Overview:

This Marisi, Breaker of the Coil deck is a Cat tribal/Equipment hybrid focused on combat manipulation and goad mechanics. It leverages evasive creatures and anthem effects to trigger Marisi's goad ability while buffing its board, using Equipment synergies to create overwhelming combat threats. The deck aims to win through combat damage with occasional explosive token generation (Felidar Retreat, Leonin Warleader) and Equipment-enhanced alpha strikes (Embercleave, Kaldra Compleat).

Primer:

Core Strategy:

1. Early Game Setup: Use land ramp (Cultivate, Farseek effects via Oreskos Explorer) and tribal cost reducers (Herald's Horn) to deploy Cat creatures. Prioritize evasive attackers like Skyhunter Skirmisher to trigger Marisi's goad.
2. Midgame Pressure: Equip key creatures with game-changing Equipment (Blade of Selves, Hammer of Nazahn) while generating value from token makers (Regal Caracal, Felidar Retreat). Use goad to disrupt opponents' combat math.
3. Endgame Closers: Overrun with Jetmir, Nexus of Revels buffs or Equipment-enhanced threats. Secondary wincons include Kemba, Kha Regent token armies and Mirror Entity activations.

Key Synergies:

• Equipment tutors (Open the Armory, Steelshaper's Gift) enable consistent access to power boosters
• Cat tribal payoffs (Radiant Destiny, Feline Sovereign) scale with board presence
• Goad mechanics paired with combat damage triggers (Keeper of Fables, Guardian Project) maintain card advantage

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + 1 ramp spell OR 2 creatures + Equipment tutor
• Prioritize early evasive creatures (Brimaz, Stalking Leonin) over high-cost bombs
• Reject hands without colored mana sources for W/G/R

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No mass recursion for wiped boards (sole protection is Teferi's Protection/Rootborn Defenses)
• Heavy reliance on combat makes it vulnerable to fog effects and flying blockers

Moderate:

• Limited instant-speed interaction (only 5 targeted removal spells)
• Equipment-heavy strategy susceptible to artifact wipes

Minor:

• Some mana base enters tapped (Thriving lands, Temple of Plenty)

Most Important Cards:

• Felidar Retreat
• Jetmir, Nexus of Revels
• Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith
• Kemba, Kha Regent
• Mirror Entity
• Embercleave
• Kaldra Compleat
• Guardian Project
• Regal Caracal
• King of the Pride

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Goldfishes wins around T8-10 through combat
• Limited fast mana beyond Sol Ring/Arcane Signet

Resilience: 4/10

• Vulnerable to board wipes despite indestructible effects
• Equipment redundancy helps recover from single-target removal

Consistency: 6/10

• 7 Equipment tutors and 3 anthem effects
• Tribal card advantage engines (Realmwalker, Herald's Horn)

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient spot removal (Swords/Path) but limited counterspells
• Relies on combat tricks rather than stack interaction

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between Focused Casual (4.5) and Optimized Casual (5.0). Its tribal synergy and Equipment package exceed precon power, but lack of infinite combos and modest interaction keep it below high-power tiers. The turn 8-10 win clock and reliance on combat damage align with Rubric 5.0's "T8-10 via combat" benchmark. While it has some optimized elements (tutor density, strong mana base), the absence of stax pieces or game-ending combos prevents higher placement.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0