text answers the hate; Vanishing Verse if the hate or pressure is monocolored; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer if a fair threat is needed. Reduce main-deck emphasis: fragile aura-style interaction, low-impact removal, and slow tutor lines. Do not over-sideboard away from Greasefang, Okiba Boss; force the opponent to have hate plus pressure.
Against opposing graveyard decks, add role cards: Soul-Guide Lantern; Duress; Bitter Triumph. Reduce main-deck emphasis: removal that misses the opponent’s enabler, slow selection, and narrow permanent answers. Use Soul-Guide Lantern with patience when the opponent must commit a specific graveyard card before it matters.
Against unknown opponents after Game 1, sideboard from the cards actually seen rather than the archetype name alone. If the revealed cards show mostly creatures, prioritize Bitter Triumph and Vanishing Verse; if they show sweepers, discard, and hate, prioritize Duress; if they show graveyard recursion, prioritize Soul-Guide Lantern; if they show mana multiplication or spell chains, prioritize Damping Sphere.

Matchup Guidance

Aggro: Preserve life first, then convert one Parhelion II attack into stabilization. Keep hands with early black mana, Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Bitter Triumph, or a fast Greasefang, Okiba Boss line; risky Thoughtseize keeps need either a turn-three combo threat or a clear answer to the opponent’s best early play. Add role cards: Bitter Triumph; Vanishing Verse; Doorkeeper Thrull when visible opposing permanents rely on triggered abilities. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Thoughtseize when life loss matters; Lively Dirge; extra slow setup from Monument to Endurance when it does not affect the board quickly. Do not spend removal on small creatures if the visible board shows a larger haste, pump, or lord-style threat is the real clock.
Burn: Treat every life payment as a card-cost decision, not a default. Prefer Fatal Push and Vanishing Verse over Thoughtseize when both answer the same pressure, and avoid shock-land sequencing with Godless Shrine unless the legal line materially changes the clock or unlocks Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Add role cards: Bitter Triumph only when the matchup has must-answer creatures; Duress only when noncreature burn or hate is the exposed bottleneck. Reduce main-deck emphasis: repeated self-damage from Thoughtseize; slow value lines with Geier Reach Sanitarium; speculative keeps that require several paid life actions before stabilizing.
Go-wide decks: Prioritize the fastest lifelink swing or the highest-leverage permanent answer because one-for-one removal may fall behind. Parhelion II is the best stabilizer if Greasefang, Okiba Boss survives through the attack step; do not trade away Greasefang, Okiba Boss in combat before checking whether a combo attack is legal next turn. Add role cards: Bitter Triumph; Vanishing Verse; Doorkeeper Thrull if token or permanent-trigger text matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: discard spells after the opponent empties hand; slow graveyard setup that does not put Parhelion II into the graveyard soon. Use Sheltered by Ghosts only when the rules engine confirms the target and the tempo risk is acceptable.
Single-threat decks: Save exile or unconditional removal for the one permanent that carries the matchup. Vanishing Verse, Bitter Triumph, and Sheltered by Ghosts should line up against the visible threat rather than being fired at low-impact support creatures. Add role cards: Vanishing Verse; Bitter Triumph; Duress when the threat is protected by noncreature interaction. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fatal Push if the main threat does not match its legal target window; excess discard after the threat has resolved. If the single threat is faster than your combo, removal takes priority over looting or fair attacks.
Tempo: Force the opponent to answer different axes without walking Greasefang, Okiba Boss into obvious open interaction. Lead with discard when it can clear a counterspell, bounce spell, or graveyard hate; otherwise build with Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Monument to Endurance, or The Mycosynth Gardens until the opponent taps low. Add role cards: Duress; Vanishing Verse; Bitter Triumph for must-answer threats. Reduce main-deck emphasis: clunky removal with no target; slow tutor or setup actions when shields are down for a combo attempt. Do not assume a passed turn means safety; use visible mana, known cards, and legal stack actions.
Control: Make discard protect a decisive window instead of trading randomly for replaceable cards. Thoughtseize and Duress should take graveyard hate, counterplay, exile removal, or sweepers that break the current line; if the opponent is low on pressure, wait to deploy Greasefang, Okiba Boss until Parhelion II is in the graveyard or a second threat is ready. Add role cards: Duress; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer if confirmed as a slower alternate threat; Vanishing Verse for monocolored hate or finishers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fatal Push; Sheltered by Ghosts; removal that cannot hit the visible win condition. Card text check required for Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer before valuing a specific ability.
Removal-heavy midrange: Expect Greasefang, Okiba Boss to die and plan for repeated forcing turns. Use Thoughtseize to identify whether the opponent has removal, graveyard hate, or pressure, then decide whether to jam the combo, develop Fleeting Spirit and Guardian of New Benalia, or set up with Monument to Endurance. Add role cards: Duress; Bitter Triumph; Vanishing Verse; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer if its confirmed text provides a resilient plan. Reduce main-deck emphasis: fragile Sheltered by Ghosts lines into open removal; low-impact Fatal Push when opposing threats are larger or noncreature. Takenuma, Abandoned Mire can matter as recovery, but only take that line when the engine exposes a legal and useful target.
General midrange: Trade resources only when your graveyard plan remains live. The deck can win by combo, by incremental creature damage, or by forcing the opponent to spend removal on Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, and Iron-Shield Elf while Parhelion II waits in the graveyard. Add role cards: Vanishing Verse; Bitter Triumph; Duress when the opponent’s noncreature cards decide the exchange. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow removal with no current target; speculative discard once both hands are low. Card text check required for Iron-Shield Elf and Monument to Endurance tactical specifics; use them conditionally according to visible legal actions.
Combo: Race with disruption, not with fair pressure alone. Thoughtseize and Duress should take the enabler, payoff, protection, or hate piece that changes the next one to two turns; Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II should be pursued aggressively when the opponent’s combo clock is faster than their interaction. Add role cards: Duress; Damping Sphere against mana multiplication or spell-chain engines; Bitter Triumph only when a creature is the visible bottleneck. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fatal Push against creature-light lists; Sheltered by Ghosts; slow fair threats. Do not keep hands that interact only with creatures against a spell-chain opponent.
Big mana: Deploy Damping Sphere early when it legally slows the opponent more than your own turn-three combo plan. Discard should target payoff spells, mana engines, or hate that stops Greasefang, Okiba Boss; removal is secondary unless a creature is clearly the ramp engine. Add role cards: Damping Sphere; Duress; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer if confirmed and the matchup gives time. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fatal Push; Sheltered by Ghosts; creature-combat plans that do not pressure before the opponent’s large spell turn. Do not overvalue fair damage if a protected Parhelion II attack is available.
Graveyard decks: Use Soul-Guide Lantern to interrupt the specific graveyard card that matters, not just the first card that enters a graveyard. Continue developing your own Parhelion II plan unless the opponent’s graveyard line is immediately lethal or irreversible. Add role cards: Soul-Guide Lantern; Duress; Bitter Triumph for creature enablers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Sheltered by Ghosts; removal that misses enablers; slow setup if the opponent can act first. Against graveyard hate from the opponent, use discard first when possible and keep alternate pressure credible.
Artifact or enchantment decks: Identify whether the permanent is a hate piece, engine piece, or kill condition before spending interaction. Seam Rip requires confirmed card text and a legal target; do not value it as generic interaction without engine proof. Add role cards: Seam Rip; Duress; Vanishing Verse when the relevant permanent is monocolored; Doorkeeper Thrull when triggered abilities are central. Reduce main-deck emphasis: Fatal Push if threats are noncreature; Sheltered by Ghosts if removal makes it unreliable; slow lines that ignore a resolved hate piece.
Unknown opponents: Mulligan and sequence as a proactive graveyard combo deck until public information says otherwise. Keep Thoughtseize hands that reveal the opponent’s axis, prioritize black mana for disruption, and use early discard or visible plays to classify the matchup before changing plans. Add role cards after Game 1 according to seen cards: Duress for noncreature interaction or combo; Bitter Triumph and Vanishing Verse for creature pressure; Soul-Guide Lantern for graveyard reliance; Damping Sphere for mana or spell-chain engines; Doorkeeper Thrull for triggered permanent engines; Seam Rip for confirmed artifact or enchantment targets; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer for slower games where its confirmed text matters.

Specific Matchup Notes

General/archetype-only note: Exact opponents are not supplied, so use these notes as matchup classifiers until revealed cards, public game actions, and sideboard logs override assumptions. Prioritize lines from the runtime board over archetype labels; if the opponent reveals graveyard hate, instant-speed exile removal, fast pressure, or a spell-chain engine, reclassify immediately.
Fast creature decks: Treat life total as a combo resource but do not spend it casually with Thoughtseize when visible pressure already creates a short clock. Likely sideboarding adds Bitter Triumph, the extra Vanishing Verse, and sometimes Doorkeeper Thrull if triggered creatures or permanents are central; priority targets are the fastest threat, the card that stops Greasefang, Okiba Boss, or the removal spell that breaks a forced combo window. Keep Fatal Push high, use Sheltered by Ghosts only when legal and not likely to be punished by obvious removal, and turn Parhelion II into a stabilizing attack as soon as the window is real.
Control and removal decks: Make discard protect a decisive Greasefang, Okiba Boss turn rather than taking the first expensive card. Likely sideboarding adds Duress, the extra Vanishing Verse, and possibly Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer after card text is checked; priority targets are counterplay, exile removal, graveyard hate, and sweepers that punish Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, and Iron-Shield Elf pressure. Do not expose the combo into untapped mana unless waiting is worse or redundancy is visible.
Graveyard and combo decks: Race with disruption and commit when the opponent’s next turn is more dangerous than their interaction. Likely sideboarding adds Duress, Soul-Guide Lantern, Damping Sphere against mana or spell chains, and Bitter Triumph only for visible creature bottlenecks; priority targets are enablers, payoffs, graveyard interaction, and protection. Do not let Soul-Guide Lantern distract from your own Parhelion II setup unless the opposing graveyard action is immediate.
Artifact, enchantment, and triggered-permanent decks: Confirm the permanent’s role before spending narrow answers. Likely sideboarding adds Seam Rip when it has legal artifact or enchantment targets, Doorkeeper Thrull when triggered abilities are central, and Vanishing Verse for monocolored threats or hate; priority targets are the hate piece that stops the graveyard plan, the engine permanent that will snowball, or the kill condition. Card text check required for Seam Rip and Doorkeeper Thrull before assuming exact tactical coverage.

Risk Summary

Mana risk: The deck needs black early for Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, and sideboard Duress, while also needing white for Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, and some pressure lines. The Mycosynth Gardens, Geier Reach Sanitarium, channel lands, and modal lands can create sequencing traps; keep hands only when the first three turns cast the hand’s actual plan.
Draw risk: Multiple Parhelion II copies without discard, selection, or Greasefang, Okiba Boss can be clunky, and threat-heavy hands without graveyard setup can become fair midrange hands. Use Monument to Endurance, Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and Lively Dirge only according to confirmed legal actions; card text check required before assigning exact selection value to newer or uncertain cards.
Over-sideboarding risk: Removing too much combo density makes the deck a weaker fair Orzhov deck. Sideboard to answer the opponent’s revealed axis, but preserve enough Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Parhelion II, discard, and setup to threaten the primary kill.
Graveyard risk: Opposing hate can blank the cleanest win if discard is mistimed or if Greasefang, Okiba Boss is committed without a protected graveyard. Use Thoughtseize and Duress to clear hate before the combo turn, and shift to creature pressure only when the graveyard path is visibly blocked.
Sweeper/removal risk: Greasefang, Okiba Boss is fragile, and fair creatures can be swept or traded down. Avoid spending all pressure into visible sweepers; force the opponent to answer either a combo window or a staged backup board, not both for one card.
Closer risk: A single Parhelion II attack may stabilize without ending the game if the opponent survives, removes the follow-up, or rebuilds. Track whether the next attack, creature pressure, or a second Greasefang, Okiba Boss line is required before taking a low-resource all-in line.
Interaction and sequencing risk: Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Bitter Triumph, and Sheltered by Ghosts all answer different problems, so wrong-target interaction can strand the correct answer later. Let visible legal actions and public information decide whether the turn is discard first, removal first, setup first, or combo now.

Test Feedback Checklist

Deciding factor: Record whether the game was won or lost by a resolved Greasefang, Okiba Boss attack, fair creature pressure, disruption, mana failure, graveyard hate, removal timing, or inability to close after the first Parhelion II trigger.
Mulligans: Review every keep that lacked either Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Parhelion II setup, Thoughtseize, or an early pressure plan with Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, or Iron-Shield Elf; flag hands that looked functional but did not cast meaningful spells by turn three.
Mana: Check whether black mana was available on time for Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, and Duress, and whether white mana was available for Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, and post-board interaction without delaying the combo turn.
Velocity: Identify whether Parhelion II reached the graveyard through legal runtime actions often enough, and whether Monument to Endurance, Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Lively Dirge, or Takenuma, Abandoned Mire actually improved access to the combo instead of consuming turns.
Engine performance: Track whether Monument to Endurance was a real setup engine, a win-more permanent, or a stranded card; card text check required before assigning missed-trigger or missed-activation blame.
Removal timing: Review every Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, Bitter Triumph, and Sheltered by Ghosts use for whether it answered the visible card that most affected the next combo window, survival turn, or closing attack.
Sideboard impact: Confirm whether Duress, Damping Sphere, Soul-Guide Lantern, Vanishing Verse, Bitter Triumph, Doorkeeper Thrull, Seam Rip, and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer were drawn, cast, stranded, or irrelevant; card text check required for uncertain sideboard cards before judging tactical mistakes.
Closing: Record whether a single Parhelion II attack ended the game, merely stabilized, or failed because the follow-up Greasefang, Okiba Boss line, creature pressure, or interaction was missing.
Role accuracy: Ask whether the pilot correctly became combo, midrange, or control in each game, especially after Thoughtseize or Duress revealed the opponent’s plan.
Mistakes: Flag passes with available relevant interaction, attacks that exposed needed blockers, discard that ignored visible graveyard hate or removal, and combo attempts into known disruption when waiting was not visibly worse.
Stranded cards: Count games where Parhelion II, Sheltered by Ghosts, Vanishing Verse, Fatal Push, Damping Sphere, Soul-Guide Lantern, or Doorkeeper Thrull had no legal or relevant target for multiple turns.
Overperformers and underperformers: Compare actual game impact for Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, Iron-Shield Elf, Monument to Endurance, Lively Dirge, Sheltered by Ghosts, and each sideboard card against the role assigned before the match.

First Tuning Questions

Combo density: If games often lose with Greasefang, Okiba Boss but no graveyard Parhelion II, should the deck increase reliable discard or selection effects, or are current setup cards being sequenced poorly?
Payload count: If multiple Parhelion II copies clog opening hands without enabling a fast kill, is four copies still necessary for consistency, or does the current support package justify the full count?
Mana base: If hands stumble on early black or white requirements, should the mix of Bleachbone Verge, Brightclimb Pathway, Shadowy Backstreet, The Mycosynth Gardens, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire be adjusted toward more untapped colored sources?
Aggro plan: If fast creature decks beat the deck before combo assembly, are four Fatal Push, two Sheltered by Ghosts, two main-deck Vanishing Verse, and sideboard Bitter Triumph enough, or does the plan need more cheap stabilization?
Control plan: If counterspells, discard, or exile removal break too many combo attempts, should post-board plans lean harder on Duress, Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, fair creatures, or additional must-answer threats?
Graveyard-hate plan: If Soul-Guide Lantern, opposing graveyard hate, or exile effects decide games, should the deck preserve more fair pressure after sideboarding, or add more ways to remove artifacts and enchantments beyond Seam Rip and Vanishing Verse?
Engine slots: If Monument to Endurance is slow or redundant, should some copies become more interaction, selection, or threats; if it is consistently enabling wins, should sideboarding protect the full four more often?
Creature package: If Fleeting Spirit, Guardian of New Benalia, or Iron-Shield Elf rarely contribute to pressure or setup, which creature is the weakest in games where the combo is disrupted?
Removal mix: If Fatal Push misses key threats or Vanishing Verse is stranded against multicolored permanents, should sideboard plans shift toward Bitter Triumph, Seam Rip, or different interaction categories?
Sideboard slots: If Damping Sphere, Doorkeeper Thrull, Soul-Guide Lantern, Seam Rip, or Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer are narrow or uncast, are their matchup targets frequent enough to justify the registered copies?
Role conflict: If sideboarding makes the deck neither fast enough to combo nor dense enough to grind, which cuts are weakening the core Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II plan too much?
Closing power: If post-combo games still slip away, does the deck need stronger backup closers, better protection for Greasefang, Okiba Boss, or tighter sequencing around the first Parhelion II attack?

Veles Tactical Policy

Policy: Mulligan For A Real Plan

Priority: High
Decision families: mulligan; pregame
Cards: Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II; Thoughtseize; Fatal Push; Fleeting Spirit; Guardian of New Benalia; Iron-Shield Elf; Monument to Endurance
Phase windows: opening hand; mulligan decisions
Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible opening hand; known matchup role
Use when: choosing keep or mulligan before the first turn.
Avoid when: runtime hand details are hidden or the engine has already accepted a keep.
Instructions: Keep hands with castable black mana plus either fast Greasefang setup, Thoughtseize plus setup, or a credible creature-pressure plan. Mulligan hands with no early spell, no black source, or only Parhelion II copies without a legal way to discard, mill, tutor, or pressure.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Early Setup Permanent

Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana; priority
Cards: Monument to Endurance; Fleeting Spirit; Guardian of New Benalia; Iron-Shield Elf; The Mycosynth Gardens
Phase windows: turns 1-3 main phases
Runtime cues: legal cast actions for setup permanents; visible mana; hand contains Greasefang, Okiba Boss or Parhelion II
Use when: the turn offers setup before a combo attempt is legal.
Avoid when: removal or discard is required this turn to survive or clear known disruption.
Instructions: Develop the first enabling permanent that increases access to Parhelion II, enables discard/filtering, or establishes pressure. Prefer lines that keep next-turn Greasefang, Okiba Boss mana available over slow value permanents.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Combo Commitment Gate

Priority: High
Decision families: priority; interaction; mana
Cards: Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II; Thoughtseize; Duress
Phase windows: precombat main phase; priority before casting Greasefang, Okiba Boss
Runtime cues: action:cast Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II in graveyard; opponent open mana; known hand from Thoughtseize or Duress
Use when: casting Greasefang, Okiba Boss can produce a Parhelion II attack this turn.
Avoid when: Parhelion II is not in the graveyard or visible legal actions do not show a Greasefang line.
Instructions: Commit when the line is lethal, forces a decisive swing, or waiting exposes the graveyard or hand to worse risk. Delay when known removal, graveyard hate, or counterplay beats the line and discard or pressure can improve the window.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Greasefang Payload Target

Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection
Cards: Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II
Phase windows: beginning of combat; triggered ability target prompt
Runtime cues: action:target Parhelion II
Use when: exactly one legal action targets Parhelion II for a visible Greasefang, Okiba Boss trigger.
Avoid when: more than one different target Vehicle action is legal or target legality is unclear.
Instructions: Select Parhelion II as the Greasefang, Okiba Boss target when the legal action text explicitly targets Parhelion II.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Crew And Attack With Returned Parhelion

Priority: High
Decision families: combat; priority
Cards: Parhelion II; Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Fleeting Spirit; Guardian of New Benalia; Iron-Shield Elf
Phase windows: beginning of combat; declare attackers
Runtime cues: action:crew Parhelion II; action:attack with Parhelion II; returned Parhelion II visible
Use when: Parhelion II is on battlefield from Greasefang, Okiba Boss and can legally attack.
Avoid when: attacking is not legal or a required crew action would tap the only creature needed for a different mandatory survival action.
Instructions: Prioritize crewing and attacking with Parhelion II after the combo resolves. Use available creatures to crew if legal, then attack unless visible combat or prevention text makes the attack fail to advance lethal or stabilization.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Deterministic Parhelion Attack

Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat
Cards: Parhelion II
Phase windows: declare attackers
Runtime cues: action:attack with Parhelion II
Use when: exactly one legal action attacks with Parhelion II and no other attackers are selectable in the same prompt.
Avoid when: multiple attack configurations are legal.
Instructions: Choose the legal action that attacks with Parhelion II.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Discard Before Commitment

Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction; selection
Cards: Thoughtseize; Duress
Phase windows: precombat main phase; turn 1 disruption; combo setup turn
Runtime cues: action:cast Thoughtseize; action:cast Duress; opponent hand reveal prompt
Use when: discard is legal before committing Greasefang, Okiba Boss or when the opponent's next turn threatens the combo.
Avoid when: life loss or mana use makes visible lethal against the pilot this turn.
Instructions: Use discard to remove graveyard hate, instant-speed removal, counterplay, or a faster opposing kill. If the hand is revealed, take the card that most directly stops the next planned Greasefang or pressure line.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Removal For Survival Or Window

Priority: Medium
Decision families: interaction; priority
Cards: Fatal Push; Vanishing Verse; Bitter Triumph; Sheltered by Ghosts; Seam Rip
Phase windows: opponent combat; end step; precombat main phase; response windows
Runtime cues: legal target actions for removal; visible lethal pressure; visible hate permanent
Use when: a legal removal spell can prevent lethal, open the combo window, or answer a visible hate piece.
Avoid when: target text does not match the permanent type or legality is uncertain.
Instructions: Spend removal first on threats that kill before the combo, hate that stops graveyard or creature execution, then blockers or engines that prevent closing. Card text check required for Seam Rip and Sheltered by Ghosts targeting details.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Fatal Push Exact Target

Priority: Low
Decision families: interaction
Cards: Fatal Push
Phase windows: response window; main phase; combat
Runtime cues: action:target opponent creature Fatal Push
Use when: exactly one legal Fatal Push target action exists and the pilot has already selected casting Fatal Push.
Avoid when: multiple target actions exist.
Instructions: Select the only legal target shown for Fatal Push.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Mana For Black-White Curve

Priority: Medium
Decision families: mana
Cards: Concealed Courtyard; Godless Shrine; Brightclimb Pathway; Shadowy Backstreet; Bleachbone Verge; Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth; The Mycosynth Gardens; Geier Reach Sanitarium; Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire; Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
Phase windows: land play; payment prompts; turns 1-4
Runtime cues: action:play land; action:pay mana; visible hand costs
Use when: choosing land sequencing or mana payment.
Avoid when: a legal action requires a specific engine payment not visible in hand context.
Instructions: Preserve black for Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Greasefang, Okiba Boss, and Duress; preserve white for Vanishing Verse, Sheltered by Ghosts, and sideboard interaction. Sequence utility lands only when colored requirements remain covered.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Mandatory Single Mana Payment

Priority: Low
Decision families: mana
Cards: none
Phase windows: mana payment prompts
Runtime cues: action:pay
Use when: exactly one legal mana payment action is shown.
Avoid when: multiple source or color payment actions are legal.
Instructions: Choose the single legal payment action.
Pilot skill floor: low
No-API allowed: yes
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Lively Dirge And Takenuma Recovery

Priority: Medium
Decision families: selection; priority
Cards: Lively Dirge; Takenuma, Abandoned Mire; Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II
Phase windows: main phase; end step; recovery after disruption
Runtime cues: action:cast Lively Dirge; action:activate Takenuma, Abandoned Mire; graveyard and hand context
Use when: the deck needs to find, return, or enable a missing combo piece after disruption.
Avoid when: the current turn has a legal lethal Parhelion II line already available.
Instructions: Use recovery effects to rebuild toward Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II rather than generic value. Card text check required for exact Lively Dirge modes and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire choices before deterministic targeting.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Fair Pressure Plan

Priority: Medium
Decision families: combat; priority
Cards: Fleeting Spirit; Guardian of New Benalia; Iron-Shield Elf; Sheltered by Ghosts
Phase windows: main phase; declare attackers; declare blockers
Runtime cues: legal creature cast actions; legal attack/block actions; combo unavailable
Use when: Greasefang, Okiba Boss combo is delayed, hated out, or absent.
Avoid when: attacking removes the only blocker against visible lethal.
Instructions: Cast and attack with pressure creatures when they shorten the clock or force interaction away from Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Hold creatures back when they are needed to block, crew Parhelion II, or protect against immediate damage.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Priority: High
Decision families: interaction; priority; sideboard
Cards: Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II; Soul-Guide Lantern; Seam Rip; Vanishing Verse; Bitter Triumph
Phase windows: precombat main phase; opponent end step; sideboard games
Runtime cues: visible graveyard hate; action:cast Soul-Guide Lantern; legal removal action on hate permanent
Use when: a visible permanent, spell, or ability can exile graveyards or stop graveyard recursion.
Avoid when: the hate effect is not visible in public zones or legal action text.
Instructions: Do not commit Greasefang, Okiba Boss into visible graveyard hate unless the line is forced by lethal pressure or the hate can be answered first. Use sideboard graveyard tools proactively in mirrors or graveyard matchups.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Sideboard Role Selection

Priority: Medium
Decision families: sideboard; pregame
Cards: Duress; Damping Sphere; Soul-Guide Lantern; Vanishing Verse; Bitter Triumph; Doorkeeper Thrull; Seam Rip; Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer
Phase windows: between games
Runtime cues: sideboard prompt; known opponent archetype; prior game public cards
Use when: choosing a legal sideboard plan.
Avoid when: no validated sideboard plan preserves the registered 75.
Instructions: Add Duress and Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer against interaction-heavy decks, Damping Sphere against spell-chain or big-mana pressure, Soul-Guide Lantern against graveyards, Bitter Triumph and Vanishing Verse against creature or permanent pressure, Doorkeeper Thrull against triggered-ability reliance, and Seam Rip for artifact/enchantment pressure after card text check.
Pilot skill floor: high
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Post-Board Core Preservation

Priority: Medium
Decision families: sideboard; mulligan
Cards: Greasefang, Okiba Boss; Parhelion II; Monument to Endurance; Thoughtseize; Fatal Push; Fleeting Spirit; Guardian of New Benalia; Iron-Shield Elf
Phase windows: between games; post-board opening hand
Runtime cues: submitted sideboard plan; opening hand after sideboarding
Use when: sideboarding or evaluating a post-board opener.
Avoid when: a matchup-specific exact plan from Sideboard Map supersedes broad role advice.
Instructions: Preserve enough Greasefang, Okiba Boss plus Parhelion II density to threaten the combo unless the matchup forces a fair plan. Do not overcut setup and pressure cards so far that Duress or removal only trades one-for-one without a closing path.
Pilot skill floor: medium
No-API allowed: no
Light-model allowed: yes

87 KiB Raw Permalink Blame History Unescape Escape