Overview:

This mono-red deck leverages Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos as a shared Voltron threat, combining equipment synergies, +1/+1 counter doubling, and forced combat mechanics. The strategy disrupts opponents with land hate (Blood Moon, Winter Moon) while amplifying Alexios' damage through extra combats (Aggravated Assault, Godo, Bandit Warlord), triple damage effects (Jeska, Thrice Reborn), and damage multipliers (Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar). Stax pieces like Stranglehold and land destruction (Boil) aim to slow opponents while the deck builds toward commander-focused kills.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
This deck seeks to turn Alexios into an unavoidable threat by stacking +1/+1 counters (Sword of Hours, Bravado) and equipment (Blackblade Reforged, Champion's Helm). Key lines involve:

1. Early Disruption: Deploy land hate (T3 Magus of the Moon) to cripple opponents' mana bases.
2. Commander Amplification: Use Jeska, Thrice Reborn's 0 ability to triple Alexios' damage when it attacks under an opponent's control.
3. Combat Loops: Chain extra combats via Aggravated Assault or Godo's attack trigger while spreading damage globally with Kediss.
4. Reset Plays: Decree of Annihilation clears boards while leaving Alexios (which can't be sacrificed) as the sole threat.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands and 1-2 ramp pieces (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet).
• Prioritize early stax (Winter Moon) or equipment tutors (Godo).
• Avoid hands without red mana sources or late-game bombs alone.

Key Tips:

• Time Alexios' transfers to maximize +1/+1 counter accumulation before using combat tricks.
• Use Chaos Warp and Bolt Bend to protect key pieces rather than reacting to threats.
• Stranglehold shuts down fetch lands and extra turn strategies common in higher power levels.

Avoid Traps:

• Overcommitting equipment to Alexios before ensuring protection.
• Casting Avatar of Slaughter without a established board advantage.
• Relying on Decree of Annihilation without a follow-up plan.

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Heavily commander-dependent; 3+ removals on Alexios cripples the deck
• No card draw engines; relies on top-decks after T6
• Limited answers to enchantments/artifacts beyond Abrade

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes
• Inconsistent equipment tutoring (only Godo as reliable search)

Minor:

• Vulnerable to flyers (mitigated by Aether Membrane and reach creatures)

Most Important Cards:

• Sword of Hours
• Aggravated Assault
• Godo, Bandit Warlord
• Jeska, Thrice Reborn
• Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
• Stranglehold
• Blood Moon
• Magus of the Moon
• Chaos Warp
• Fanatic of Mogis

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Theoretical T6-7 kills via Alexios + triple damage + extra combats
• Lacks fast mana beyond Sol Ring/Basalt Monolith
• Slow counter accumulation on commander

Resilience: 3/10

• Folds to 2+ targeted removals on key pieces
• Minimal recursion/protection (only Bolt Bend/Pyroblast)
• No plan B if Alexios becomes uncastable

Consistency: 4/10

• 2 equipment tutors (Godo, Brass Squire)
• Redundant stax effects (Blood Moon/Magus)
• No card draw beyond combat triggers

Interaction: 5/10

• A-Tier: Chaos Warp, Abrade
• B-Tier: Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast
• Situational land destruction (Boil, Fissure Vent)

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Focused Casual" (4.5) and "Optimized Casual" (5.0) on the rubric. It has a clear combat-focused plan with stax elements but lacks:

• The speed (T8-10 wins vs T7-8 benchmark for 5.0)
• Redundancy (single copy of key combo enablers)
• Interaction density of higher tiers
  The land hate package gives it meta relevance against fetch-heavy pods, but its commander dependency and lack of recovery mechanisms cap its ceiling.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5