veles-content/strategies/pauper/dredge/1/reflection.md

Reflection Template For Dredge

For each loss, name one primary cause and one secondary cause. For each win, name the card, package, or tactical policy that most contributed to the win. Classify each result as a card quantity problem, card selection problem, mana problem, tempo problem, matchup problem, sideboard problem, pilot sequencing problem, or closing-power problem. Report mana performance, sideboard impact, stranded cards, overperforming cards, underperforming cards, and whether the Deck Strategy or Tactical Policy guidance was followed.

• Deciding factor: identify the exact visible event that decided the game: early graveyard velocity, loss of creature count, mana stumble, opponent graveyard hate, Dread Return resolution, Lotleth Giant damage, Gnaw to the Bone stabilization, or failure to close after setup.
• Mulligan review: record whether the opener had a functional path through land, early self-mill, and bodies. Flag payoff-heavy hands with Lotleth Giant plus Dread Return but no Malevolent Rumble, Satyr Wayfinder, Circle of the Land Druid, Stinkweed Imp, Scrapwork Mutt, Generous Ent, or stable mana.
• Mana review: note whether Holdout Settlement or Survivors' Encampment lacked a creature at the needed time, whether Khalni Garden enabled them, whether Mortuary Mire delayed a setup turn, and whether Generous Ent fixed a keep that otherwise failed.
• Velocity review: compare the first three turns against the desired setup curve. Count how often Malevolent Rumble, Satyr Wayfinder, Circle of the Land Druid, Stinkweed Imp dredge, and Scrapwork Mutt moved the deck toward a real Dread Return or Lotleth Giant plan.
• Engine review: ask whether Stinkweed Imp was dredged at the correct times or drawn/cast when blocking mattered more. Record cases where dredging missed required land drops, sacrifice bodies, or a hard-cast Lotleth Giant route.
• Creature-count review: track whether Khalni Garden, Town Greeter, Satyr Wayfinder, Circle of the Land Druid, Scrapwork Mutt, Masked Vandal, and Molten Gatekeeper supplied enough bodies for blocking, mana, and Dread Return sacrifice costs.
• Removal and hate review: record every Ancient Grudge and Masked Vandal decision by target, timing, and visible impact. Mark any case where an answer was spent on low-impact material while graveyard hate, artifact mana, or a lethal threat remained more important.
• Sideboard review: ask whether Ancient Grudge, Flaring Pain, Gnaw to the Bone, Momentary Blink, and Fang Dragon had visible jobs in the matchup. Flag sideboarded games where role cards stranded in hand reduced self-mill density without solving the actual problem.
• Closing review: identify whether the winning line was Lotleth Giant, repeated creature pressure, hard-cast threats, Mortuary Mire recovery, or opponent failure to pressure. For losses, record whether Dread Return was too slow, interrupted, lacked bodies, or targeted the wrong payoff.
• Role review: state the chosen role each game: race, stabilize, rebuild through hate, conserve resources, or force a commitment. Flag turns where the play followed the wrong role, such as attacking with needed blockers or waiting when the opponent's clock made waiting worse.
• Mistake review: capture legal alternatives the agent rejected incorrectly, especially missed dredge choices, missed land development, premature Dread Return, unsupported attacks, unnecessary passes with setup actions legal, or failure to preserve three creatures.
• Stranded-card review: list cards stranded in hand or graveyard and why: no colored mana, no creatures for Holdout Settlement or Survivors' Encampment, no artifact/enchantment target for Masked Vandal, no artifact target for Ancient Grudge, no prevention target for Flaring Pain, or no useful blink target for Momentary Blink.
• Overperformers and underperformers: record which exact cards changed outcomes. Separate early setup cards from payoff cards so Malevolent Rumble, Satyr Wayfinder, Stinkweed Imp, Dread Return, Lotleth Giant, Gnaw to the Bone, and Ancient Grudge are evaluated by their actual role.