veles-content/strategies/pioneer/pioneer_selesnya_company/1/guide.md

Strategy Specifications

Deck Name And Archetype

• Identity: Selesnya Company is a Pioneer Selesnya creature-combo-adjacent aggro-midrange deck built around fast mana, disruptive creatures, efficient board presence, and Collected Company as the primary instant-speed reload and threat-selection engine.

• Registration check: The active list is validated as 60 main-deck cards and 15 sideboard cards for Pioneer, with the main/sideboard rule satisfied under the supplied validation contract. Treat Side in: choices as restricted to Aven Interrupter, Rest in Peace, Seam Rip, Get Lost, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, High Noon, and Beza, the Bounding Spring; treat Cut: choices as restricted to registered main-deck cards only.

• Format status: The active format is Pioneer, and the supplied format-aware validation result says the deck passes. Runtime agents should not re-litigate legality during a game; if the rules engine rejects a card, action, cost, or zone transition, obey the engine output and record the uncertainty rather than assuming the deck construction data is wrong.

• Archetype tags: The useful runtime tags are aggro and midrange; the duplicate tag entry should collapse to those two roles. The deck should start most games as a mana-creature pressure deck, then pivot into disruptive tempo or board-grinding midrange depending on whether Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, Aven Interrupter, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, The Wandering Emperor, or Collected Company lines are better against the visible opponent.

• Stock/rogue/hybrid status: Classify this as a hybrid build, not a pure stock list. The shell resembles familiar Selesnya Company and creature-tax plans, but the registered mix of Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, Abandoned Air Temple, Starting Town, and Elspeth, Storm Slayer means the pilot should follow this specification and engine-visible card text over generic Pioneer heuristics.

• Role concern: The deck is not a dedicated all-in aggro deck even when it opens on Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic. Preserve disruptive tempo when the opponent is spell-dense, preserve board mass when the opponent is removal-heavy, and prefer instant-speed Collected Company timing when passing with mana constrains the opponent or protects against sweepers.

• Mana concern: The manabase is green-white but has many priority-sensitive land choices: Razorverge Thicket, Temple Garden, Brushland, Branchloft Pathway, Plains, Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Abandoned Air Temple, and Starting Town. Early green is critical for Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Badgermole Cub, and Collected Company; early white is critical for Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, and sideboard interaction.

• Card-text caution: Use engine card text for every action involving newer or less familiar names, especially Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, Enduring Innocence, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, Abandoned Air Temple, Starting Town, and Seam Rip. Card text check required before making non-engine assumptions about exact triggered abilities, alternate costs, counters, token creation, or targeting limits.

• Opponent info status: No specific opponent deck or metagame target is supplied for this guide. Matchup policies must therefore reason from visible lands, revealed cards, public zones, companion/status information, and legal actions rather than assuming hidden staples or exact archetype contents.

• Runtime authority: Legal actions, visible board state, public information, and current rules-engine prompts outrank this guide. Use this document to choose among legal options, not to invent actions, hidden cards, deterministic outcomes, or legality certainty.

Thesis

Selesnya Company assembles early green acceleration into disruptive white creatures, then uses instant-speed pressure and Collected Company to keep the opponent off clean development while adding two bodies or the most relevant creature pair from the top of the library. The deck wins by compounding tempo: one-mana accelerants create turn-two Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, Badgermole Cub, Enduring Innocence, or Ouroboroid turns; those permanents either tax the opponent, remove a visible blocker or engine card, draw or generate value if the engine text supports it, or attack before the opponent can stabilize.

Prioritize board presence that also constrains the opponent over raw damage when the visible game is uncertain. Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben are not just attackers; they are the deck's main way to convert fast mana into lost opponent turns, especially against spell-dense hands, cheap interaction chains, and decks trying to double-spell. Skyclave Apparition is the cleanest maindeck answer to a visible permanent that blocks pressure, enables an opponent engine, or invalidates combat. Collected Company is both velocity and protection: pass with it when instant timing punishes the opponent, but cast it proactively when missing board development would let the opponent race or untap into a sweeper-like reset.

Do not pilot this deck as a pure all-in creature rush. It can curve out aggressively with Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Badgermole Cub, and multiple attackers, but its strongest games usually pair pressure with a tax effect, removal creature, flash threat, planeswalker, or sideboard lock piece. Do not hold every creature for maximum Collected Company value if the visible board demands pressure now; do not dump every creature into open punishment when Collected Company, Aven Interrupter, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, or sideboard interaction gives a credible instant-speed line.

Card text check required for exact tactical assumptions involving Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Enduring Innocence, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, Abandoned Air Temple, Starting Town, and Seam Rip. Use the rules engine's legal actions and visible card text before treating these as damage engines, value engines, protection, or removal.

Role Package

• Threats: Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Enduring Innocence, Skyclave Apparition, Aven Interrupter, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, and The Wandering Emperor are the pressure package. Lead with the threat that either attacks earliest, disrupts the visible opponent most, or preserves a stronger follow-up through Collected Company.

• Payoffs: Collected Company is the primary payoff for staying creature-dense and keeping mana open. Elspeth, Storm Slayer and The Wandering Emperor are non-Company payoffs that can convert a stable board into combat dominance or rebuild through removal, subject to engine-visible loyalty abilities and timing.

• Engines: Enduring Innocence is the main named value engine if its visible text rewards small creatures or repeat creature entries; pair it with Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Badgermole Cub, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Aven Interrupter, and Collected Company only when the engine confirms the trigger or value line. Collected Company is also the selection engine because it turns four open mana into instant-speed board development.

• Velocity: Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic are the first setup priority because they move the deck from fair two-drops into accelerated tax, removal, and Company turns. Collected Company is the midgame velocity card; cast it before losing tempo if waiting would strand mana or leave the board empty.

• Interaction: Skyclave Apparition answers visible nonland permanents within its legal target range. Aven Interrupter interacts on timing or spell-based axes if the engine exposes a legal flash or disruption action. Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, The Wandering Emperor, Get Lost, Seam Rip, and High Noon provide additional interaction roles after sideboarding or when their channel/static/legal actions appear.

• Protection: Protection is mostly structural, not shield-based: use Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Aven Interrupter, High Noon, and instant-speed Collected Company timing to reduce the opponent's efficient response windows. Treat Seam Rip as conditional sideboard protection or interaction only after card text and legal targets are visible.

• Recursion: The registered list has no guaranteed recursion plan from known names alone. If Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, or another visible card offers return, replacement, or persistent-value text, use that engine-visible text; otherwise preserve board material normally.

• Mana: Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Razorverge Thicket, Temple Garden, Brushland, Branchloft Pathway, Plains, Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Abandoned Air Temple, and Starting Town form the mana module. Prioritize untapped green on turn one, then white access for tax creatures and Skyclave Apparition, while preserving channel lands when spell-like utility matters more than another land drop.

• Sideboard modules: Rest in Peace attacks graveyard reliance; High Noon reinforces one-spell-per-turn pressure; Aven Interrupter increases stack/timing disruption; Seam Rip is conditional interaction requiring text verification; Get Lost is a flexible removal slot; Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is a high-impact permanent against enter-trigger or value engines if the text applies; Beza, the Bounding Spring is a stabilizing catch-up threat against pressure or resource deficits.

Primary Win Conditions

• Accelerated disruption pressure is the main win path: use Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic to produce turn-two Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, Badgermole Cub, Enduring Innocence, or Ouroboroid, then keep attacking while the opponent loses tempo to tax effects or removed permanents. Prioritize this line when the opening hand has untapped green, at least one accelerant, and either a disruptive creature or Collected Company follow-up.

• Collected Company is the primary midgame conversion card: set up four mana, pass when instant timing pressures the opponent's end step or combat step, and choose the creature pair that best matches the visible board. Prioritize disruptive hits such as Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, or Aven Interrupter when the opponent is developing an engine; prioritize pressure or value bodies such as Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, or Enduring Innocence only when their visible text supports the line and the board needs material.

• Tax-lock combat wins come from pairing Archon of Emeria with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and enough attackers to make the opponent answer one permanent at a time. Prioritize this path against spell-dense, combo, control, or cheap-interaction decks, especially when the opponent needs multiple spells in one turn to stabilize. Disruption risk is that the deck can also constrain its own noncreature follow-ups, so cast Collected Company, planeswalkers, and sideboard noncreature hate before locking yourself when sequencing matters.

• Removal-into-pressure wins use Skyclave Apparition, Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, The Wandering Emperor, and post-board Get Lost or Seam Rip to clear the permanent that stops attacks or enables the opponent's engine. Prioritize this path when one visible blocker, artifact, enchantment, planeswalker, or small permanent is the reason combat is failing. Do not spend flexible interaction on low-impact targets if Collected Company or a tax creature can instead force the opponent to expose the real target.

• Planeswalker-backed board dominance is the slower win path: use Elspeth, Storm Slayer or The Wandering Emperor after establishing creatures or after the opponent spends removal on the first wave. Card text check required for exact Elspeth, Storm Slayer loyalty choices; choose only engine-legal abilities and prefer the mode that immediately improves combat, rebuilds material, or removes a visible threat.

Secondary Win Conditions

• Fair creature combat is the default fallback when no engine line appears: curve Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Enduring Innocence, Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and Skyclave Apparition into attacks that trade up on tempo. Prioritize attacks that keep lethal pressure or force awkward blocks; avoid sacrificing accelerants in combat if they are needed to cast Collected Company or double-deploy through tax effects.

• End-step Collected Company into untap pressure is the best way to beat sorcery-speed answers. Hold four mana when the opponent's visible board does not require immediate main-phase action, then add two creatures after they pass priority or spend mana. If the opponent represents instant-speed removal or counterplay, use the legal action list and known public information rather than assuming safety.

• Value attrition depends on confirmed card text from Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, and Elspeth, Storm Slayer. Card text check required for these engines; when the rules engine shows draw, recursion, token, counter, or persistent-value actions, treat those actions as a backup plan after the opponent has slowed combat. Do not rely on unverified recursion or graveyard loops.

• Flash and channel pressure creates hidden-speed wins without hidden-information assumptions: Aven Interrupter, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Boseiju, Who Endures, and Collected Company let the deck act after the opponent commits. Prioritize this line when passing with mana open still leaves a legal high-impact action; switch back to main-phase development if holding up mana would waste a turn against an empty or faster board.

• Post-board lock pressure can use Rest in Peace, High Noon, Aven Interrupter, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Get Lost, or Seam Rip as matchup-specific support, but exact sideboard quantities belong in Sideboard Map. Treat these as secondary win aids: they buy time or constrain the opponent while the main deck's creatures finish the game.

Emergency Lines

• When behind on life, stabilize before maximizing damage. Use Skyclave Apparition, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Get Lost, Seam Rip, or Beza, the Bounding Spring if legal and relevant; block with nonessential creatures when survival matters more than preserving pressure. Do not make speculative attacks that leave a visible lethal crack-back.

• When behind on board, choose material over elegance. Cast Collected Company proactively if waiting risks dying, find blockers or removal bodies, and use Skyclave Apparition on the permanent that most changes combat. If Enduring Innocence or Elspeth, Storm Slayer offers visible card or board recovery, take the engine-visible stabilizing action.

• When behind on cards, convert mana into board and force the opponent to answer threats one at a time. Preserve Collected Company from avoidable tax or timing mistakes, avoid trading Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic for no board gain when they enable recovery, and use planeswalkers only when they are likely to produce immediate value or survive through visible attackers.

• When behind on mana, protect access to green and white first. Keep accelerants alive if possible, play untapped sources over utility lands when a spell must be cast this turn, and use channel lands only when their legal action is more valuable than hitting the next mana threshold.

• When facing graveyard recursion or combo, prioritize hate and tax over racing if the visible clock allows it. Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Aven Interrupter, High Noon, and Rest in Peace are the named disruption tools; deploy the one that attacks the opponent's visible resource axis rather than the one that merely adds damage.

• When primary threats are removed, rebuild with instant-speed density. Collected Company is the cleanest recovery card, Enduring Innocence may provide replacement value if its visible text supports it, and planeswalkers can turn a stalled board into a new threat source. If no engine remains, shift to conservative combat, preserve blockers, and win by small attacks backed by tax effects.

Resource Model

• Life is a tempo buffer, not a bank for long attrition. Spend life from Brushland, Temple Garden, and combat races when the payoff is casting Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, or Collected Company on schedule; stop paying avoidable life when the visible board shows a short clock or burn-like reach.

• Hand resources convert best into staggered threats plus one high-impact follow-up. Avoid emptying the hand into sweepers or tax mirrors when Collected Company, The Wandering Emperor, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, Aven Interrupter, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, or Boseiju, Who Endures can keep pressure available at instant speed. Card text check required for exact Elspeth, Storm Slayer, Enduring Innocence, Badgermole Cub, and Ouroboroid value patterns; use only rules-engine-visible value actions.

• Mana is the deck's main conversion engine. One-mana accelerants turn two-mana and three-mana disruption into early pressure, and four mana turns passing into a threat because Collected Company, The Wandering Emperor, channel lands, and flash creatures may be legal. Preserve accelerants when they unlock four mana or double-spell turns through visible tax effects.

• Board presence is both clock and protection. Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben convert creatures into time by constraining opposing spell sequences, while Skyclave Apparition converts board slots into removal. Prioritize board states where each creature either attacks, blocks profitably, taxes the opponent, or enables Collected Company pressure.

• Graveyard resources are low priority in game one unless a visible card creates a legal graveyard action. Do not assume recursion from Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, or any other card without engine-visible text. Post-board, Rest in Peace intentionally trades off graveyard use to shut down opponent graveyard plans.

• Exile is mostly an interaction and denial zone. Skyclave Apparition and Rest in Peace can move opposing resources to exile; evaluate the current board after resolution rather than assuming permanent denial if the rules engine shows replacement tokens, leaves-the-battlefield effects, or other visible consequences.

• Lands are spells when they are legendary channel lands or utility lands. Keep Boseiju, Who Endures and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as lands when missing mana, and convert them into actions only when the visible target or combat exchange is worth delaying land development. Card text check required for Abandoned Air Temple and Starting Town; choose their special actions only when the engine exposes a clear legal benefit.

• Sacrifice fodder is not a core resource. Treat Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, and small creatures as mana or combat material first, not disposable objects, unless a visible legal action explicitly asks for a sacrifice and the chosen permanent is no longer needed for mana, pressure, or blocking.

• Tempo is the deck's strongest hidden currency. Early accelerant into tax creature, end-step Collected Company, and flash-speed Aven Interrupter or The Wandering Emperor all convert untapped mana into uncertainty. Spend tempo to deploy hate before the opponent's engine turn, not after the visible payoff has already resolved.

• Information should be treated conservatively. Make choices from legal actions, visible battlefield, public graveyards, exile, stack, revealed cards, and known sideboard context; never assume the opponent has or lacks a specific hidden answer.

• Sideboard bullets convert narrow resources into matchup-specific time. Rest in Peace, High Noon, Aven Interrupter, Seam Rip, Get Lost, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, and Beza, the Bounding Spring should be evaluated by the visible axis they answer: graveyard, spell velocity, stack timing, artifacts/enchantments, permanent threats, triggered abilities, or stabilizing life and board.

Mana Guide

• Green on turn one is the highest mana priority. Hands with Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic need an untapped green source from Razorverge Thicket, Brushland, Temple Garden, Branchloft Pathway, Boseiju, Who Endures, or any rules-engine-confirmed green-producing land; a hand without turn-one green needs enough untapped lands to still curve into two- and three-mana plays.

• White by turn two is the second priority. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, Enduring Innocence, Aven Interrupter, The Wandering Emperor, and sideboard cards often require white access, so sequence lands to avoid being green-rich but unable to deploy disruption.

• Untapped land sequencing should serve the next two turns, not only the current spell. Lead with Razorverge Thicket or an untapped Temple Garden when it enables a turn-one accelerant; use Brushland when the life cost is acceptable and exact colors matter; choose Branchloft Pathway orientation based on missing color and known hand requirements.

• Utility lands should not crowd out colored development. Play Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Abandoned Air Temple, or Starting Town as mana when curving out matters, but hold them when the current mana base already casts the hand and their legal special action is likely to matter soon. Card text check required for Abandoned Air Temple and Starting Town.

• Four mana is the key threshold. Plan land drops and accelerant preservation around casting Collected Company, activating flash-speed plays, or deploying planeswalkers; avoid trading away Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic before reaching four mana unless the block prevents a larger visible loss.

• Keep rules should demand functional colors plus a plan. Prefer hands with turn-one accelerant and at least one payoff, or two untapped colored lands with a two-drop and three-drop. Mulligan hands that cannot cast early spells, rely on unknown utility-land text, contain only slow lands and expensive cards, or fail to produce white for tax/removal creatures.

• Play lands before draw or selection only when the land choice is forced or immediate mana is required. Hold the land until after Collected Company is not relevant because it does not draw into the current hand; for any engine-visible draw or selection from Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, or planeswalkers, delay the land drop if legal and no current spell requires it.

• Respect your own tax effects. Cast noncreature spells such as Collected Company, Get Lost, Seam Rip, Rest in Peace, and High Noon before Thalia, Guardian of Thraben when the tax would change same-turn legality, unless the visible opponent plan makes immediate taxation more important.

• Use channel lands as interaction only after checking replacement cost. If channeling Boseiju, Who Endures or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire prevents casting Collected Company, a tax creature, or a stabilizing play next turn, require a visible high-impact target or survival reason before spending the land.

Mulligan Guide

• Strong keep: Keep any seven with untapped green, Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic, a second land, and a payoff such as Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, Collected Company, or Enduring Innocence. This hand has acceleration, disruption, and a turn-three or turn-four pressure plan.

• Strong keep: Keep two or three lands with both green and white, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Archon of Emeria, and at least one follow-up creature. This hand is slower than elf starts but still forces the opponent to play through tax pressure.

• Medium keep: Keep a no-elf hand with Razorverge Thicket, Brushland, Temple Garden, or correctly oriented Branchloft Pathway, plus Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Enduring Innocence, Badgermole Cub, or Ouroboroid. Card text check required for Badgermole Cub and Ouroboroid; keep only when the hand curves and the engine confirms they are castable threats.

• Risky keep: Keep one-land elf hands only on the draw or when the land is untapped green and the hand has multiple castable plays if the elf survives. Ship one-land hands that collapse if Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic is removed before the second land appears.

• Automatic ship: Mulligan hands with no green source, no castable early spell, or only utility lands whose text is unknown. Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Abandoned Air Temple, and Starting Town are not enough unless they visibly produce the colors needed for the first two turns; Card text check required for Abandoned Air Temple and Starting Town.

• Automatic ship: Mulligan hands stacked with Collected Company, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, The Wandering Emperor, and too few early permanents. The deck wins by making the opponent answer board pressure before four mana, not by waiting with expensive spells stranded.

• Matchup-dependent keep: Keep Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and Aven Interrupter higher against visible or known spell-heavy opponents. Keep Skyclave Apparition and Get Lost effects higher post-board against permanent-based pressure, but do not keep removal-only hands without a clock.

• Play/draw adjustment: On the play, favor turn-one elf into turn-two Archon of Emeria or Skyclave Apparition; on the draw, value Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Enduring Innocence, and early blockers more because the opponent may act first. A slower hand with two interactive creatures is more acceptable on the draw than a hand that only races.

• Trap hand: Do not keep multiple Collected Company hands with only one or two creatures and no acceleration. Collected Company is powerful after the board is established, but a hand that does nothing meaningful before turn four gives up the deck's tax-and-tempo edge.

• Trap hand: Do not keep a hand that has white payoffs but no white source by turn two. Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, Enduring Innocence, Aven Interrupter, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, and The Wandering Emperor require functional white sequencing.

Turn Arc

• Turn 1 priority: Lead with untapped green into Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic when legal. If no accelerant is available, play the land that best enables turn-two white, usually setting up Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Enduring Innocence, Badgermole Cub, or Ouroboroid if engine-visible costs permit.

• Turn 1 deviation: Hold Boseiju, Who Endures or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire only when another land already casts the next two turns. Play them as mana when missing a land drop would delay Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, or Collected Company.

• Turn 2 priority: With an elf, deploy the most disruptive legal three-drop: Archon of Emeria against spell velocity, Skyclave Apparition against a visible must-answer permanent, or Enduring Innocence when card text and board state make it an engine. Without an elf, cast Thalia, Guardian of Thraben before other development if the opponent's visible plan relies on noncreature spells.

• Turn 2 deviation: Cast Badgermole Cub or Ouroboroid as curve pressure when no tax creature or removal target is available. Card text check required; do not choose special actions or attacks based on unverified text.

• Turn 3 priority: Build a board that makes turn-four Collected Company threatening. Prefer a second tax piece, Skyclave Apparition on a visible blocker or engine permanent, or another cheap creature over holding mana with no legal flash or interaction.

• Turn 3 deviation: Leave mana open for Aven Interrupter only when the opponent is likely to cast a high-impact spell and passing still preserves board stability. Do not skip a strong creature curve merely to represent interaction against an opponent whose visible battlefield is already ahead.

• Turns 4-5 priority: Use Collected Company at the opponent's end step when pressure and mana allow, especially when it can add Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or another relevant creature before your attack. Cast it main phase only when immediate blockers, lethal pressure, or visible tax timing matters.

• Turns 4-5 deviation: Commit Elspeth, Storm Slayer or The Wandering Emperor when the board can protect them or their legal action immediately changes combat. Do not tap out for a planeswalker into a visible wide attack unless the resulting blocker, removal, or combat change is confirmed by the engine.

• Late-game priority: Convert excess mana into flash-speed pressure, planeswalker actions, channel-land interaction, and board rebuilds after removal. Collected Company is the best recovery action when enough creatures remain in the library; avoid overextending into visible sweepers only when the current board already wins the race.

• Late-game deviation: Treat Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Abandoned Air Temple, and Starting Town as action lands only when the rules engine exposes a legal target or benefit. If the text is not visible or verified, make the normal land/mana choice that supports casting spells.

Card Roles

• Llanowar Elves: Treat Llanowar Elves as the deck's cleanest turn-one acceleration and the card that turns fair Selesnya creatures into tempo pressure. Cast it before other one-mana or tapped-land choices when the engine shows an untapped green source, because turn-two Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, or Enduring Innocence is one of the deck's strongest openings. Do not expose it to combat casually after it has produced the mana needed for Collected Company; its late role is enabling double-spell turns under your own tax effects and holding up instant-speed actions. Against removal-heavy decks, assume it may die and avoid keeping hands that need it to survive for every future land drop.

• Elvish Mystic: Use Elvish Mystic interchangeably with Llanowar Elves for acceleration, but count both names separately when evaluating creature density for Collected Company. The second elf is still useful when it lets you cast a three-drop and keep mana for a channel land, flash creature, or post-board interaction. Do not attack with an elf into a visible blocker unless the damage changes a race or the engine confirms the elf is no longer needed for mana.

• Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: Deploy Thalia, Guardian of Thraben early against decks whose visible or known plan depends on noncreature spells, especially before they can chain cantrips, removal, sweepers, or setup spells. Sequence her carefully with Collected Company, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, and The Wandering Emperor, because her tax applies to your noncreature spells too. The common mistake is casting Collected Company into your own tax without planning the extra mana; the tactical reward is forcing the opponent to answer a first-striking clock while their interaction is delayed.

• Archon of Emeria: Prioritize Archon of Emeria when the opponent is trying to cast multiple spells in a turn or relies on nonbasic lands entering smoothly. Its one-spell-per-turn pressure stacks naturally with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, turning small creature pressure into a real lock against spell-heavy hands. Cast it off an elf on turn two when legal unless a visible permanent demands Skyclave Apparition immediately. Do not assume it is symmetrical in your favor; under Archon of Emeria, choose the single best spell each turn and use flash-speed actions on the opponent's turn to preserve development.

• Skyclave Apparition: Use Skyclave Apparition as the main-deck answer to visible low-cost permanents that block profitably, generate engine value, threaten a fast kill, or disable your tax plan. Prefer exiling permanents whose current text matters more than the eventual token body. With Collected Company, value Skyclave Apparition highly because finding removal and a threat at instant speed can swing combat or end-step positioning. Do not fire it at a marginal permanent when the opponent's board shows a better target likely to decide the next turn cycle.

• Collected Company: Treat Collected Company as the deck's strongest reload, instant-speed board swing, and way to convert high creature density into selection. Cast it at the opponent's end step by default so the new creatures can attack or tax on your turn, but cast it in combat or main phase when the engine shows immediate blockers, lethal, or a needed Skyclave Apparition window. Count visible hits before committing; repeated planeswalkers, lands, and already-drawn Companies reduce expected value. Do not let your own Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Archon of Emeria make the spell illegal or mistimed.

• Enduring Innocence: Use Enduring Innocence as the primary value engine when the board is stable enough for small creatures to enter after it. Card text check required for exact trigger limits and death behavior, but tactical use is conditional on turning Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and other low-power creatures into material advantage. Cast it before follow-up creatures when the mana curve allows. Do not run it into obvious pressure if a tax creature or Skyclave Apparition would prevent more damage immediately.

• Badgermole Cub: Treat Badgermole Cub as an early pressure or board-development creature only after the rules engine confirms its legal actions and combat characteristics. Card text check required. Because the deck needs enough creatures for Collected Company, a castable Badgermole Cub often matters as density even when its special text is unknown. Avoid choosing unusual targets, attacks, or ability lines based on assumptions about its printed text. In sideboard games, keep it when the matchup is about curving threats through interaction; reduce reliance on it when specialized hate or lifegain creatures matter more.

• Ouroboroid: Treat Ouroboroid as a curve threat or synergy creature only when the engine-visible cost, stats, and actions support the line. Card text check required. Its three copies mean it should be considered part of the normal creature package for Collected Company math, but not a reason to take speculative actions unsupported by visible prompts. Cast it when you need to increase battlefield pressure, protect a planeswalker through board presence, or present another must-answer creature under tax effects. Do not keep slow hands that depend on unknown text from Ouroboroid to stabilize.

• Aven Interrupter: Use main-deck Aven Interrupter as flash interaction when the opponent is likely to commit a high-impact spell and passing with mana does not sacrifice a stronger board play. Card text check required for exact exile, plot, or tax details at runtime; choose only legal targets shown by the engine. It is especially valuable with Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben because delaying a spell can strand the opponent under future taxes. Do not hold up Aven Interrupter against a board that already requires Skyclave Apparition or creature deployment.

• Elspeth, Storm Slayer: Treat Elspeth, Storm Slayer as a top-end planeswalker that should enter when the board can defend it or when its visible loyalty action immediately changes combat, pressure, or removal math. Card text check required for exact abilities. Do not cast it as a default curve play into a wide opposing battlefield unless the engine confirms the chosen action produces protection or a decisive swing. It is strongest after early creatures have forced the opponent to spend resources answering tax pieces.

• The Wandering Emperor: Use The Wandering Emperor as instant-speed planeswalker interaction only when the engine exposes a legal timing window and a loyalty action that improves combat or stabilizes the board. Her flash nature rewards passing with mana when the opponent must attack or commit into open mana, but the deck should not skip strong proactive turns merely to represent her. Protect her with existing creatures after resolution; do not choose a loyalty action based on remembered text if the engine's legal action labels indicate a different set of options.

• Boseiju, Who Endures: Treat Boseiju, Who Endures as a green source first when missing land drops, and as interaction only when the engine exposes a legal channel or target action. Preserve it against artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic-land problems if your other lands already cast the next turns. Do not hold it so long that Collected Company or a three-drop is delayed.

• Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire: Treat Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as a white source first and a combat interaction land only when the engine exposes a legal channel action. It can punish attacks while leaving spell slots creature-dense for Collected Company, but do not assume damage numbers or target restrictions without engine confirmation.

• Razorverge Thicket, Temple Garden, Brushland, Branchloft Pathway, and Plains: Use these lands to make turn-one green and turn-two white as consistently as possible. Razorverge Thicket is best early, Temple Garden should enter untapped when tempo matters more than life, Brushland converts painless sequencing into both colors when life is not under immediate pressure, Branchloft Pathway must be oriented toward the missing color, and Plains supports white-heavy hands but does not cast elves.

• Abandoned Air Temple and Starting Town: Treat Abandoned Air Temple and Starting Town as conditional mana or utility lands until text is verified by the engine. Card text check required. Play them when they help cast visible legal spells on curve; avoid keeps or lines that require unverified special abilities to function.

Interaction Priorities

• Priority: Use Skyclave Apparition on permanents that either stop your creature development, threaten a fast clock, or blank Collected Company pressure. Exile engines, oversized blockers, planeswalkers, and cheap combo permanents before ordinary attackers. Ignore low-impact tokens, redundant mana pieces, and creatures you can race unless the visible board says they make blocks impossible or protect a more important permanent.

• Priority: Use Aven Interrupter as stack interaction when the opponent commits a spell that changes the next turn cycle, not merely the first legal target. Card text check required for exact timing and delayed-spell rules, so follow only engine-listed targets. It is strongest against sweepers, combo setup, removal aimed at Archon of Emeria or Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and expensive payoff spells that become awkward under tax pressure.

• Priority: Use Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and sideboard High Noon as proactive interaction against spell-density decks. Deploy the tax or one-spell effect before adding extra pressure when the opponent relies on chaining spells. Against creature-heavy boards, value Skyclave Apparition, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and creature sizing more highly because tax pieces do not remove attackers already in play.

• Priority: Preserve Collected Company for end-step pressure or emergency interaction unless an immediate main-phase Company is needed to find Skyclave Apparition, add blockers, or force damage before a visible sweeper window. Treat Collected Company as both threat and interaction because it can put Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Aven Interrupter, or Skyclave Apparition onto the battlefield at tactically awkward times for the opponent.

• Priority: Use Boseiju, Who Endures and sideboard Seam Rip on artifacts, enchantments, or nonbasic permanents only when the target is materially constraining your plan. Card text check required for Seam Rip. Do not spend these effects on replaceable mana or decorative permanents while a graveyard engine, prison piece, or blocker that stops lethal pressure remains visible.

• Priority: Use Get Lost as broad sideboard interaction for high-impact creatures, planeswalkers, or permanents that Skyclave Apparition cannot answer cleanly. Card text check required for exact drawback handling at runtime. Avoid giving the opponent extra resources for a permanent your board can already attack through.

• Priority: Use Rest in Peace when graveyard access is central to the opponent's visible or known archetype plan, then stop spending removal on graveyard setup cards that no longer matter. Against graveyard-light decks, do not overvalue Rest in Peace; pressure, taxes, and Collected Company remain the primary interaction package.

• Priority: Use Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines only when its engine-visible text matters against opposing enters-the-battlefield triggers or when it amplifies your own Skyclave Apparition, Enduring Innocence, Beza, the Bounding Spring, or other visible triggered value. Card text check required for exact affected abilities. Do not treat it as generic top end if the board requires immediate removal or blocking.

• Bait: Lead with Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Llanowar Elves, or Elvish Mystic to draw cheap removal when the hand contains Collected Company, Enduring Innocence, Archon of Emeria, or Skyclave Apparition as the real payoff. Card text check required for Badgermole Cub and Ouroboroid, so bait decisions should rely on curve role and visible board value, not assumed abilities.

Combat And Trading Rules

• Priority: Attack when tax pressure or Collected Company backup makes the opponent spend mana inefficiently. The deck wins many games by making the opponent answer small threats under Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or High Noon, so do not wait for a perfect battlefield if legal attacks advance a two-turn clock without exposing a key engine.

• Priority: Preserve Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic when they enable Collected Company, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, The Wandering Emperor, or multiple same-turn plays before tax effects are established. Trade mana creatures only when blocking prevents a major life-total swing, protects a planeswalker, or their mana is no longer relevant because lands already cast the hand.

• Priority: Protect Enduring Innocence when it is the active card-advantage plan. Card text check required, but if the engine shows creature-entry value, avoid trades that remove the engine before follow-up creatures resolve. When behind on board, accept that stabilizing with Skyclave Apparition or blockers may matter more than preserving future value.

• Priority: Trade Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Archon of Emeria reluctantly against spell-heavy opponents and more freely against creature decks when the body no longer taxes important legal actions. A tax creature that survives through the opponent's turn can be worth more than two damage; a tax creature facing a lethal board may need to block.

• Priority: Use Skyclave Apparition as a combat enabler before attacks when it removes the only good blocker or a permanent that changes combat math. Do not attack a valuable creature into a board that a precombat Skyclave Apparition, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, or The Wandering Emperor action could make safer.

• Priority: Hold instant-speed actions for combat when the opponent must declare attacks or blocks into open mana. Aven Interrupter, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and Collected Company can all change combat if the engine exposes legal timing. Do not pass a strong proactive turn merely to represent interaction against an opponent who can ignore combat and build a better board.

• Threshold: Treat life below 8 against aggressive boards as a stabilization emergency unless the visible crack-back is lethal. Favor blocks, Beza, the Bounding Spring, The Wandering Emperor, and Company-for-blockers over extra damage. At 12 or higher, preserve engines and attack pressure unless the opponent has visible lethal setup.

• Archetype: Against control and combo, trade damage for time only when the block protects a tax piece or a planeswalker; otherwise keep attacking and force action under taxes. Against aggro, trade early creatures to reduce incoming power, then reload with Collected Company or stabilize with Beza, the Bounding Spring. Against midrange, trade expendable creatures while preserving engines and instant-speed reloads.

Selection And Tutor Rules

• Selection: Treat Collected Company as the main pseudo-tutor, not a blind value spell. When legal timing allows patience, cast it on the opponent's end step to preserve mana, disguise information, and find Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Skyclave Apparition, Aven Interrupter, Enduring Innocence, Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Llanowar Elves, or Elvish Mystic according to visible need.

• Selection: Choose Skyclave Apparition from Collected Company when a visible permanent is the bottleneck to survival, attacks, or tax pressure. Do not default to the highest raw body if the Company pile includes removal for the permanent that currently invalidates combat or enables the opponent's engine.

• Selection: Choose Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or Aven Interrupter from Collected Company when the opponent is representing a stack-based turn, a sweeper, a combo chain, or a key spell already on the stack. Prefer the tax or interruption body over extra damage when one turn of delay materially changes the race.

• Selection: Choose pressure from Collected Company when no immediate interaction is needed. Prioritize creatures that increase the fastest legal clock while preserving important engines; Card text check required for exact Badgermole Cub and Ouroboroid combat/value roles, so rely on engine-visible stats and legal text rather than assumed abilities.

• Selection: Use Enduring Innocence as a card-advantage selection anchor when the engine confirms creature-entry or draw-relevant text. If Collected Company can find Enduring Innocence plus another creature, weigh the engine card highly in attrition games and lower in emergency boards where Skyclave Apparition, blockers, or tax bodies matter immediately.

• Land timing: Make land drops before selection only when the extra mana changes legal actions this turn, such as casting Collected Company, deploying a planeswalker, or paying a tax. Delay modal or utility land choices only when the engine still preserves all legal actions and visible information may clarify whether Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, colored mana, or untapped mana matters.

• Pseudo-tutor: Treat Boseiju, Who Endures and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire as lands first and interaction second when the hand is short on mana. Channel or activated-use decisions must follow visible legal actions and current board pressure; do not hold them as spells if missing land drops prevents Collected Company or double-spell turns before your own tax effects constrain sequencing.

• Scry/filter: When the rules engine exposes scry, surveil, look, or top/bottom decisions from any visible effect, bottom excess mana creatures after the deck already has enough mana to cast current threats, keep Collected Company or interaction when behind on board, and keep lands when the hand cannot curve into Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, The Wandering Emperor, or sideboard stabilizers. Card text check required for any source-specific filtering not named here.

• No true tutor: Do not describe this deck as having guaranteed access to a specific card. Collected Company sees a limited set of cards, and runtime choices must respect the actual revealed candidates, legal target prompts, hidden library uncertainty, and whether chosen creatures can legally enter or target anything.

Priority And Stack Rules

• Priority: Hold Collected Company for the opponent's end step when the board is stable and the opponent is not forcing an immediate answer. Cast it earlier only when a legal response can find Aven Interrupter, Skyclave Apparition, blockers, or tax pressure that matters before the next turn.

• Stack: Use Aven Interrupter only when the engine exposes a legal spell or action it can affect and that spell matters to the current plan. Card text check required for exact interruption result, so prefer it against visible sweepers, combo pieces, removal aimed at Archon of Emeria or Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and tempo-critical payoff spells rather than low-impact cantrips or replaceable threats.

• Stack: Let low-impact spells resolve when your board already pressures the opponent under Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or sideboard High Noon. Save instant-speed interaction for spells that remove your tax piece, reset the board, create lethal pressure, or break through a stalled battlefield.

• Priority: Sequence your own noncreature spells carefully under Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, and High Noon. Before casting Collected Company, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, The Wandering Emperor, Rest in Peace, Seam Rip, Get Lost, or High Noon, confirm that taxes or one-spell limits will not strand a higher-priority legal play this turn.

• Priority: Use The Wandering Emperor at instant speed when the engine offers a combat or end-step window that improves removal, stabilizes life total, or adds pressure without walking into sorcery-speed answers. Do not spend it into open pressure merely because mana is available if a later combat window has more information.

• Priority: Use Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire during combat or stack windows only when the visible target and damage outcome are legal and strategically important. If the same mana is needed for Collected Company, Aven Interrupter, The Wandering Emperor, or a sideboard response, compare the immediate removal value against preserving a stronger instant-speed play.

• Priority: Use Boseiju, Who Endures, Seam Rip, and Get Lost in response only when delaying risks losing the target, dying, or allowing a key engine to resolve. Card text check required for Seam Rip and Get Lost; follow engine-visible legality, target classes, and drawback prompts exactly.

• Graveyard timing: Cast Rest in Peace before the opponent receives a graveyard payoff window when possible. After Rest in Peace is visible and active, redirect priority decisions toward pressure, tax bodies, and board control unless the opponent presents a non-graveyard permanent that still requires Skyclave Apparition, Boseiju, Who Endures, Seam Rip, or Get Lost.

• Optional payments: Accept optional costs, triggers, or modal choices only when the engine-visible result advances pressure, interaction, or survival. Card text check required for Elspeth, Storm Slayer, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, Starting Town, and Abandoned Air Temple, so never infer hidden combat tricks, extra mana, or guaranteed card advantage beyond legal prompts.

• Combat stack: Pass priority after attackers or blockers only when no legal instant-speed action changes survival, lethal damage, a planeswalker outcome, or a key trade. If Collected Company, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, or Aven Interrupter is legal and the visible combat math is close, reason through the window instead of auto-passing.

Sideboard Map

• Role rule: Sideboard only after identifying the opponent's visible plan, because this deck wins by pairing mana-creature acceleration with disruptive creatures and Collected Company. Preserve enough creatures for Collected Company; avoid loading too many noncreature answers unless the matchup is decided by a narrow permanent, graveyard, or spell-chain engine.

• Aven Interrupter: Add against spell-chain combo, sweepers, expensive payoffs, and opponents whose key turn depends on one stack object resolving. Its role changes from main-deck tempo body to protected disruption; board it higher when Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, or High Noon makes the delayed spell awkward. Low value against creature-heavy boards where a flash body does not answer combat and the stack target is rarely decisive.

• Rest in Peace: Add against graveyard recursion, delve, reanimation, sacrifice loops, escape, and decks whose threats or card advantage depend on graveyard access. Cast it early when the opponent can convert the graveyard before combat matters; after it resolves, shift back to pressure and tax pieces. Low value against fair creature decks, planeswalker decks, or artifact/enchantment engines that do not need the graveyard. Card text check required for any friendly conflict with Ouroboroid, Enduring Innocence, or other visible graveyard-related prompts; if the rules engine shows a self-conflict, treat Rest in Peace as a commitment gate rather than an automatic role card.

• Seam Rip: Add against artifacts, enchantments, and permanent engines that Skyclave Apparition cannot cleanly cover or that must be answered at instant speed. Its role is narrow interaction, not a general tempo play; keep creature density high unless the opponent presents several must-answer noncreature permanents. Low value when targets are scarce, when Boseiju, Who Endures already covers the important class, or when taxing your own noncreature spells slows the deck more than the answer helps. Card text check required for exact target classes and any bonus or restriction.

• Get Lost: Add when the opponent has single large creatures, planeswalkers, or permanents that exceed Skyclave Apparition reach. Its role is emergency removal for a card that otherwise invalidates combat or threatens lethal. Low value against go-wide low-value creatures, spell combo, or decks where giving the opponent any engine-visible compensation is worse than racing. Card text check required for exact legality and drawback prompts.

• Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines: Add against battlefield-entry engines, creature mirrors where your own enter-the-battlefield effects matter, and permanent-based midrange decks that rely on triggered value. Its role is a high-impact top-end stabilizer, so bring it in only when the game is likely to reach five mana or when mana creatures survive often enough. Low value against fast combo, heavy removal, or matchups where a five-mana non-Company card clogs hands before stabilizing.

• High Noon: Add against decks that rely on multiple spells per turn, prowess-style chaining, cascade-like sequencing, combo turns, or cheap interaction plus payoff turns. Its role overlaps with Archon of Emeria but survives different removal and lets the deck build a redundant one-spell limit. Low value when the opponent wins through single large creatures, activated abilities, or battlefield combat while your own Collected Company, planeswalkers, and removal need flexible sequencing.

• Beza, the Bounding Spring: Add against red aggression, go-wide creature pressure, and attrition decks where life total, blockers, or catch-up resources matter. Its role is stabilization after the deck has traded early tax bodies and removal; do not board it as a proactive threat in combo races. Low value when the opponent ignores combat or when four-mana plays are too slow under your own tax permanents. Card text check required for exact trigger modes; follow engine-visible modes and opponent state.

Graveyard combo / recursion Side in: 3 Rest in Peace; 2 High Noon; 1 Aven Interrupter Cut: 3 Ouroboroid; 1 The Wandering Emperor; 2 Skyclave Apparition

Artifact or enchantment engine Side in: 3 Seam Rip; 1 Get Lost; 1 Aven Interrupter Cut: 1 The Wandering Emperor; 1 Ouroboroid; 1 Badgermole Cub; 2 Elvish Mystic

Spell-chain combo Side in: 3 Aven Interrupter; 2 High Noon Cut: 1 The Wandering Emperor; 2 Skyclave Apparition; 2 Elvish Mystic

Fast creature aggression Side in: 1 Get Lost; 3 Seam Rip Cut: 1 Aven Interrupter; 1 Ouroboroid; 1 Archon of Emeria; 1 Elvish Mystic

Permanent-value midrange Side in: 1 Get Lost; 2 Aven Interrupter Cut: 1 Ouroboroid; 1 Badgermole Cub; 1 Elvish Mystic

• Archetype rule, graveyard: Add role cards: Rest in Peace, then High Noon only if the graveyard deck also needs spell volume. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slower planeswalkers and any card the engine shows losing value under Rest in Peace.

• Archetype rule, artifacts/enchantments: Add role cards: Seam Rip, Get Lost, and keep Boseiju, Who Endures available as interaction when mana allows. Reduce main-deck emphasis: expensive sorcery-speed threats before reducing disruptive creatures, because Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben still force awkward setup turns.

• Archetype rule, creature mirrors: Add role cards: Beza, the Bounding Spring, Get Lost, and sometimes Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines when the battlefield is expected to stall. Reduce main-deck emphasis: stack-only disruption and excess tax effects that do not improve blocking, attacking, or removal math.

• Archetype rule, control: Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines when games slow down, and selective Get Lost for planeswalkers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: removal with few targets and redundant small mana creatures on the draw when flooding is a larger risk than speed.

• Archetype rule, combo: Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon, and Rest in Peace only when the combo specifically uses the graveyard. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow planeswalkers and creature removal that does not interact with the visible combo axis.

• Post-board play rule: Mulligan more aggressively for a coherent role card plus pressure when the sideboard card attacks the opponent's core engine. A hand with Rest in Peace but no clock, High Noon but no mana, or Seam Rip with no pressure should be judged against the opponent's speed rather than kept automatically.

Matchup Guidance

• Aggro: Prioritize surviving the first three turns while keeping enough pressure to turn the corner. Keep hands with Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic only when they accelerate into Skyclave Apparition, Archon of Emeria, Collected Company, Beza, the Bounding Spring, or another engine-visible stabilizer; a mana creature that only casts more small bodies is less valuable on the draw. Add role cards: Beza, the Bounding Spring and Get Lost, with Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines only when the opponent is not too fast and battlefield-entry value matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: stack-only disruption such as excess Aven Interrupter and slower top-end when life total is under immediate pressure.

• Burn: Treat life total as the primary resource and avoid shock-heavy sequencing unless the legal action clearly prevents more damage than it costs. Brushland and Temple Garden decisions need extra care; choose painless mana when it still casts the relevant spell, and do not spend life for tempo if the hand already has a stable curve. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, and High Noon can force burn to operate inefficiently, but they are not substitutes for ending the game. Add role cards: Beza, the Bounding Spring, High Noon against spell-volume burn, and Get Lost only for must-answer creatures or planeswalkers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow planeswalker lines and cards whose exact text check shows no lifegain, blocker, or tempo contribution.

• Go-wide creature decks: Preserve bodies that block profitably and use Skyclave Apparition on anthem effects, token engines, or the single permanent that makes combat unwinnable. Collected Company should be timed for maximum battlefield swing, especially before blocks or after the opponent commits attackers, but respect Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxes and visible mana. Add role cards: Beza, the Bounding Spring, Get Lost, and possibly Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines if the matchup is about battlefield-entry triggers or stalled boards. Reduce main-deck emphasis: narrow stack interaction and extra tax effects that do not change combat math.

• Single-threat decks: Concentrate interaction on the threat that invalidates racing rather than spending removal on support permanents. Skyclave Apparition, Get Lost, Boseiju, Who Endures, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire should be held when the visible opponent plan depends on one large creature, one planeswalker, or one noncreature permanent. Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben matter only if they delay setup or protection; do not overvalue them after the threat has resolved. Add role cards: Get Lost, Seam Rip when the threat is an artifact or enchantment, and Aven Interrupter when the threat is cast through the stack. Reduce main-deck emphasis: small attackers that cannot race or block the key threat.

• Tempo: Develop mana and tax effects before exposing expensive noncreature spells into open interaction. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Archon of Emeria are strongest before the opponent can double-spell with protection, while Aven Interrupter is best saved for a stack exchange that would otherwise swing the game. Cast Collected Company when the opponent is tapped low, forced to act on your turn, or unable to punish a pass; if the rules engine shows only low-impact hits, keep pressure with creatures instead. Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon, and selective Get Lost for a protected threat. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow planeswalkers and removal that cannot answer the tempo deck's actual visible threat.

• Control: Present staggered threats and avoid committing every creature into obvious sweepers unless the legal action threatens lethal or forces a crucial answer. Collected Company is a recovery tool and end-step pressure source, so prefer holding it when existing battlefield pressure already demands a response. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, and Aven Interrupter should tax draw spells, sweepers, and planeswalkers rather than merely add damage. Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon if the opponent relies on multiple spells per turn, Get Lost for planeswalkers, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines when games reliably reach five mana. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only removal and excess mana creatures on the draw after enough mana is present.

• Combo: Mulligan toward pressure plus at least one relevant disruptive permanent, because racing without disruption lets combo ignore creature combat. Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, High Noon, and Aven Interrupter are the core cards when the opponent needs spell volume, precise timing, or stack resolution. Use Skyclave Apparition, Boseiju, Who Endures, Seam Rip, or Get Lost only when the visible combo piece is a legal and meaningful target. Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon, Rest in Peace for graveyard combo, and Seam Rip for artifact or enchantment combo. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow planeswalkers and creature removal that does not touch the combo axis.

• Graveyard decks: Resolve Rest in Peace early when the opponent can convert graveyard resources before your next attack step. After Rest in Peace resolves, switch from defensive posture to closing the game with Badgermole Cub, Archon of Emeria, Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, and Collected Company according to engine-visible legality; Card text check required for exact self-conflicts involving Ouroboroid or Enduring Innocence. Add role cards: Rest in Peace, High Noon if the graveyard deck chains spells, and Aven Interrupter for stack-critical turns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards whose engine-visible text becomes weaker under Rest in Peace and slow planeswalkers that do not advance the lock.

• Artifact/enchantment decks: Identify whether the opponent's permanent is an engine, a threat, or a defensive lock before choosing removal. Seam Rip and Boseiju, Who Endures should answer artifacts or enchantments that Skyclave Apparition cannot safely cover, while Get Lost handles broader permanent problems if the engine confirms legality. Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben can buy time but do not remove a resolved engine. Add role cards: Seam Rip, Get Lost, and sometimes Aven Interrupter for key cast triggers or stack turns. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow threats before reducing disruptive creatures, because pressure plus taxes is how removal converts into wins.

• Midrange: Trade resources only when the resulting battlefield leaves your topdecks live and your Collected Company strong. Skyclave Apparition should target cards that dominate combat, generate repeated value, or invalidate your tax plan; avoid spending it on expendable bodies unless tempo or survival demands it. The Wandering Emperor and Elspeth, Storm Slayer are valuable when the board stalls, but do not walk them into obvious attacks if a creature development line protects them better. Add role cards: Get Lost, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines for value mirrors, Beza, the Bounding Spring when behind on board, and Aven Interrupter when stack timing matters. Reduce main-deck emphasis: redundant mana creatures after sideboarding on attrition-heavy draws.

• Removal-heavy decks: Make the opponent answer awkward, overlapping threats instead of one premium target. Sequence Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic for acceleration, but do not rely on them surviving; prefer hands that still cast Archon of Emeria, Skyclave Apparition, or Collected Company if the first creature dies. Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, and planeswalkers need exact engine text for role evaluation, so choose the line that preserves material and keeps pressure visible. Add role cards: Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines when removal does not cleanly answer five-mana threats, Beza, the Bounding Spring for catch-up resources, and Aven Interrupter against expensive removal or sweepers. Reduce main-deck emphasis: excess one-toughness acceleration when every early creature is likely to die.

• Big mana: Attack before the opponent's mana advantage turns into irreversible permanents, and use taxes to delay the turn where they double-spell. Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Aven Interrupter, and High Noon are strongest when they make a payoff turn clumsy; Boseiju, Who Endures, Seam Rip, and Get Lost matter if the visible ramp or payoff is a legal target. Do not spend Skyclave Apparition on a minor setup permanent if a larger engine-visible target is likely and the clock is already acceptable. Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon, Seam Rip for artifact/enchantment mana engines, and Get Lost for large permanents. Reduce main-deck emphasis: small removal and slow planeswalker lines that do not pressure or disrupt mana conversion.

Specific Matchup Notes

• General note: Treat these notes as archetype-only because no exact opponents are supplied, and let revealed cards, legal actions, and engine-visible targets override assumptions. Priority targets are the opponent permanents or stack objects that unlock their main plan, not familiar format cards named from memory.

• Fast creature aggro: Keep hands that create early board presence and interact by turn two or three, because Collected Company is strongest after you survive the first pressure wave. Priority targets are evasive attackers, pump engines, and creatures that make blocking impossible; use Skyclave Apparition, The Wandering Emperor, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, or Get Lost only when the engine shows a legal target that changes combat. Add role cards: Beza, the Bounding Spring and Get Lost. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow planeswalker lines and excess tax pieces that do not affect the visible board.

• Control: Present two meaningful threats, then force the opponent to answer at instant speed or into tax effects. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Aven Interrupter, and High Noon are priority disruption when the opponent relies on sweepers, draw spells, or multi-spell turns. Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon, Get Lost, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines when games go long. Reduce main-deck emphasis: creature-only removal and fragile acceleration after enough mana is established.

• Graveyard strategy: Prioritize Rest in Peace before developing medium pressure if the opponent can convert graveyard resources before the next turn cycle. Priority targets are visible graveyard engines, sacrifice loops, recursion enablers, or stack objects that immediately reanimate or replay cards. Add role cards: Rest in Peace, Aven Interrupter, and sometimes High Noon. Reduce main-deck emphasis: cards whose engine-visible text is weakened by Rest in Peace; Card text check required for exact interactions with Enduring Innocence and Ouroboroid.

• Artifact or enchantment engine: Identify the permanent that produces repeated advantage before firing removal. Seam Rip, Boseiju, Who Endures, Skyclave Apparition, and Get Lost should answer the engine piece, lock piece, or lethal threat shown by the rules engine, while Archon of Emeria and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben buy time against spell-heavy setup. Add role cards: Seam Rip, Get Lost, and Aven Interrupter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow closers before reducing tax creatures.

• Midrange: Trade only when your remaining board plus Collected Company topdecks can rebuild faster than the opponent. Priority targets are cards that dominate combat, generate repeated value, or answer multiple creatures; Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is a high-end role card only when the matchup rewards a five-mana permanent. Add role cards: Get Lost, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, and selective Aven Interrupter. Reduce main-deck emphasis: redundant Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic on attrition-heavy draws.

• Combo or big mana: Mulligan toward pressure plus one disruptive card, because racing without Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Aven Interrupter, or High Noon often gives the opponent too much time. Priority targets are visible mana engines, combo permanents, payoff spells on the stack, and graveyard pieces when Rest in Peace applies. Add role cards: Aven Interrupter, High Noon, Rest in Peace, Seam Rip, and Get Lost according to the visible axis. Reduce main-deck emphasis: slow planeswalkers and removal that cannot touch the combo path.

Risk Summary

• Mana risk: Hands with only colorless pain pressure, tapped lands, or no green source can fail to use Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Badgermole Cub, and Collected Company on time. Prefer functional green-white sequencing over speculative hands that need Branchloft Pathway, Starting Town, Abandoned Air Temple, or pain lands to line up perfectly; Card text check required for exact Starting Town and Abandoned Air Temple mana constraints.

• Matchup risk: The deck can draw the wrong half when tax creatures face creature combat or removal faces spell combo. Do not keep a slow hand only because it contains powerful cards; require a visible plan to either pressure, disrupt, or stabilize by the matchup's expected critical turn.

• Draw risk: Collected Company loses value when sideboarding or sequencing reduces the creature density of the live deck too much. Avoid overloading on noncreature sideboard cards unless the matchup axis is more important than Company hit quality.

• Over-sideboarding risk: Too many copies of Rest in Peace, Seam Rip, High Noon, Get Lost, and planeswalker-style answers can turn the deck into a reactive pile without a clock. Preserve enough creatures for pressure and for Collected Company unless the opponent's visible plan cannot be beaten through combat.

• Graveyard risk: Rest in Peace may conflict with friendly card text if Enduring Innocence or Ouroboroid uses the graveyard. Card text check required; when uncertain, cast Rest in Peace only when stopping the opponent's graveyard plan is worth weakening your own recursive or death-related value.

• Sweeper and removal risk: Committing every mana creature and threat into obvious mass removal can erase the acceleration advantage. Stagger Archon of Emeria, Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, and Collected Company so one answered wave still leaves a follow-up.

• Closer risk: Tax pieces delay the opponent but may not end the game quickly. Convert disruption into attacks with Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Enduring Innocence, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, or The Wandering Emperor when legal; Card text check required for exact combat-enhancing roles of newer cards.

• Interaction risk: Aven Interrupter, Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Skyclave Apparition, Seam Rip, and Get Lost are timing-sensitive. Use them on the axis that matters now, and do not spend the only answer on a low-impact target if a visible engine, stack spell, or lethal combat object is imminent.

• Sequencing risk: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, and High Noon can restrict your own double-spell turns. Deploy taxes before the opponent's key turn, but plan around the constraint when holding Collected Company, sideboard interaction, or planeswalkers.

Test Feedback Checklist

• Deciding factor: Identify whether the game was won or lost by early acceleration, tax pressure, board combat, Collected Company, planeswalker closing, sideboard hate, or mana failure. Record the first turn where the winning plan became clearly ahead.

• Mulligans: Review every keep with fewer than two lands, no green source, no one-mana accelerator, or no matchup-relevant disruption. Ask whether the hand had a credible turn-two or turn-three plan with Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Badgermole Cub, Skyclave Apparition, or Collected Company.

• Mana: Track whether Razorverge Thicket, Temple Garden, Brushland, Branchloft Pathway, Plains, Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Starting Town, or Abandoned Air Temple caused a missed color, tapped-land delay, avoidable pain, or failed curve. Card text check required for exact Starting Town and Abandoned Air Temple constraints.

• Velocity: Mark games where Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic lived but the deck still failed to spend mana efficiently. Check whether the pilot held Collected Company, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, The Wandering Emperor, Enduring Innocence, or Ouroboroid too long while legal board development was available.

• Engine pressure: Record whether Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Archon of Emeria, Aven Interrupter, or High Noon actually delayed the opponent's visible plan. If the opponent won through creatures or permanents, note whether tax cards were low-impact compared with Skyclave Apparition, Seam Rip, Get Lost, Beza, the Bounding Spring, or combat pressure.

• Removal timing: Review each use of Skyclave Apparition, Boseiju, Who Endures, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Seam Rip, and Get Lost. Ask whether the target was the highest visible threat, a necessary engine piece, a lethal combat object, or merely a convenient permanent.

• Sideboard impact: For each post-board game, record which of Aven Interrupter, Rest in Peace, Seam Rip, Get Lost, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, High Noon, and Beza, the Bounding Spring appeared, whether it affected the decisive axis, and whether the deck still maintained enough creature pressure for Collected Company.

• Closing: Check whether disruption converted into attacks quickly enough. Note games where Badgermole Cub, Ouroboroid, Enduring Innocence, Elspeth, Storm Slayer, or The Wandering Emperor could have shortened the clock but the pilot stayed reactive.

• Role: Label the successful role as beatdown, disruptive tempo, board-control midrange, or stabilizing control. Flag role mistakes where the pilot protected a tax plan against creature aggression or traded resources too early against a slower deck.

• Stranded cards: List cards that remained in hand for multiple turns despite legal actions. Separate mana-stranded cards from timing-stranded cards such as Collected Company, Aven Interrupter, The Wandering Emperor, Seam Rip, or Rest in Peace.

• Overperformers and underperformers: Record which exact cards changed the result and which exact cards were low-impact in the matchup. Compare main-deck copies of Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, Archon of Emeria, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and Skyclave Apparition against sideboard cards after at least several games.

First Tuning Questions

• Mana quantities: Is the deck losing more games to missing early green, missing white for taxes/removal, painful Brushland or Temple Garden sequencing, or tapped/conditional lands from Branchloft Pathway, Starting Town, and Abandoned Air Temple? If yes, test whether the land mix supports turn-one Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic and turn-two white spells consistently.

• Accelerator count: Are eight one-mana accelerators correct when post-board games become removal-heavy or attrition-focused? If Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic are poor topdecks too often, test whether sideboard plans should reduce main-deck emphasis on extra accelerators in slow matchups while preserving early Company speed elsewhere.

• Tax package count: Are four Archon of Emeria, three Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, one main-deck Aven Interrupter, and two High Noon after sideboard creating enough disruption without overloading on non-closing effects? If opponents ignore taxes through creatures, reassess the balance between tax permanents and board-affecting interaction.

• Company density: Does Collected Company hit enough meaningful creatures after adding Rest in Peace, Seam Rip, Get Lost, High Noon, Beza, the Bounding Spring, or Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines? If Company misses or finds low-impact bodies too often, reduce noncreature sideboard emphasis only in matchups where hate is not mandatory.

• Threat quality: Are Badgermole Cub, Enduring Innocence, and Ouroboroid ending games or only occupying the battlefield? Card text check required for exact roles, but tuning should ask whether these cards produce pressure, resilience, or value better than additional interaction or closers.

• Planeswalker quantity: Are two Elspeth, Storm Slayer plus one The Wandering Emperor helping close stalled boards, or are they stranded by mana, taxes, and aggressive pressure? If games are decided before four mana, test lower emphasis on slow closers; if midrange stalls are common, protect these slots.

• Removal mix: Is four Skyclave Apparition enough maindeck interaction, or do visible metagame threats require more access to Get Lost, Seam Rip, Boseiju, Who Endures, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire? Track whether losses involve unanswered creatures, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers, or stack spells.

• Graveyard slots: Are three Rest in Peace winning graveyard games decisively, or is the card too narrow and conflicting with friendly Enduring Innocence or Ouroboroid text? Card text check required before changing the graveyard plan.

• Stabilization slots: Are two Beza, the Bounding Spring enough against fast creature decks, or does the deck need more early interaction instead of late recovery? Compare games where Beza was cast against games where it stayed stranded.

• Role conflict: Is Selesnya Company strongest as proactive tax aggro, creature-value midrange, or post-board hatebears control? Tune only after logs show which role wins most often against aggro, control, graveyard, artifact/enchantment engine, midrange, and combo/big mana opponents.

Veles Tactical Policy

Policy: Pregame Role Lock

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: pregame; mulligan
• Cards: Collected Company; Archon of Emeria; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Skyclave Apparition
• Phase windows: pregame; opening hand
• Runtime cues: match context; opponent archetype label; opening hand summary
• Use when: A game starts or sideboarded role guidance is available.
• Avoid when: Runtime state lacks opponent label and no hand has been shown.
• Instructions: Choose beatdown against slow engines, disruptive tempo against spell chains, and board-control midrange against creature pressure. Do not assume hidden removal or sweepers; weight only public matchup notes and visible hand contents.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Mulligan For Early Green And Action

• Priority: High
• Decision families: mulligan; mana
• Cards: Llanowar Elves; Elvish Mystic; Razorverge Thicket; Temple Garden; Brushland; Branchloft Pathway; Collected Company
• Phase windows: opening hand; mulligan decisions
• Runtime cues: action:keep; action:mulligan; visible opening hand
• Use when: Keep-or-mulligan actions are offered.
• Avoid when: Hand text is incomplete or land/spell identities are hidden from the pilot.
• Instructions: Keep hands with early green, at least one deployable spell, and a believable path to three or four mana. Mulligan hands with no early green, all expensive cards, or lands that cannot cast visible early creatures. Treat Collected Company as a payoff, not a keep reason by itself.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Deterministic Turn-One Accelerator

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana; priority
• Cards: Llanowar Elves; Elvish Mystic
• Phase windows: first main phase
• Runtime cues: action:cast Llanowar Elves; action:cast Elvish Mystic
• Use when: It is turn one, the stack is empty, no opponent tax or removal decision is pending, and exactly one legal action casts Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic.
• Avoid when: Both accelerators are legal, a land choice is still unresolved, or an opposing effect changes casting costs.
• Instructions: Cast the single visible one-mana accelerator to enable turn-two disruption or Collected Company acceleration.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Early Setup Choice

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana; priority
• Cards: Llanowar Elves; Elvish Mystic; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Archon of Emeria; Badgermole Cub; Enduring Innocence; Ouroboroid
• Phase windows: turns one to three; first main phase
• Runtime cues: legal casts; visible mana; battlefield
• Use when: Multiple early creature or tax plays are legal.
• Avoid when: A lethal or survival interaction decision is pending.
• Instructions: Prefer an accelerator before a two-drop when it unlocks a stronger next turn. Prefer Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Archon of Emeria when the opponent's public plan relies on multiple noncreature spells. Prefer pressure creatures when the opponent is creature-based or already taxed.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Land And Pain Management

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana
• Cards: Razorverge Thicket; Temple Garden; Brushland; Branchloft Pathway; Plains; Boseiju, Who Endures; Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire; Starting Town; Abandoned Air Temple
• Phase windows: land play; spell payment; activated ability payment
• Runtime cues: land actions; payment prompts; available mana sources
• Use when: A land play or mana-source choice affects current and next-turn colored access.
• Avoid when: Runtime card text for Starting Town or Abandoned Air Temple is needed and unavailable.
• Instructions: Preserve turn-one green and turn-two white whenever possible. Use pain only when it changes a legal play this turn or prevents a missed high-impact next turn. Card text check required for Starting Town and Abandoned Air Temple.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Tax Commitment Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority; interaction
• Cards: Archon of Emeria; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Aven Interrupter; High Noon
• Phase windows: main phases; opponent spell windows; post-board setup
• Runtime cues: legal casts; opponent archetype; visible stack; current turn count
• Use when: A tax or spell-limiting permanent can be committed instead of pressure or removal.
• Avoid when: The opponent is presenting lethal creature pressure or a visible permanent that must be answered now.
• Instructions: Commit tax pieces when they constrain the opponent's visible axis and your board can close. Do not stack redundant taxes at the cost of losing board control unless the opponent's public plan is spell-chain dependent.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Collected Company Commitment Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority; selection; interaction
• Cards: Collected Company; Archon of Emeria; Skyclave Apparition; Enduring Innocence; Ouroboroid; Badgermole Cub; Aven Interrupter
• Phase windows: opponent end step; combat trick windows; main phases
• Runtime cues: action:cast Collected Company; open mana; visible threats; stack
• Use when: Collected Company is legal and mana is available.
• Avoid when: A cheaper legal action answers lethal pressure or the deck must preserve mana for a visible tax/payment prompt.
• Instructions: Prefer opponent end step when no immediate battlefield answer is required. Cast in combat only when finding blockers, disruption, or removal bodies can change visible combat. Cast main phase only when mana would otherwise be wasted or board presence is urgent.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Company Hit Selection

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: selection; interaction; combat
• Cards: Collected Company; Skyclave Apparition; Archon of Emeria; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Aven Interrupter; Enduring Innocence; Ouroboroid; Badgermole Cub; Llanowar Elves; Elvish Mystic
• Phase windows: resolution choices
• Runtime cues: Collected Company selection prompt; visible candidate cards
• Use when: Collected Company reveals multiple legal creature choices.
• Avoid when: Candidate text or battlefield state is incomplete.
• Instructions: Select lethal or survival creatures first, then Skyclave Apparition for visible must-answer permanents, then tax creatures against spell engines, then the highest pressure or value bodies. Avoid taking extra accelerators unless mana development is still the bottleneck.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Skyclave Apparition Target Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: interaction; selection
• Cards: Skyclave Apparition
• Phase windows: enter-the-battlefield trigger; main phases; Company resolution follow-up
• Runtime cues: action:target Skyclave Apparition; target prompt; visible nonland permanents
• Use when: Skyclave Apparition has a legal target prompt.
• Avoid when: The only targets are low-impact and removing one would worsen visible combat or expose the pilot to a larger token/rules drawback. Card text check required for exact target limits.
• Instructions: Target the permanent that most threatens survival, blocks lethal pressure, enables the opponent's engine, or prevents your attacks. Do not target a replaceable object merely because the action is legal.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Removal And Channel Timing

• Priority: High
• Decision families: interaction; mana; priority
• Cards: Boseiju, Who Endures; Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire; Seam Rip; Get Lost
• Phase windows: priority windows; combat; opponent end step; sideboarded games
• Runtime cues: legal channel/spell actions; visible target prompts; lethal clock
• Use when: A removal or utility answer can target a visible permanent or combat object.
• Avoid when: The target type or effect text is uncertain; write card text check required and reason conditionally.
• Instructions: Spend interaction on lethal threats, engine permanents, blockers that stop lethal attacks, or cards that invalidate the tax plan. Preserve land-channel cards as mana sources when no visible target changes the next turn cycle.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Flash Interaction Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: interaction; priority
• Cards: Aven Interrupter; The Wandering Emperor; Collected Company
• Phase windows: opponent spell cast; beginning of combat; declare attackers; end step
• Runtime cues: legal flash action; visible stack; combat step
• Use when: A flash card or instant-speed action is legal while the opponent has committed a spell or attack.
• Avoid when: Casting now gives up a stronger visible Collected Company or removal line without affecting the stack, combat, or clock.
• Instructions: Use flash interaction to disrupt a key visible spell, create a surprise blocker, or add end-step pressure. Do not spend it into low-impact windows just because mana is open.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Combat Attack Choice

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: Badgermole Cub; Enduring Innocence; Ouroboroid; Archon of Emeria; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Skyclave Apparition; Elspeth, Storm Slayer; The Wandering Emperor
• Phase windows: declare attackers
• Runtime cues: attacker declaration prompt; visible blockers; life totals
• Use when: One or more attackers can be declared.
• Avoid when: Combat math requires hidden card assumptions or card text is unavailable for Badgermole Cub, Enduring Innocence, Ouroboroid, or Elspeth, Storm Slayer.
• Instructions: Attack when trades advance pressure, planeswalkers can finish, or tax creatures are no longer more valuable as blockers. Hold back when the opponent's visible crack-back is lethal or a tax creature is preserving survival.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Deterministic No-Block

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: declare blockers
• Runtime cues: action:no blocks
• Use when: The legal action list contains exactly one no blocks action, the pilot controls no untapped creatures, and incoming visible damage is less than current life total.
• Avoid when: Prevention, flash, channel, or token-creating actions are legal in the same window.
• Instructions: Submit the sole no-block action when no blocker exists and the attack is nonlethal from visible combat damage.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Block For Survival And Key Trades

• Priority: High
• Decision families: combat; interaction
• Cards: Archon of Emeria; Thalia, Guardian of Thraben; Badgermole Cub; Enduring Innocence; Ouroboroid; Skyclave Apparition; Beza, the Bounding Spring
• Phase windows: declare blockers; combat damage
• Runtime cues: blocker declaration prompt; visible attackers; life totals
• Use when: Blocking choices can prevent lethal damage or trade for major visible pressure.
• Avoid when: Blocker text is unknown and the decision depends on abilities. Card text check required for unfamiliar creatures.
• Instructions: Block lethal first. Trade low-utility creatures for high-pressure attackers, but preserve tax creatures when their ongoing effect is the only visible disruption against a spell deck.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Planeswalker Commitment Gate

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: priority; combat; interaction
• Cards: Elspeth, Storm Slayer; The Wandering Emperor
• Phase windows: main phases; combat flash windows
• Runtime cues: legal planeswalker cast/action; visible attacks; loyalty prompt
• Use when: A planeswalker can be cast or activated.
• Avoid when: The opponent can attack it down immediately and another legal creature or removal line protects life total better. Card text check required for exact modes.
• Instructions: Use planeswalkers to stabilize combat, convert board stalls into pressure, or finish games after taxes slowed the opponent. Do not tap out for them while a visible engine permanent or lethal board remains unanswered.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Graveyard Hate Commitment

• Priority: High
• Decision families: sideboard; priority; interaction
• Cards: Rest in Peace
• Phase windows: post-board main phases; early turns; before graveyard payoff windows
• Runtime cues: action:cast Rest in Peace; opponent graveyard count; matchup label
• Use when: Rest in Peace is legal and the opponent's public plan or visible graveyard uses the graveyard.
• Avoid when: The opponent has no visible graveyard reliance and casting it prevents pressure or Collected Company development. Check friendly graveyard dependencies before committing.
• Instructions: Cast early against graveyard decks before their payoff window. Against mixed decks, wait only if current board survival or pressure is more urgent.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Sideboard Plan Selection

• Priority: High
• Decision families: sideboard
• Cards: Aven Interrupter; Rest in Peace; Seam Rip; Get Lost; Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines; High Noon; Beza, the Bounding Spring
• Phase windows: sideboarding after game one; sideboarding after game two
• Runtime cues: sideboard candidates; matchup label; previous game log summary
• Use when: Legal sideboard plans or generated swaps are offered.
• Avoid when: A proposed plan violates registered 60+15 preservation or names cards outside the registered zones.
• Instructions: Add graveyard hate only for graveyard reliance, Seam Rip and Get Lost for visible permanent problems, High Noon and extra Aven Interrupter for spell-chain decks, Beza, the Bounding Spring for creature pressure, and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines for enter-trigger mirrors or value engines. Maintain enough creatures for Collected Company unless hate is decisive.
• Pilot skill floor: light
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Exact Pass When Empty

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: priority
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: priority windows with empty stack
• Runtime cues: action:pass
• Use when: The legal action list contains exactly one pass action, the stack is empty, no mana is floating, no attack/block prompt is active, and no cast/channel/activate action is legal.
• Avoid when: Any legal action includes cast, activate, channel, attack, block, target, pay, or choose.
• Instructions: Pass only when the visible legal-action list contains no other executable choice.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes