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

Strategy Specifications

Deck Name And Archetype

Golgari Deathtouch is an Alchemy Golgari midrange-control deck built around deathtouch bodies, combat suppression, and incremental punishment from Fynn, the Fangbearer. Treat the registered name as the strategy identity, not merely a color label: the deck wants visible creature combat to become awkward for the opponent, then turns small attackers and blockers into must-answer threats while Phyrexian Arena and resilient bodies keep the pilot from running out of material.

Validation status: the registered list is 60 main-deck cards and 0 sideboard cards, which passes the active Alchemy validation contract of at least 60 main-deck cards and at most 15 sideboard cards. No executable sideboard plan exists for this registration because the sideboard inventory is empty; any runtime sideboard request must preserve the same 60-card main deck unless the registered decklist changes.

Archetype tags: normalize the supplied duplicate tags to midrange and control. The deck is not a pure aggro poison deck because it includes Phyrexian Arena, Dragon's Prey, Qarsi Revenant, Avenger of the Fallen, Cecil, Dark Knight, and other cards that imply longer-game resource and board-control play. The deck is not a tap-out ramp deck or a combo deck; it should spend mana to establish board leverage, trade efficiently, and make combat decisions from visible board pressure rather than chase a single deterministic kill.

Stock status: treat this as a rogue or hybrid Alchemy build, not a stock metagame archetype with imported matchup scripts. Do not assume familiar Golgari staples, poison staples, commander protection, tutor packages, ramp packages, or utility lands unless the exact card name appears in the registered list. Runtime reasoning must stay anchored to Cecil, Dark Knight; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Fynn, the Fangbearer; Sultai Devotee; Thornweald Archer; Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Dragon's Prey; Phyrexian Arena; Forest; Swamp; Jungle Hollow; Strangled Cemetery; and Wastewood Verge.

Legality and text confidence: the deck currently passes the supplied format-aware validation, but individual card text must still be read from the rules engine at runtime before relying on exact abilities, modified digital text, or Alchemy rebalances. Card text check required for any tactical claim about Cecil, Dark Knight; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Sultai Devotee; Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Dragon's Prey; Strangled Cemetery; and Wastewood Verge unless Veles exposes the text or legal action output that proves the relevant mode, target, cost, or trigger.

Mana and role concern: the manabase is 20 lands with Forest, Swamp, Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge, so opening hands must be judged for both color access and actual curve function. The deck appears to need early green for Thornweald Archer, Fynn, the Fangbearer, Gran Pulse Ochu, and possibly Hullcarver lines, while also needing black for Phyrexian Arena, Dragon's Prey, Qarsi Revenant, Cecil, Dark Knight, Tonberry, Sultai Devotee, and Avenger of the Fallen depending on exact costs. Do not keep hands that only look spell-rich if visible lands cannot cast the first two relevant plays.

Opponent information status: no opponent decklist, matchup, or metagame target is supplied in this batch. Use generic Alchemy opponent classification only from public runtime information: revealed cards, battlefield permanents, graveyard/exile contents, mana sources, companion or pregame information if any, and legal actions exposed by the engine. Do not infer hidden removal, sweepers, counterspells, graveyard hate, or combat tricks by name unless the opponent has revealed them or Veles provides public evidence.

Thesis

Golgari Deathtouch assembles a battlefield where small creatures with deathtouch-like or combat-punishing roles make blocking, attacking, and racing inefficient for the opponent, then converts that stalled board into pressure through Fynn, the Fangbearer, repeated chip damage, and sustained cards from Phyrexian Arena. The deck should prioritize early castable permanents, preserving a high density of bodies, and forcing the opponent to spend real resources answering creatures that are cheap enough to trade up.

The deck wins by making combat mathematics unpleasant before the opponent can ignore the ground. Fynn, the Fangbearer is the clearest named payoff because deathtouch combat damage can become a separate kill axis; protect that plan through sequencing, not by assuming hidden protection spells. When Fynn, the Fangbearer is absent or removed, win as a Golgari attrition deck: trade creatures for larger threats, use Dragon's Prey only when the rules engine shows a legal and strategically relevant interaction line, and let Phyrexian Arena pull the pilot ahead if life total pressure is manageable.

The deck is not trying to race blindly, combo off, or ramp into a single oversized finisher. Do not make attacks merely because a creature can attack if the visible board shows the attack sacrifices deathtouch leverage without advancing poison, lethal damage, a forced trade, or a resource squeeze. Do not keep hands that need perfect future draws to function; this 20-land configuration must use its first land drops and first two castable spells efficiently.

Prioritize legal action quality in this order: develop a castable early board, resolve or preserve Fynn, the Fangbearer when it changes the opponent's clock, answer visible must-kill threats with Dragon's Prey or other engine-exposed actions, maintain enough bodies to block profitably, and spend Phyrexian Arena mana only when the life payment and tempo loss are acceptable from visible pressure. Card text check required for all exact tactical lines involving Cecil, Dark Knight; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Sultai Devotee; Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Dragon's Prey; Strangled Cemetery; and Wastewood Verge unless Veles exposes the relevant text or legal action.

Role Package

• Threats: Fynn, the Fangbearer; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Thornweald Archer; Qarsi Revenant; Cecil, Dark Knight; Sultai Devotee; Avenger of the Fallen. Treat each threat as a board-position tool first and a damage source second; a smaller creature that freezes attacks can be more important than a larger creature that attacks poorly into visible blockers.

• Payoffs: Fynn, the Fangbearer is the named payoff that can turn deathtouch combat damage into an alternate clock. Phyrexian Arena is the long-game payoff that turns stable boards into card advantage. Any payoff role for Cecil, Dark Knight; Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Dragon Sniper; or Sultai Devotee requires runtime card text confirmation.

• Engines: Phyrexian Arena is the reliable card-flow engine, but it should not be cast into a visible short clock if spending the turn and future life points leaves the pilot unable to stabilize. Qarsi Revenant, Avenger of the Fallen, Cecil, Dark Knight, and Sultai Devotee may imply recursive or scaling play patterns by name, but Card text check required before treating any of them as an engine.

• Velocity: The deck has limited explicit velocity because no registered card is known from the supplied list to search, loot, surveil, or draw cards besides Phyrexian Arena. Use mulligans and land sequencing as the main consistency tools, and do not assume hidden smoothing from Wastewood Verge, Jungle Hollow, or Strangled Cemetery unless the engine exposes it.

• Interaction: Dragon's Prey is the primary named interaction candidate, with Card text check required for mode, target restrictions, timing, and whether it removes creatures, fights, damages, or does something else. Deathtouch bodies such as Fynn, the Fangbearer and Thornweald Archer also function as interaction through combat when legal blocks or attacks force unfavorable exchanges.

• Protection: No dedicated protection card is registered by known exact name. Protect key creatures by sequencing: avoid exposing Fynn, the Fangbearer when the visible line does not use it, keep redundant deathtouch bodies when possible, and prefer trades that preserve the payoff or maintain enough blockers against visible pressure.

• Recursion: Avenger of the Fallen, Qarsi Revenant, Cecil, Dark Knight, and Sultai Devotee have names that may suggest graveyard or death-related utility, but Card text check required before making recursion assumptions. If Veles exposes legal recursion actions, choose targets by visible impact, mana efficiency, and whether the target restores Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure or a necessary blocker.

• Mana: Forest and Swamp are the basic color anchors; Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge provide the multicolor structure subject to their runtime text and tapped status. Favor opening hands that cast an early green creature and an early black spell, because Phyrexian Arena, Dragon's Prey, and the black creature package lose value if black arrives late.

• Sideboard: No sideboard module exists because the registered sideboard count is 0. Runtime sideboarding should be treated as no-change unless the registered inventory changes in a later deck version.

Primary Win Conditions

• Fynn pressure is the cleanest kill when Fynn, the Fangbearer is on the battlefield with one or more creatures that the engine confirms have deathtouch. Set up by casting early bodies such as Thornweald Archer and any confirmed deathtouch creature among Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Cecil, Dark Knight; Sultai Devotee; or Avenger of the Fallen, then deploy Fynn, the Fangbearer when at least one attack can connect, force a bad block, or immediately change the opponent's clock. Execute by prioritizing legal attacks that deal combat damage to the opponent without throwing away the only deathtouch body; do not assume poison progress unless Veles shows combat damage or the relevant triggered ability. Prioritize this plan against opponents using larger ground creatures, slow engines, or low early removal density shown by public actions.

• Deathtouch attrition is the default win when Fynn, the Fangbearer is absent, removed, or unsafe to expose. Set up a dense board with Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Thornweald Archer; Qarsi Revenant; Cecil, Dark Knight; Sultai Devotee; and Avenger of the Fallen according to castability and confirmed text. Execute by offering trades where small creatures exchange for larger attackers or blockers, preserving enough bodies to keep future attacks legal, and using Dragon's Prey only when the engine exposes a target and the exchange improves the visible board. Prioritize this plan when the opponent must attack through deathtouch blockers or when poison is too slow but creature trades buy time.

• Phyrexian Arena advantage is the long-game win when life total and board state are stable enough to pay future life. Set up by first deploying blockers or interaction so the turn spent casting Phyrexian Arena does not create a visible lethal or short-clock vulnerability. Execute by converting extra cards into repeated creatures, Dragon's Prey interaction, and eventual Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure. Prioritize this plan against slower public boards, stalled combat, or opponents whose visible resources are shrinking; delay it when behind on life or facing a board that demands immediate blockers.

Secondary Win Conditions

• Normal combat damage is a valid fallback when poison is unavailable and the opponent cannot profitably block. Build a board wide enough that one-for-one removal or a single large blocker does not stop all pressure, then attack only when the visible block map preserves important defenders or creates favorable trades. Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Cecil, Dark Knight; Sultai Devotee; and Avenger of the Fallen may be damage threats, but Card text check required before assigning evasion, haste, scaling, recursion, drain, or special combat roles.

• Removal-assisted pressure wins when Dragon's Prey or another exposed legal action clears the one blocker or attacker that prevents a profitable race. Use Dragon's Prey after checking target legality, timing, and result text; do not fire it at a replaceable creature if the current board already blocks safely and the opponent has a more important public threat. Prioritize this line when a single visible permanent stops Fynn, the Fangbearer damage, threatens Phyrexian Arena life loss, or forces bad blocks.

• Reach-defense conversion is a backup plan when Thornweald Archer or another confirmed reach/deathtouch body contains evasive pressure and later turns sideways. Stabilize first against flying or evasive attackers, then convert the same creature into offense once the opponent's visible attack step no longer pressures life total. Do not abandon this role for chip damage if the opponent can punish the missing blocker on the next combat.

• Recursion or death-value pressure is conditional on runtime text for Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Cecil, Dark Knight; Sultai Devotee; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Gran Pulse Ochu; and Dragon Sniper. If Veles exposes graveyard, return, drain, sacrifice, or death-trigger actions, choose lines that recover Fynn, the Fangbearer, rebuild blockers, or turn trades into material advantage. Card text check required before treating any of these cards as a loop, lock, burn source, or inevitability engine.

Emergency Lines

• When behind on life, stop spending life or tempo on Phyrexian Arena unless the visible alternatives fail to affect survival. Cast blockers before engines, keep deathtouch creatures untapped when the opponent has a lethal or short-clock attack, and use Dragon's Prey on the threat that most reduces incoming damage if the engine shows a legal effective action.

• When behind on board, trade up aggressively with confirmed deathtouch creatures and preserve Fynn, the Fangbearer only if poison pressure matters before the next opposing attack. A dead Fynn, the Fangbearer that enabled no damage is worse than an extra blocker if the visible battlefield requires defense.

• When behind on cards, favor Phyrexian Arena only after stabilizing the board or when no legal creature/action changes the immediate battlefield. If Phyrexian Arena is already active, spend extra cards to rebuild density rather than holding speculative plays through visible pressure.

• When behind on mana, keep hands and lines that cast spells with Forest, Swamp, Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, or Wastewood Verge as currently exposed by Veles. Do not plan around double-spelling, activated abilities, or color fixing from Strangled Cemetery or Wastewood Verge unless the rules engine confirms the mana action.

• When engines or win conditions are removed, shift from payoff protection to redundancy. Replace Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure with deathtouch attrition, replace Phyrexian Arena inevitability with conservative trades, and use every creature as either a blocker, attacker, or exchange piece according to visible combat math.

• When facing public graveyard recursion, combo buildup, or a lock-like permanent, apply pressure while holding only the interaction Veles proves legal. The deck has no registered sideboard and no confirmed broad hate card, so emergency wins come from shortening the clock, disrupting with Dragon's Prey where legal, and forcing the opponent to spend turns answering deathtouch bodies instead of advancing their engine.

Resource Model

• Life is a spendable resource only after the board is safe. Phyrexian Arena can convert life into a steady hand advantage, but do not cast it into a visible short clock when Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Fynn, the Fangbearer; Sultai Devotee; Thornweald Archer; Avenger of the Fallen; or Qarsi Revenant would instead block, trade, or reduce incoming damage. If Phyrexian Arena is already active, spend the extra cards quickly to rebuild battlefield density rather than hoarding them while life falls.

• Hand size is the deck's pressure reserve. Keep a mix of early bodies, at least one functional mana source for each required color shown by the hand, and either Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure, Dragon's Prey interaction, or Phyrexian Arena reload. Do not keep a hand that only becomes good after drawing both colors unless Veles shows enough time and the visible matchup is slow.

• Mana is the bottleneck for turning redundant deathtouch bodies into a board lock. Prioritize casting one creature per early turn over speculative sequencing, because the deck's small bodies gain value from being present before combat. Double-spell turns matter after Phyrexian Arena or after both colors are established; before then, color access beats perfect curve efficiency.

• Board presence is the primary defense and the main win engine. Every creature should be assigned a visible job: pressure with Fynn, the Fangbearer, block a larger attacker, trade up, protect life for Phyrexian Arena, or keep future attacks legal. Avoid spending the only untapped deathtouch body on low-impact damage when the opponent's next attack would punish the missing blocker.

• Graveyard value is conditional, not assumed. Card text check required for Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Cecil, Dark Knight; Sultai Devotee; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Gran Pulse Ochu; and Dragon Sniper before treating the graveyard as a recursion, drain, death-trigger, or sacrifice resource. If Veles exposes legal graveyard actions, prefer lines that recover Fynn, the Fangbearer, rebuild blockers, or turn trades into material advantage.

• Exile is not a planned resource unless the rules engine exposes specific play, cast, return, or process actions. Do not assume exile recursion or cast-from-exile capability from any registered card without runtime text.

• Lands are both color access and tempo commitments. Forest and Swamp provide stable basics; Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge should be sequenced according to their visible tapped status and mana text. Card text check required for Strangled Cemetery and Wastewood Verge utility beyond producing mana.

• Sacrifice fodder is not free material unless Veles shows a legal sacrifice payoff. Do not sacrifice Fynn, the Fangbearer or the only relevant blocker for speculative value; sacrifice expendable creatures only when the visible action text, board state, and life total make the exchange beneficial or necessary.

• Tempo is gained by forcing the opponent to attack or block through deathtouch. Commit early creatures before Phyrexian Arena when facing pressure, and use Dragon's Prey when a single visible threat breaks the deathtouch shield, blocks Fynn, the Fangbearer profitably, or creates a lethal/short-clock race.

• Information is a runtime resource. Respect only visible board state, public zones, known revealed cards, and legal actions; infer archetype pressure from public play patterns, but never name hidden cards or plan around unshown interaction as certainty.

• Sideboard bullets do not exist for this registered list. With a 0-card sideboard, all matchup adaptation must come from mulligans, sequencing, combat posture, Dragon's Prey target discipline, and Phyrexian Arena timing.

Mana Guide

• Establish both colors before optimizing land utility. Most hands need early green for Forest-side creatures and early black for Swamp-side spells, but exact costs must come from Veles because several Alchemy card texts require confirmation. Prefer a keep with Forest plus Swamp, Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, or Wastewood Verge over a one-color hand that cannot cast the visible early plays.

• Sequence tapped or conditional lands before they cost a spell. If Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, or Wastewood Verge enters tapped or has conditional mana text at runtime, play it on turn one when the hand still curves into a turn-two creature. If the hand has only one castable two-drop and one untapped basic, preserve the untapped source for the turn that casts Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Fynn, the Fangbearer; Thornweald Archer; or Qarsi Revenant as legally shown.

• Play lands before draw only when the current turn already has a necessary legal action that requires the land. With Phyrexian Arena or another draw effect pending, delay the land drop until after drawing if doing so can improve color choice, avoid wasting a land drop, or reveal a better tapped-land sequence. Play the land first when missing the land would prevent casting a blocker, Dragon's Prey, or a key Fynn, the Fangbearer turn.

• Mulligan mana-light hands that cannot cast a spell by turn two on visible costs. A hand with Phyrexian Arena and expensive or off-color cards is not keepable merely because it has long-game power; it must produce early board presence or interaction. A two-land hand is acceptable when it casts early creatures and has both colors or reliable visible fixing.

• Mulligan mana-heavy hands that lack pressure or payoff. Four or more lands need at least one early creature plus either Fynn, the Fangbearer, Dragon's Prey, or Phyrexian Arena to justify keeping. Do not keep lands plus only conditional text-check cards unless Veles confirms the hand has a functional early plan.

• Spend mana to affect the battlefield before holding up speculative priority. This deck usually wants to tap mana for deathtouch bodies, Phyrexian Arena when stable, or Dragon's Prey when a legal target matters. Passing with unused mana is correct only when Veles shows an instant-speed legal action, a combat trick window, or a reason to preserve interaction.

• Choose colored mana to preserve the next visible spell. When a land or permanent offers multiple colors, pay costs so the remaining sources still cast the best follow-up creature, Dragon's Prey, or Phyrexian Arena. Do not assume Strangled Cemetery or Wastewood Verge can fix both colors after activation unless the engine exposes that action.

Mulligan Guide

• Strong keep: keep two or three lands with both colors or visible fixing plus Fynn, the Fangbearer and at least one early creature such as Thornweald Archer, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, or Qarsi Revenant. This hand presents pressure, makes opposing attacks awkward, and can punish unblocked deathtouch damage without needing Phyrexian Arena to function.

• Strong keep: keep two lands, Fynn, the Fangbearer, two cheap creatures, and Dragon's Prey when Veles shows castable costs. This hand can curve threat into pressure while keeping one removal action for a blocker, attacker, or engine permanent that breaks the creature-stall plan.

• Medium keep: keep three lands, two early creatures, Phyrexian Arena, and any follow-up threat when the visible matchup is not racing hard. This hand is slower than a Fynn, the Fangbearer hand, but it can trade early and then turn Phyrexian Arena into a long-game advantage if life remains safe.

• Medium keep: keep Forest plus Swamp or Jungle Hollow plus one other land with Thornweald Archer and Qarsi Revenant when Fynn, the Fangbearer is absent. The plan is to build a deathtouch shield first, then draw into Fynn, the Fangbearer, Dragon's Prey, Phyrexian Arena, or higher-impact threats.

• Risky keep: keep one-land hands only when the land casts a turn-one or turn-two legal creature and the hand has multiple cheap plays that share that color. Ship one-land hands with Phyrexian Arena, Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, Sultai Devotee, or multiple off-color cards unless the engine shows a strong smoothing action.

• Risky keep: keep four-land hands only with Fynn, the Fangbearer plus a second early creature or Phyrexian Arena plus early defense. Lands plus conditional text-check cards are not a plan; Card text check required before treating Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, Sultai Devotee, Qarsi Revenant, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Dragon Sniper as late-game engines.

• Automatic ship: ship zero-land hands, five-plus-land hands without Phyrexian Arena and early creatures, and hands that cannot cast any visible spell by turn two. Also ship hands that rely on drawing a missing color before making their first board play.

• Matchup-dependent keep: keep Phyrexian Arena hands more often against slow visible starts and less often against fast creature pressure. Against aggressive public boards, require two early blockers or Dragon's Prey before keeping a Phyrexian Arena hand; against control-like starts, prioritize resilient pressure plus Arena reload.

• Play/draw adjustment: on the play, require a cleaner turn-two creature or Fynn, the Fangbearer curve because missed tempo is harder to recover. On the draw, accept a slightly slower three-land hand with Dragon's Prey or Phyrexian Arena if it has enough early blockers to protect life.

• Trap hand: do not keep Fynn, the Fangbearer with no castable supporting creature and no interaction. Fynn is strongest when backed by multiple bodies; a lone Fynn hand can lose to one removal spell or one blocker.

• Trap hand: do not keep Phyrexian Arena plus removal plus no creature against unknown pressure. The deck needs board presence before paying life or spending turns on card advantage.

Turn Arc

• Turn 1: play the land that best enables turn-two action. Prefer Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, or Wastewood Verge early if Veles shows they enter tapped or have conditional access; prefer Forest or Swamp when the hand needs untapped mana for the first legal creature.

• Turn 1 deviation: cast a legal one-mana play only if Veles exposes one from Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Thornweald Archer, Qarsi Revenant, or another registered card. Do not assume any card has a one-mana mode without runtime action text.

• Turn 2: commit the first body before holding speculative interaction. Fynn, the Fangbearer is preferred when it is castable and at least one other deathtouch creature can follow; otherwise cast Thornweald Archer, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, or Qarsi Revenant according to visible cost and board role.

• Turn 2 deviation: use Dragon's Prey instead of adding a creature only when a visible opposing permanent will dominate combat, threaten a short clock, or prevent Fynn, the Fangbearer damage from mattering. Do not spend Dragon's Prey on low-impact targets while the deck still lacks a board.

• Turn 3: choose between Fynn pressure, Phyrexian Arena setup, and removal based on life and board. Cast Phyrexian Arena when at parity or ahead on blockers; add another creature when behind; use Dragon's Prey when removing one target restores safe attacks or safe blocks.

• Turn 3 deviation: play Cecil, Dark Knight, Sultai Devotee, or Avenger of the Fallen only when Veles shows legal costs and the board can support the commitment. Card text check required before prioritizing these over Fynn, the Fangbearer, extra blockers, Dragon's Prey, or Phyrexian Arena.

• Turns 4-5: double-spell whenever mana allows one threat plus one interaction or two bodies. The best midgame turns usually add a deathtouch creature while preserving Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure, protecting life for Phyrexian Arena, or making combat unattractive for the opponent.

• Turns 4-5 deviation: trade aggressively when trades protect Phyrexian Arena, unlock Fynn, the Fangbearer damage, or stop a short clock. Decline trades when the only remaining creature is the opponent's attack deterrent and no replacement blocker is ready.

• Late game: convert Phyrexian Arena cards into layered threats and exact interaction. Keep enough blockers to survive visible attacks, use Dragon's Prey on the permanent that changes the race, and pressure with Fynn, the Fangbearer whenever legal attacks do not expose lethal retaliation.

• Late game deviation: prioritize survival over poison or damage when the opponent has lethal or near-lethal visible pressure. A single extra hit from Fynn, the Fangbearer matters only if the deck survives the crack-back and keeps enough battlefield material to finish the game.

Card Roles

• Fynn, the Fangbearer: treat Fynn, the Fangbearer as the deck's highest-leverage threat when the battlefield contains or can soon contain multiple deathtouch attackers. Its known role is converting deathtouch combat damage into poison pressure, so cast it early when another creature can follow, hold it when the opponent has open removal and no backup body, and prioritize keeping enough creatures alive that one removal spell does not erase the poison plan. Do not attack Fynn, the Fangbearer into a visible trade unless the trade enables another deathtouch creature to connect, protects life from a larger attack, or the opponent is already close to a poison finish. Against creature decks, Fynn, the Fangbearer changes small attacks into must-answer threats; against control decks, avoid exposing all copies to sweepers or obvious one-for-one removal if the hand can sequence another body first.

• Thornweald Archer: use Thornweald Archer as the cleanest early stabilizer because its known deathtouch and reach text pressures ground attackers while checking flying damage. Cast Thornweald Archer before slower engines when the opponent has early creatures, and preserve it when it is the only visible answer to an evasive attacker. With Fynn, the Fangbearer, turn Thornweald Archer from a defensive card into a poison attacker only when the crack-back is safe or when poison pressure forces a better exchange than blocking. Do not waste Thornweald Archer in a low-value attack if its reach is the only thing preventing a short evasive clock.

• Dragon's Prey: reserve Dragon's Prey for the permanent that changes combat, breaks a board stall, or threatens a short clock. Card text check required before assuming exact target restrictions, damage amount, fight/bite behavior, or creature-type bonuses, so follow Veles legal targets and visible resolution text. Use Dragon's Prey proactively when removing one blocker lets a deathtouch creature or Fynn, the Fangbearer attack matter immediately, and use it defensively when a visible attacker outclasses the deathtouch wall by evasion, trample, damage triggers, or lethal pressure. Avoid spending Dragon's Prey on disposable creatures that already trade down with deathtouch bodies.

• Phyrexian Arena: cast Phyrexian Arena when life is stable, blockers are present, and the extra cards will convert into multiple bodies or removal before the opponent can punish the life loss. Known text draws extra cards at a life cost, so do not cast it into an unchecked fast board unless the hand also has legal stabilization actions. Against slow decks, Phyrexian Arena is the best way to recover after trades and removal; against aggressive starts, it is often a turn-three liability unless Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Hullcarver, Gran Pulse Ochu, Qarsi Revenant, or another legal blocker already protects life. Multiple copies are rarely urgent; cast the first, then use later copies only when life total and game length justify the additional drain.

• Dragon Sniper: treat Dragon Sniper as an early or midgame tactical body whose exact role depends on visible card text. Card text check required before assuming deathtouch, reach, activated abilities, target restrictions, or dragon-specific text. If Veles shows Dragon Sniper as a cheap deathtouch or removal-adjacent creature, cast it early to multiply Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure and make attacks awkward. If Veles shows a targeting ability, preserve mana and priority for it when the opponent has a small must-kill creature or an evasive threat. Do not prioritize Dragon Sniper over guaranteed stabilization if its legal action text does not affect the current board.

• Gran Pulse Ochu: use Gran Pulse Ochu as a curve creature or board-stall piece only according to runtime-visible stats and abilities. Card text check required before assuming deathtouch, counters, growth, life gain, or any attack trigger. If Veles shows Gran Pulse Ochu has deathtouch or combat-scaling text, it is a strong support card for Fynn, the Fangbearer and should be deployed before slower card advantage in creature matchups. If it requires attacking to generate value, attack only when the visible block does not trade away the deck's last Fynn enabler or expose lethal retaliation. Against control-like boards, cast Gran Pulse Ochu to diversify pressure without committing Phyrexian Arena into a tempo window where life loss matters.

• Hullcarver: treat Hullcarver as a battlefield role-player, not as a known engine, until the rules engine exposes text. Card text check required before assuming deathtouch, sacrifice, graveyard, draw, counter, or combat-trigger functionality. If Hullcarver is a cheap deathtouch creature in the legal action list, it helps create the density Fynn, the Fangbearer needs and should usually enter before Phyrexian Arena when under pressure. If Hullcarver has a sacrifice or death-value ability, preserve it for board states where trading converts into material advantage or protects life. Do not take speculative Hullcarver lines that depend on unverified recursion or death triggers.

• Tonberry: use Tonberry as a likely high-synergy deathtouch pressure piece only when Veles confirms the relevant combat text. Card text check required before assuming deathtouch, death counters, attack triggers, or delayed kill effects. If Tonberry is a deathtouch creature, it is one of the best Fynn, the Fangbearer companions because opponents dislike blocking it and cannot easily ignore poison damage. Hold Tonberry back when it is the only blocker against a large visible attacker; send it when the opponent cannot profitably block and the attack advances poison, damage, or a forced trade. Against removal-heavy opponents, stagger Tonberry with other threats rather than committing every Fynn enabler at once.

• Qarsi Revenant: treat Qarsi Revenant as a flexible midgame creature whose tactical value must be read from legal action text. Card text check required before assuming deathtouch, recursion, mana production, life drain, or graveyard synergy. If Qarsi Revenant ramps or fixes mana, prioritize it when the hand contains Phyrexian Arena plus additional spells or multiple same-turn plays. If it is a deathtouch or recursive body, use it to absorb attacks, force trades, and keep Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure alive through removal. Do not cut off colored mana or skip a needed Dragon's Prey line just to deploy Qarsi Revenant if the visible board demands immediate interaction.

• Cecil, Dark Knight: treat Cecil, Dark Knight as a higher-commitment threat that should be cast after the battlefield can protect the life total and after Veles confirms its legal text. Card text check required before assuming transformation, life payment, lifelink, damage prevention, or removal resistance. Cast Cecil, Dark Knight when the deck needs a larger stabilizing body, a closing threat, or a way to pressure through stalled small-creature combat, provided open mana and visible threats do not make tapping out dangerous. Hold Cecil, Dark Knight when Dragon's Prey or another blocker is needed to prevent lethal or near-lethal pressure.

• Sultai Devotee: use Sultai Devotee as conditional value or stabilization, not as an assumed payoff. Card text check required before assuming mana fixing, sacrifice, graveyard, deathtouch, token, or selection text. If Veles exposes Sultai Devotee as a value creature, cast it when trades have already begun and the extra material matters more than immediate Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure. If it supports graveyard or sacrifice lines, wait until the visible board offers a concrete exchange. Do not keep slow hands solely because they contain Sultai Devotee unless the rest of the hand casts early creatures.

• Avenger of the Fallen: treat Avenger of the Fallen as a late or midgame closer whose timing depends on visible rules text and board size. Card text check required before assuming recursion, cost reduction, graveyard scaling, counters, flying, lifelink, or removal text. Cast Avenger of the Fallen when it stabilizes the board, pressures a stalled opponent, or recovers after trades; hold it when the hand still needs to establish early deathtouch density or answer an immediate threat. Against grindy decks, Avenger of the Fallen can be a reason to trade earlier creatures aggressively if Veles shows it benefits from the graveyard, but do not make that line without confirmed text.

• Forest: prioritize Forest when the opening hand needs green creatures, Fynn, the Fangbearer, Thornweald Archer, Gran Pulse Ochu, or other green legal actions. Forest is also the safest untapped green source when Veles shows tapped dual lands would delay the first creature. Do not play Forest first automatically if the hand needs Swamp for Dragon's Prey, Phyrexian Arena, Cecil, Dark Knight, Tonberry, Hullcarver, Sultai Devotee, or Qarsi Revenant.

• Swamp: prioritize Swamp when the hand's first action is black or when Dragon's Prey and Phyrexian Arena require black access. Swamp is the cleanest way to preserve turn timing when Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, or Wastewood Verge might enter tapped. Do not lead Swamp when green is required for Fynn, the Fangbearer or Thornweald Archer and no other green source is available.

• Jungle Hollow: use Jungle Hollow early when tapped timing will not prevent a turn-two creature, and value its life gain more against aggressive starts. If Veles shows it enters tapped, play it on turn one or on turns where another spell is still legal. Do not let Jungle Hollow delay the first body against fast pressure unless the hand has no better land sequence.

• Strangled Cemetery: treat Strangled Cemetery as conditional fixing and follow Veles land-entry output exactly. Card text check required for current Alchemy legality and entry conditions. Play it early when it unlocks both colors without costing a key creature turn, and prefer basics when its condition would leave the deck unable to cast the first legal action.

• Wastewood Verge: treat Wastewood Verge as color-fixing or utility only according to visible legal mana actions. Card text check required before assuming tapped status, sacrifice text, surveil, search, or graveyard interaction. Sequence Wastewood Verge when it improves future double-spell turns, but do not sacrifice tempo if a Forest or Swamp casts the immediate Fynn, the Fangbearer, Thornweald Archer, Dragon's Prey, or Phyrexian Arena line.

Interaction Priorities

• Priority: spend Dragon's Prey on visible threats that race Fynn, the Fangbearer, invalidate deathtouch blocks, or create lethal/near-lethal damage before Phyrexian Arena can pay off. Card text check required for Dragon's Prey before assuming damage amount, target limits, Dragon synergy, or creature-only restrictions; follow the rules-engine legal targets exactly.

• Priority: protect Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure by removing blockers with first strike, flying, menace, protection, indestructible, token swarms, or tap effects before removing ordinary large creatures that deathtouch bodies can trade with. A large ground attacker is often less urgent than an evasive attacker because Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Hullcarver, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Qarsi Revenant may trade on the ground if Veles confirms deathtouch or similar combat text.

• Priority: ignore creatures that cannot profitably attack, block, or disrupt poison when your board has multiple expendable deathtouch bodies and the life total is above the danger zone. Do not use Dragon's Prey on a creature that already has to stay home against Thornweald Archer or Tonberry unless that creature has a visible engine ability, evasion, or a lethal attack next turn.

• Priority: treat engine permanents, repeatable card draw, planeswalkers, sacrifice outlets, and graveyard engines as higher-value interaction targets than single medium attackers when life is stable. This deck can trade creatures for bodies, but it can fall behind if the opponent converts every trade into extra cards while Phyrexian Arena is absent or delayed.

• Bait: lead with redundant deathtouch bodies such as Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, or Thornweald Archer before committing Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, or Phyrexian Arena into obvious open interaction, unless the current legal action is needed to prevent lethal. Use Fynn, the Fangbearer as a must-answer pressure card, but avoid exposing the only Fynn into removal when a second threat plus a blocker is available.

• Absence rule: this registered list contains no named counterspell, discard spell, exile spell, or bounce spell. Do not plan to counter, discard, exile, or bounce unless Veles exposes that action from an exact registered card, a generated object, or a visible effect; if such an action appears, prefer using it on combo pieces, sweepers, evasive lethal threats, or cards that blank deathtouch combat.

• Archetype shift: against aggro, trade removal for tempo and survival before card advantage. Against control, make removal wait for finishers or utility creatures and use Phyrexian Arena as the pressure engine if life permits. Against combo or engine decks, save Dragon's Prey or any exposed interaction for the card that enables the kill rather than the first small blocker.

Combat And Trading Rules

• Attack rule: attack with deathtouch or poison-enabling creatures when the opponent cannot crack back for lethal or force a bad race. Fynn, the Fangbearer turns each confirmed deathtouch hit into a poison plan, so one safe unblocked attack can matter more than preserving a small creature for a future uncertain block.

• Block rule: block early and confidently with confirmed deathtouch creatures when the opposing attacker is larger, carries equipment/auras/counters, or represents a short clock. Trading Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Thornweald Archer, or Qarsi Revenant for a larger creature is usually acceptable if the trade preserves life, protects Phyrexian Arena time, or keeps Fynn, the Fangbearer from being forced into defense.

• Preservation rule: preserve Fynn, the Fangbearer when another creature can make the same block without losing the poison engine. Use Fynn in combat only when the block prevents lethal, removes a uniquely dangerous attacker, or the hand/board contains another Fynn, the Fangbearer and the trade improves the race.

• Life threshold: value life more highly once Phyrexian Arena is active, because each upkeep may reduce the margin for racing. Above roughly 12 life, prefer pressure and trades that keep poison moving; at 8 or less, prioritize safe blocks, tapped-land timing, and Dragon's Prey on immediate attackers; at 5 or less, avoid attacks that leave no blocker unless the attack creates visible lethal or near-certain poison pressure.

• Stalled board rule: in ground stalls, force blocks with Tonberry, Thornweald Archer, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, and Dragon Sniper only when the resulting exchange improves board parity or unlocks Fynn, the Fangbearer damage later. Do not attack small bodies into free trades if the opponent's backswing is stronger and no poison counter or material advantage results.

• Evasion rule: respect flyers and other evasive attackers because deathtouch ground bodies may not interact. Thornweald Archer can be prioritized as a defender if Veles confirms reach; otherwise use Dragon's Prey or racing pressure to answer evasive clocks.

• Commitment rule: cast Cecil, Dark Knight or Avenger of the Fallen before combat when Veles shows they change attacks or blocks immediately; cast them after combat when attacking first extracts a block, reveals a trick, or preserves postcombat flexibility. Card text check required before assuming lifelink, transformation, recursion, or combat keywords.

• Archetype shift: against aggro, block to trade and stabilize before maximizing poison. Against control, attack in staggered waves and avoid overcommitting into sweepers unless Phyrexian Arena or Avenger of the Fallen can rebuild. Against combo, attack more aggressively because life total pressure and Fynn, the Fangbearer poison shorten the opponent's setup window.

Selection And Tutor Rules

• Selection baseline: treat this list as having no confirmed true tutor package until Veles exposes a search, seek, draft, conjure, surveil, scry, or choose-card action from a visible registered card. Card text check required for Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Sultai Devotee, Avenger of the Fallen, Cecil, Dark Knight, Qarsi Revenant, and Wastewood Verge before assuming any selection mode.

• Phyrexian Arena sequencing: cast Phyrexian Arena when life is stable, a blocker is already present, or the opponent is unlikely to punish the life loss before the extra cards matter. Delay Phyrexian Arena when the visible board threatens a short clock and the same mana can cast Dragon's Prey, Fynn, the Fangbearer, Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Hullcarver, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Qarsi Revenant as immediate stabilization.

• Extra-card use: convert Phyrexian Arena cards into land drops, double-spell turns, and redundant deathtouch bodies rather than hoarding. When Arena is active, prefer plays that reduce incoming damage because every future upkeep narrows the life buffer while improving card flow.

• Land-drop timing: make the land drop before priority actions when the extra mana changes legal Dragon's Prey, creature, or Phyrexian Arena actions. Hold a land only when Veles exposes a discard, loot, bargain, or visible hand-size decision where the land's hidden identity matters less than another spell, and never hold a land if missing the land drop prevents a current legal spell.

• Color selection: prioritize black and green access over speculative sequencing because the deck needs both removal/card-advantage mana and creature pressure. Use Forest, Swamp, Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge according to the current legal actions; do not assume Wastewood Verge fixes, searches, or sacrifices unless Veles exposes that ability.

• Bottom/filter rule: bottom or decline redundant expensive or slow cards when behind on board, especially extra Phyrexian Arena copies if life is low or the first Arena is already active. Keep lands until the fourth land drop is secure, then prefer live creatures, Dragon's Prey, or a missing engine card over surplus tapped lands.

• Threat selection: if a legal selection action offers creatures, choose Fynn, the Fangbearer when a deathtouch body can connect soon; choose Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Hullcarver, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Qarsi Revenant when the board needs blockers first. Choose Cecil, Dark Knight or Avenger of the Fallen only after checking visible mana, pressure, and card text.

• Information discipline: do not infer hidden removal, sweepers, combat tricks, or card names from archetype alone. Use visible zones, revealed cards, logged decisions, and Veles legal actions as the only source for exact selection commitments.

Priority And Stack Rules

• Priority baseline: pass priority on empty-stack windows when no legal action improves damage, poison pressure, mana use, or survival. Do not cast Dragon's Prey or activate an exposed ability just because mana is open; preserve interaction for visible attackers, blockers, engines, or lethal setup.

• Response window: use Dragon's Prey at instant speed only if Veles shows it as legal in that window. If legal, respond before damage, before a key opposing ability resolves, or after the opponent commits a targetable threat; otherwise let low-impact spells resolve and keep the removal for a creature that can race or blank deathtouch.

• Stack patience: let opposing card draw, setup, or nonlethal value spells resolve when the hand has no legal interaction or the only legal interaction is better saved for a visible board threat. This deck wins many games by forcing creature combat, so do not spend scarce stack-speed actions on effects that do not change the next combat or combo clock.

• Fynn trigger handling: resolve Fynn, the Fangbearer poison-related triggers when Veles presents them, and do not decline or redirect them unless the rules engine offers a legal choice with a clear reason. Card text check required for any modified Alchemy behavior before assuming the exact poison amount or trigger condition.

• Phyrexian Arena handling: accept the Phyrexian Arena upkeep draw/life-loss flow as part of the resource plan unless Veles exposes a legal optional choice. If life is critically low, prioritize pre-upkeep or main-phase actions that reduce incoming damage; do not assume Arena can be turned off.

• Optional payments: pay optional costs only when the visible result advances the current role. If Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Sultai Devotee, Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, or Qarsi Revenant exposes a payment trigger, require Veles-visible text and compare the payment against casting another spell, holding Dragon's Prey, or preserving blocker mana.

• Combat stack timing: act before blockers when removal opens a Fynn, the Fangbearer poison hit, and act after blockers when removal saves a key creature or punishes a committed block. If no legal instant action appears, choose attacks and blocks from visible combat math rather than imagined tricks.

• Graveyard timing: use any exposed graveyard or recursion action from Avenger of the Fallen, Qarsi Revenant, Sultai Devotee, or another visible permanent only after card text check and legal-action confirmation. Prefer graveyard value when it rebuilds after trades; prefer board interaction when an opposing attack threatens lethal or forces bad blocks.

• Tap-out gate: tap out for Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, or Phyrexian Arena only when the visible board allows the shield drop or the card is needed to stabilize. Keep mana available when Dragon's Prey or another Veles-exposed instant action can answer an imminent attacker, blocker, or engine permanent.

Sideboard Map

• Registered sideboard status: Golgari Deathtouch has no registered sideboard cards, so every post-game configuration must remain the exact same 60-card main deck. Veles must reject any generated sideboard plan that tries to add cards, remove cards, or change quantities because the registered sideboard inventory is empty.

• Exact executable plans: none. There are no legal Side in: names, and there is no balanced sideboard action that changes the deck while preserving the registered 60 main / 0 sideboard configuration.

• Post-board default: submit no changes after Game 1 and after Game 2. Keep 2 Cecil, Dark Knight; 4 Dragon Sniper; 4 Gran Pulse Ochu; 4 Hullcarver; 4 Tonberry; 4 Fynn, the Fangbearer; 2 Sultai Devotee; 4 Thornweald Archer; 2 Avenger of the Fallen; 4 Qarsi Revenant; 3 Dragon's Prey; 3 Phyrexian Arena; 5 Forest; 5 Swamp; 4 Jungle Hollow; 2 Strangled Cemetery; and 4 Wastewood Verge.

• Sideboard-decision rule: choose the legal no-change configuration immediately when Veles presents sideboarding with no registered sideboard options. Do not ask a model to invent metagame cards, format staples, extra removal, graveyard hate, lifegain, artifact hate, sweepers, commander protection, tutor effects, or ramp pieces that are absent from the registered decklist.

• Post-board role shift versus fast creature decks: remain a board-control deathtouch deck that stabilizes first and wins after combat becomes bad for the opponent. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. In play, make the existing cards act more defensive: prioritize Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Dragon Sniper, Hullcarver, Gran Pulse Ochu, and Qarsi Revenant as early blockers; use Dragon's Prey only on visible creatures that push damage through deathtouch bodies or threaten lethal; delay Phyrexian Arena when life loss and tempo loss are both dangerous.

• Post-board role shift versus removal-heavy midrange: remain a redundancy deck that asks the opponent to answer repeated deathtouch bodies, Fynn, the Fangbearer, and card advantage. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. In play, avoid committing every threat into visible sweeper or mass-damage pressure if a small board already taxes the opponent; use Phyrexian Arena when life is stable enough to convert one-for-one trades into a long-game edge; preserve Fynn, the Fangbearer when another deathtouch attacker can pressure poison later.

• Post-board role shift versus control: become the proactive pressure deck when the opponent's visible board is light and their life or poison total can be stressed. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. In play, sequence Fynn, the Fangbearer before redundant deathtouch attackers when the path to poison damage is plausible, but do not expose Fynn into an avoidable trade if Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Dragon Sniper, Hullcarver, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Qarsi Revenant can force the opponent to spend removal first.

• Post-board role shift versus graveyard or recursion decks: use existing creature pressure and Dragon's Prey as the only confirmed tools until Veles exposes card text or legal graveyard-facing actions from Avenger of the Fallen, Qarsi Revenant, Sultai Devotee, Cecil, Dark Knight, or another visible card. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. Card text check required before treating any registered card as graveyard hate, recursion denial, or graveyard payoff.

• Post-board role shift versus flyers or evasive threats: make Thornweald Archer a priority defensive piece because its exact printed or digital text may matter for blocking flyers, but still require Veles legal actions and visible combat rules before assigning blocks. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. Use Dragon's Prey on evasive attackers when damage racing is unfavorable or when removing the evasive threat protects Phyrexian Arena turns.

• Post-board role shift versus large-creature decks: lean into deathtouch combat rather than trying to overpower the opponent. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. Preserve cheap deathtouch bodies for blocking, trade up whenever the visible exchange removes a larger attacker, and use Fynn, the Fangbearer to punish opponents who decline blocks. Dragon's Prey should answer the creature that deathtouch cannot safely handle because of evasion, first strike, protection, ward, sacrifice value, or a visible combat ability.

• Post-board role shift versus combo or engine decks: become more proactive because the registered configuration has no dedicated sideboard disruption. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. Pressure with Fynn, the Fangbearer plus any deathtouch attacker that can connect, cast Phyrexian Arena only when the extra cards are likely to matter before the opponent's engine resolves, and hold Dragon's Prey only if the opponent's visible engine depends on a creature or creature-like permanent that Dragon's Prey can legally target.

• Post-board role shift versus burn or direct damage: protect life total more aggressively because Phyrexian Arena can become a liability. Add role cards: none registered. Reduce main-deck emphasis: none executable. Prefer Jungle Hollow when legal sequencing allows life gain, use early creatures to reduce combat damage, and delay Phyrexian Arena if the visible clock plus Arena life loss can put the pilot within range of known public damage. Do not assume hidden burn names; reason only from public cards, revealed cards, and legal actions.

• No-sideboard audit rule: record post-game configuration as unchanged and note that matchup adaptation happened through play patterns, not deck construction. This matters for Veles evaluation because losses after sideboarding should not be blamed on missing sideboard choices; this registered build intentionally has no post-game card access.

• Runtime guardrail: if a sideboarding worker returns any Side in: card, any card quantity change, or any plan that changes the 60, reject it as illegal and resubmit unchanged. If Veles exposes only a confirm/no-change action, choose the no-change action. If Veles exposes candidate plans, select the plan whose main-deck quantities match the registered inventory exactly and whose sideboard usage is empty.

• Future tuning note: if testing shows repeated losses to a specific archetype, record the weakness in First Tuning Questions rather than inventing a sideboard plan during the match. The legal match configuration for this guide remains 60 main-deck cards and 0 sideboard cards.

Matchup Guidance

• Aggro: stabilize with early bodies before spending tempo on Phyrexian Arena. Prioritize hands that cast Forest or Swamp into Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Dragon Sniper, Hullcarver, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Qarsi Revenant on curve, and keep Fynn, the Fangbearer when the hand can either block profitably or punish a stalled board with poison pressure. Use Dragon's Prey on the attacker that makes blocking fail, not automatically on the largest creature; evasion, first strike, menace-style pressure, combat-damage triggers, or visible pump access can make a smaller threat the correct target. Delay Phyrexian Arena when life total is already under pressure unless the hand lacks enough material to survive without drawing extra cards.

• Control: become the pressure deck without turning every creature into the same removal target. Lead with redundant threats when possible, then deploy Fynn, the Fangbearer when at least one attacker can plausibly connect or when forcing removal on Fynn opens a safer window for Phyrexian Arena. Phyrexian Arena is high value when the opponent is not presenting immediate lethal pressure, but do not tap out for it if Veles shows a must-answer permanent or stack threat that Dragon's Prey can legally answer. Preserve creature diversity across Cecil, Dark Knight, Sultai Devotee, Avenger of the Fallen, and the four-copy creature package if public information suggests sweepers or repeated removal, but never assume a hidden sweeper by name.

• Combo: shorten the clock because the registered deck has no sideboard disruption and only conditional maindeck interaction. Keep hands with early Fynn, the Fangbearer plus multiple cheap attackers more aggressively than slow Phyrexian Arena hands, especially on the play. Use Dragon's Prey on a visible creature or creature-like engine piece only when Veles confirms a legal target and the engine appears to depend on that object; otherwise maintain pressure and avoid spending turns on non-lethal card advantage. If the opponent spends early turns assembling resources without blocking, attack first and make them prove interaction through legal actions rather than waiting for an ideal board.

• Tempo: protect mana efficiency and avoid giving the opponent a clean exchange on the critical turn. Cast early creatures before Phyrexian Arena unless the opponent has no visible clock, because falling behind on board lets bounce, tap effects, or cheap interaction turn deathtouch blockers into lost tempo. Prefer lines that leave a blocker after attacking with Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure, and avoid attacks that expose the only stabilizing creature to an obvious legal block or post-combat removal line. Dragon's Prey should remove the threat that is carrying tempo advantage, especially evasive damage or a creature that makes blocking impossible.

• Midrange: trade resources until Phyrexian Arena or repeated deathtouch pressure breaks parity. Accept trades where Thornweald Archer, Tonberry, Dragon Sniper, Hullcarver, Gran Pulse Ochu, or Qarsi Revenant exchanges for a larger or more expensive creature, but avoid trading Fynn, the Fangbearer for a low-impact body unless poison pressure is no longer realistic. Use Cecil, Dark Knight, Sultai Devotee, and Avenger of the Fallen according to visible card text and legal actions; card text check required before treating them as recursion, sacrifice payoff, removal, or lifegain engines. When both players are trading one-for-one, Phyrexian Arena is a priority if life is stable.

• Big mana: apply poison and life-total pressure before the opponent's larger plays dominate combat. Fynn, the Fangbearer is the cleanest way to punish slow starts, so keep it with enough creatures and lands to attack early. Do not hold Dragon's Prey for an unknown future threat if a visible ramp creature, cost-reduction creature, or early blocker is the object preventing pressure and Veles confirms Dragon's Prey can target it. Once the opponent resolves a large threat, shift into deathtouch containment: hold back enough confirmed deathtouch blockers to make attacks bad, then win through incremental attacks when the opponent cannot block profitably.

• Graveyard decks: pressure first and interact only with confirmed legal graveyard-facing choices. Card text check required before assigning Avenger of the Fallen, Qarsi Revenant, Sultai Devotee, or Cecil, Dark Knight any graveyard role; use them according to visible abilities and Veles action text. If the opponent's graveyard plan depends on a visible creature on battlefield or stack, Dragon's Prey may be the correct interaction, but do not assume it can stop graveyard abilities unless the legal action says so. Phyrexian Arena is good when the game becomes attritional, but too slow if the opponent is about to convert public graveyard resources into lethal pressure.

• Artifact/enchantment decks: treat Dragon's Prey and combat as the only confirmed interaction unless Veles exposes exact legal actions from registered cards. Do not assume the deck can destroy artifacts or enchantments by default. If artifact or enchantment permanents create creature tokens, animate into creatures, or rely on a visible creature engine, use Dragon's Prey only when the target is legal and strategically central. Race noncreature engines with Fynn, the Fangbearer plus deathtouch attackers, and use Phyrexian Arena when the opponent is not already presenting a faster clock.

• Go-wide decks: preserve blockers and make attacks only when they improve the next combat step. Deathtouch trades are weaker when the opponent can attack with many small bodies, so prioritize creature count, life total, and blocking coverage over early chip damage. Thornweald Archer and other cheap bodies should usually stay back when the opponent's next attack threatens a wide damage burst, while Fynn, the Fangbearer attacks are strongest when the opponent cannot profitably block or when poison changes their race math. Dragon's Prey should answer the creature that amplifies the team, enables evasion, or creates repeated bodies if Veles shows a legal target.

• Single-threat decks: conserve Dragon's Prey for the protected or evasive threat when combat alone cannot answer it. If the lone threat can be blocked by a confirmed deathtouch creature and the trade is legal, make the opponent spend resources before using removal. If the threat has visible evasion, protection, ward, first strike, damage prevention, or a trigger that punishes blocking, reassess with Veles legal actions and use Dragon's Prey when it is the only clean answer. Phyrexian Arena is strong after the first major threat is contained, not before lethal or near-lethal damage is stabilized.

• Burn: life total is the primary resource, and Phyrexian Arena is conditional rather than automatic. Prefer Jungle Hollow sequencing when it does not prevent early interaction, deploy blockers to reduce combat damage, and avoid unnecessary attacks that open a larger crack-back. Cast Phyrexian Arena only when the extra cards are likely to prevent more damage than the life loss will cost, and be willing to leave it uncast if the visible clock is short. Fynn, the Fangbearer can race burn only when early poison damage is realistic; otherwise use Fynn as another fragile but high-priority blocker or removal magnet according to legal combat.

• Removal-heavy decks: pace threats so each opposing answer trades for less than a full game plan. Lead with four-copy creatures before unique or two-copy threats when the hand supports it, then use Fynn, the Fangbearer to force a removal decision once a deathtouch attacker can matter. Phyrexian Arena is the best attrition pivot if life is safe, so protect the turn spent casting it by not falling too far behind on board. Do not overvalue any single creature; the deck wins removal-heavy games by presenting repeated legal attacks, stable blocks, and eventually more cards than the opponent can answer.

Specific Matchup Notes

• General scope: treat these notes as archetype-only until Veles exposes opponent identity, revealed cards, public zones, and legal actions. Revealed cards override assumptions, and the pilot must not infer hidden removal, sweepers, graveyard payoffs, or combat tricks beyond public information.

• Sideboarding: keep the registered 60 unchanged in every matchup because the registered sideboard has zero cards. Do not search for a sideboard plan, do not cut main-deck cards, and do not describe sideboard upgrades as executable actions.

• Fast creature decks: prioritize board count, life total, and legal deathtouch blocks over early Phyrexian Arena. Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Qarsi Revenant, and Thornweald Archer should trade up when Veles confirms combat legality; Fynn, the Fangbearer attacks only when poison pressure does not open a lethal crack-back. Use Dragon's Prey on the visible creature that enables the largest attack, evasion, or repeated bodies if Veles shows it as a legal target.

• Flying or evasive pressure: value Thornweald Archer highly when reach matters, and do not cash it in for minor ground pressure while an evasive clock is visible. If Dragon's Prey can legally answer the evasive threat, prefer removing the clock over killing a ground creature that deathtouch blockers already contain.

• Removal-heavy midrange/control: sequence redundant four-copy creatures before leaning on two-copy threats or Phyrexian Arena. Fynn, the Fangbearer is a must-answer engine when attacks are available, but do not expose every threat into open mana if one creature already forces the opponent to act. Phyrexian Arena becomes a priority after the battlefield is stable enough that its life cost will not decide the race.

• Big-mana or slow setup decks: pressure with Fynn, the Fangbearer plus confirmed deathtouch creatures before larger permanents dominate combat. Dragon's Prey should target a ramp creature, blocker, or payoff only when legal and when that permanent is the visible bottleneck. If the opponent resolves a large creature, shift from racing to containment with deathtouch blockers.

• Graveyard decks: pressure first and interact only through confirmed legal actions. Card text check required before assigning Avenger of the Fallen, Cecil, Dark Knight, Qarsi Revenant, or Sultai Devotee a graveyard role. If the opponent's plan uses a visible creature engine, Dragon's Prey may be the priority answer; if the plan is a noncreature graveyard action, do not assume this deck can stop it.

• Artifact/enchantment engines: race noncreature engines unless Veles exposes a registered-card action that interacts with them. Dragon's Prey and combat should be treated as creature-facing tools only when the legal action text supports that use. Fynn, the Fangbearer is often the fastest punishment for durdling engines that cannot block deathtouch creatures profitably.

• Burn and direct damage: preserve life total, prefer Jungle Hollow when tempo allows, and cast Phyrexian Arena only when the extra cards are likely to prevent more damage than the life loss creates. Do not attack with a stabilizing deathtouch creature if staying back materially reduces the visible next-turn damage.

Risk Summary

• Mana risk: the deck needs early green and black without falling too far behind from tapped lands. Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge sequencing must respect the current hand; keep hands that cast early creatures and interaction, not hands that merely contain lands.

• Draw risk: Phyrexian Arena can bury opponents in cards but can also lose races. Cast it when life is stable, blockers are present, or the opponent lacks a visible short clock; delay it when the next two turns are about survival.

• Matchup risk: go-wide boards reduce the value of single deathtouch trades. Preserve creature count against token or swarm pressure, and avoid attacks that leave too few blockers for the opponent's visible crack-back.

• Over-sideboarding risk: no sideboard is registered, so every game must stay on the main-deck configuration. Any runtime sideboarding request that names a Side in: card is invalid for this deck.

• Graveyard risk: several card names suggest possible death or recursion themes, but card text check required for Avenger of the Fallen, Cecil, Dark Knight, Qarsi Revenant, and Sultai Devotee before making graveyard plans. Do not sacrifice, trade, or decline blocks for assumed recursion unless Veles exposes the relevant legal action.

• Sweeper/removal risk: committing every creature into a likely sweeper or mass removal effect can collapse the poison plan and the blocking plan at once. Against control, hold enough follow-up pressure when one or two creatures already demand an answer.

• Closer risk: Fynn, the Fangbearer is the cleanest unique closer because deathtouch combat damage creates poison pressure, but it is fragile and only four copies. If Fynn is absent or answered, win through attrition, Phyrexian Arena, and repeated deathtouch trades rather than forcing bad attacks.

• Interaction risk: Dragon's Prey is the only clearly repeated named interaction in the list, but card text and target legality must come from Veles at runtime. Do not reserve it forever for unknown threats; do not fire it at low-impact creatures when combat already answers them.

• Sequencing risk: early creature deployment matters more than elegant setup against pressure. Cast Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Qarsi Revenant, or Thornweald Archer on curve when they stabilize or enable Fynn, the Fangbearer, and postpone Phyrexian Arena or uncertain two-copy cards when the battlefield is not secure.

Test Feedback Checklist

• Deciding factor: record whether the game was decided by early board stabilization, Fynn, the Fangbearer poison pressure, Phyrexian Arena card flow, Dragon's Prey interaction, creature combat trades, mana delay, or inability to close after stabilizing.

• Mulligans: note whether opening hands had both colors, an early creature, and a coherent first three turns. Flag keeps that had lands but no Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Qarsi Revenant, Thornweald Archer, Fynn, the Fangbearer, or Dragon's Prey to affect the board.

• Mana: record every game where Forest, Swamp, Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, or Wastewood Verge sequencing delayed a two-color curve. Separate color screw from tapped-land tempo loss so tuning does not confuse land count with land quality.

• Velocity: check whether the deck used mana each turn from turns two through five. If Phyrexian Arena was stranded, delayed, or too slow, identify whether the issue was life total pressure, lack of black mana, or needing more board presence first.

• Engine performance: track whether Fynn, the Fangbearer converted deathtouch creatures into real pressure or merely absorbed removal. Track whether Phyrexian Arena drew enough extra action to offset life loss and tempo.

• Removal performance: review every Dragon's Prey decision for target quality, timing, and whether combat could have handled the same creature. Flag games where Dragon's Prey was absent and one opposing creature dominated the battlefield.

• Combat quality: identify attacks that left too few blockers, missed poison pressure, or traded a key reach/deathtouch body too cheaply. Review Thornweald Archer separately when flying or evasive pressure mattered.

• Closing: record whether the deck won after stabilizing or stalled behind deathtouch creatures. If closing failed, note whether Fynn, the Fangbearer was missing, removed, or unable to connect, and whether Avenger of the Fallen, Cecil, Dark Knight, Qarsi Revenant, or Sultai Devotee offered any verified finishing role.

• Role accuracy: note whether the pilot correctly shifted between control, midrange pressure, and race mode. Flag games where Phyrexian Arena was cast while under a short clock or where creatures attacked when blocking was the winning role.

• Mistakes and stranded cards: list visible decisions where legal actions were ignored, Dragon's Prey waited too long, Phyrexian Arena was uncastable, or two-copy cards sat in hand without a verified role. Use "Card text check required" for uncertain Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, Sultai Devotee, Qarsi Revenant, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, and Tonberry patterns.

• Sideboard: confirm that no sideboarding occurred because the registered sideboard has zero cards. If post-board games felt strategically disadvantaged, record the matchup pressure rather than inventing executable sideboard actions.

• Overperformers and underperformers: record which exact cards changed outcomes, not just which cards were cast. Separate cards that won games from cards that merely looked good while the opponent was already contained.

First Tuning Questions

• Card quantities: should Cecil, Dark Knight or Avenger of the Fallen increase above two copies if verified games show they close stalled boards, or should those slots become more early interaction if they remain stranded?

• Creature mix: should Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Qarsi Revenant, or Thornweald Archer change counts based on which bodies actually stabilize aggro, pressure control, or enable Fynn, the Fangbearer most reliably?

• Fynn dependency: is Fynn, the Fangbearer a strong enough primary closer, or does the deck need another verified win condition for games where poison attacks are blocked, removed, or too slow?

• Removal count: are three Dragon's Prey enough against creature engines, evasive threats, and snowballing early plays, or do losses show the deck needs more legal removal effects in the main deck?

• Draw engine balance: is three Phyrexian Arena correct, or should the count move down if life loss decides aggro games and move up only if control games hinge on sustained cards?

• Mana base: do Jungle Hollow, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge provide enough colored consistency without costing too much tempo, or should the basic Forest and Swamp balance change after tracking missed early green and black?

• Aggro plan: does the deck need more one- or two-turn stabilization, or are current deathtouch bodies sufficient when sequenced correctly? Use game logs to distinguish pilot errors from structural speed problems.

• Control plan: does the deck present enough resilient pressure after removal, or does it need more card advantage, recursion, or standalone closers once card text is verified?

• Role conflict: are Phyrexian Arena and slower two-copy threats pulling the deck away from the early deathtouch board plan, or do they solve the exact games the creature package cannot finish?

• Sideboard slots: should future builds add a real sideboard for fast aggro, evasive creatures, graveyard strategies, artifact/enchantment engines, and control, or is the goal to keep a fixed best-of-one Alchemy configuration?

• Unknown text audit: which card texts must be verified before final tuning: Cecil, Dark Knight, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, Sultai Devotee, Avenger of the Fallen, Qarsi Revenant, Dragon's Prey, Strangled Cemetery, and Wastewood Verge?

Veles Tactical Policy

Policy: Mulligan For Mana Plus Early Board

• Priority: High
• Decision families: mulligan
• Cards: Forest; Swamp; Jungle Hollow; Strangled Cemetery; Wastewood Verge; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Thornweald Archer; Fynn, the Fangbearer; Dragon's Prey
• Phase windows: opening hand, mulligan, London bottom
• Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; visible:opening hand
• Use when: the hand must decide keep or mulligan before any game actions.
• Avoid when: rules-engine output offers only one legal mulligan action.
• Instructions: Keep hands with both colors or a credible path to both colors, two to four lands, and at least one early battlefield play or Dragon's Prey. Mulligan land-light, one-color, or all-slow hands that cannot affect combat before turn three. Prefer bottoming duplicate slow cards before early creatures.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Early Deathtouch Setup

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana; priority
• Cards: Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Thornweald Archer; Fynn, the Fangbearer
• Phase windows: precombat main, postcombat main, turns one to three
• Runtime cues: action:cast; visible:hand contains early creature
• Use when: the pilot can add the first creature or Fynn, the Fangbearer to an undeveloped battlefield.
• Avoid when: Dragon's Prey is required immediately to prevent a visible snowballing attack or lethal line.
• Instructions: Establish a deathtouch or defensive body before Phyrexian Arena when under pressure. Cast Fynn, the Fangbearer after at least one creature can plausibly attack or block, unless tempo requires presenting Fynn first. Card text check required for Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, and Qarsi Revenant; use their visible legal action text and stats.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Mana Sequencing For Both Colors

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: mana
• Cards: Forest; Swamp; Jungle Hollow; Strangled Cemetery; Wastewood Verge; Phyrexian Arena; Fynn, the Fangbearer; Dragon's Prey
• Phase windows: land play, precombat main, postcombat main
• Runtime cues: action:play; visible:land choices
• Use when: multiple legal land plays or mana payments are available.
• Avoid when: only one legal land or payment action exists.
• Instructions: Prioritize unlocking both green and black by turn two or three. Sequence tapped lands when no immediate spell is lost. Preserve black for Phyrexian Arena and Dragon's Prey lines, and preserve green for creature density and Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure. Card text check required for Strangled Cemetery and Wastewood Verge.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Exact Single Legal Mana Payment

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: mana
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: any cost-payment prompt
• Runtime cues: action:pay exact mana
• Use when: the legal action list contains exactly one mana-payment action and no alternative payment, optional payment, or source-selection action.
• Avoid when: multiple lands, colors, optional costs, or source subsets are legal.
• Instructions: Submit the single listed mana-payment action without adding strategy assumptions.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Phyrexian Arena Commitment Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: priority; mana
• Cards: Phyrexian Arena
• Phase windows: precombat main, postcombat main
• Runtime cues: action:cast Phyrexian Arena
• Use when: casting Phyrexian Arena competes with adding blockers, casting Dragon's Prey, or holding mana.
• Avoid when: life total is low, visible attackers create a short clock, or the spell prevents stabilizing this turn.
• Instructions: Cast Phyrexian Arena when the battlefield is stable enough for life loss and card flow to matter. Delay it against fast pressure until blockers or removal have contained combat. Against slow decks, cast it early if mana and board allow.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Fynn Poison Pressure Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: combat; priority
• Cards: Fynn, the Fangbearer; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Thornweald Archer
• Phase windows: beginning of combat, declare attackers, precombat main
• Runtime cues: action:attack; visible:Fynn, the Fangbearer on battlefield
• Use when: attacks can convert deathtouch combat damage into poison pressure.
• Avoid when: attacking removes necessary blockers against a visible crack-back or trades Fynn, the Fangbearer for too little pressure.
• Instructions: Treat Fynn, the Fangbearer as a closing engine, not a reason to abandon defense. Attack with deathtouch creatures when blockers, life totals, poison totals, and crack-back math support the race. Keep enough defense to survive visible next-turn attacks.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Exact Single Safe Attack Submission

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: declare attackers
• Runtime cues: action:attack with exactly listed attackers
• Use when: the legal action list contains exactly one attack action and one pass/no-attack action, the opponent controls no untapped creatures, and the attack cannot reduce available blockers this turn because combat has already reached declare attackers.
• Avoid when: multiple attack sets are legal or the opponent has visible untapped blockers.
• Instructions: Submit the single attack action only under the listed visible constraints.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Defensive Trade Discipline

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: combat
• Cards: Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Thornweald Archer; Cecil, Dark Knight; Avenger of the Fallen; Sultai Devotee
• Phase windows: declare blockers, combat damage, end of combat
• Runtime cues: action:block; visible:opposing attackers
• Use when: the pilot must choose blocks with deathtouch or unknown-text creatures.
• Avoid when: the rules engine provides only a mandatory block or no block.
• Instructions: Block to preserve life total against short clocks and to trade small deathtouch creatures for larger attackers. Keep Fynn, the Fangbearer enablers when poison pressure is the active plan. Card text check required for Cecil, Dark Knight, Avenger of the Fallen, Sultai Devotee, Dragon Sniper, Gran Pulse Ochu, Hullcarver, Tonberry, and Qarsi Revenant before relying on extra abilities.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Dragon's Prey Removal Gate

• Priority: High
• Decision families: interaction; priority
• Cards: Dragon's Prey
• Phase windows: main phases, combat trick windows, end step, stack response if legal
• Runtime cues: action:cast Dragon's Prey; action:target Dragon's Prey
• Use when: Dragon's Prey can answer a visible creature or permanent according to legal action text.
• Avoid when: combat already neutralizes the threat and spending Dragon's Prey leaves a larger visible threat unanswered.
• Instructions: Spend Dragon's Prey on threats that bypass deathtouch, generate repeated advantage, enable lethal pressure, or stop Fynn, the Fangbearer from racing. Card text check required; follow the legal target list exactly.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Interaction Before Damage

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: interaction; combat; priority
• Cards: Dragon's Prey
• Phase windows: after attackers, after blockers, before combat damage, end of combat
• Runtime cues: prompt:priority; visible:combat state
• Use when: Dragon's Prey or another legal instant-speed action is available during combat.
• Avoid when: passing cannot change combat outcome and no visible postcombat threat is created.
• Instructions: Use instant-speed interaction before damage when it prevents lethal, preserves a key creature, removes evasion, or changes a trade from losing to stable. Pass when the same result is obtained by deathtouch blocking without spending Dragon's Prey.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Priority Pass With No Legal Impact

• Priority: Low
• Decision families: priority
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: any priority window
• Runtime cues: action:pass priority
• Use when: pass priority is the only non-mana legal action and the stack is empty.
• Avoid when: any cast, activate, target, block, attack, optional payment, or selection action is also legal.
• Instructions: Submit pass priority only when the legal action list shows no other non-mana action.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Unknown Text Conservative Casting

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: priority; selection; interaction
• Cards: Cecil, Dark Knight; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Sultai Devotee; Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant
• Phase windows: main phases, combat, triggered or activated ability prompts
• Runtime cues: action:cast; action:activate; prompt:choose
• Use when: a card with unverified text offers a legal action or choice.
• Avoid when: verified cards already provide a clear lethal or survival line.
• Instructions: Card text check required. Use visible action labels, costs, targets, and board impact from the rules engine. Prefer actions that add board presence, preserve survival, or advance Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure without assuming hidden abilities.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Selection And Trigger Choices

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: selection; priority
• Cards: Cecil, Dark Knight; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Sultai Devotee; Avenger of the Fallen; Qarsi Revenant; Phyrexian Arena
• Phase windows: triggered ability prompts, mode prompts, target prompts, end step
• Runtime cues: prompt:choose; action:select
• Use when: the engine exposes modes, trigger ordering, optional triggers, or card choices from registered cards.
• Avoid when: the choice is mandatory and only one legal action exists.
• Instructions: Choose options that maintain survival first, then create pressure, then generate cards. Do not assume unshown card text or hidden cards. For Phyrexian Arena, resolve mandatory visible triggers according to the engine.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Lethal Or Survival Override

• Priority: High
• Decision families: combat; interaction; priority; mana
• Cards: Dragon's Prey; Fynn, the Fangbearer; Dragon Sniper; Gran Pulse Ochu; Hullcarver; Tonberry; Qarsi Revenant; Thornweald Archer
• Phase windows: any lethal, poison, combat, or removal window
• Runtime cues: visible:lethal damage; visible:poison total; action:cast; action:attack; action:block
• Use when: visible board state shows a line to win this turn or a need to prevent losing before the next turn.
• Avoid when: lethal or survival depends on hidden cards or unverified text not present in legal action labels.
• Instructions: Prioritize confirmed win or confirmed survival over long-term card advantage. Use Fynn, the Fangbearer poison math only from visible poison counters and legal attacker outcomes. Use Dragon's Prey only on legal targets shown by the engine.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: No Sideboard Registration

• Priority: High
• Decision families: sideboard
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: between games, sideboard prompt
• Runtime cues: action:submit no sideboard changes
• Use when: registered sideboard count is 0 and the legal action text submits an unchanged deck.
• Avoid when: any sideboard card is registered or the engine reports a deck-registration error.
• Instructions: Submit the unchanged-deck action. Do not invent sideboard cards, cuts, or matchup-specific swaps.
• Pilot skill floor: no-api
• No-API allowed: yes
• Light-model allowed: yes

Policy: Pregame Play Draw Choice

• Priority: Medium
• Decision families: pregame
• Cards: none
• Phase windows: pregame play/draw prompt
• Runtime cues: prompt:play or draw
• Use when: Veles exposes a legal play/draw decision.
• Avoid when: tournament structure or engine output fixes the choice.
• Instructions: Choose play when early creature deployment and Fynn, the Fangbearer pressure matter. Consider draw only if matchup context and opening-hand rules indicate the game will be slow and resource-heavy.
• Pilot skill floor: light-model
• No-API allowed: no
• Light-model allowed: yes