Overview:

This Naya (RGW) Equipment/Voltron deck helmed by Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER focuses on aggressive board development through modified creatures and value generation from Equipment synergies. The strategy revolves around deploying low-cost creatures, attaching powerful Equipment like Colossus Hammer and Hero's Blade, and leveraging Cloud's card draw/Treasure generation to fuel explosive turns. Secondary win conditions include Hellkite Tyrant artifact theft/wincon and wide Soldier token strategies with Heidegger, Shinra Executive. Cloud serves as both a value engine and primary threat carrier, with recursion tools like Unfinished Business helping recover from removal.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (T1-3): Play mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), Equipment tutors (Puresteel Paladin), and value creatures like Professional Face-Breaker. Use Sword of the Animist/Explorer's Scope for ramp.
2. Midgame Pressure (T4-6): Deploy Cloud with protective Equipment (Champion's Helm, Darksteel Plate). Use Armory Automaton and Conformer Shuriken to maximize Equipment distribution. Activate Cloud's draw engine by attacking with multiple equipped creatures.
3. Endgame (T6+): Close with massive Equipment carriers (Wrecking Ball Arm on Cloud), Tifa, Martial Artist extra combats, or Hellkite Tyrant artifact dominance. Use foretell spells (Ultimate Magic: Holy) for protection during alpha strikes.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including color fixing
• Prioritize early Equipment (Skullclamp, Mask of Memory) or enablers (Puresteel Paladin)
• Ensure at least one protective piece (Lightning Greaves, Clever Concealment)
• Avoid hands lacking Equipment or ramp

Key Tips:

• Use Summoning Materia to cheat creature spells from the top of library while equipped
• Inspiring Statuary turns Equipment into improvise enablers for big spells
• Zack Fair sacrifices transfer Equipment to new carriers when Cloud is removed
• Bugenhagen, Wise Elder provides card draw once 7-power creatures are established

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme vulnerability to artifact hate (Vandalblast, Bane of Progress) dismantles core strategy
• Relies heavily on keeping 4-mana commander in play for card advantage engine

Moderate

• Limited board wipe recovery outside Unfinished Business and Aerith, Last Ancient
• Struggles against flyers without Helitrooper or Bronze Guardian

Minor

• Some Equipment have high equip costs before Puresteel Paladin activation
• Mana base has several tapped lands slowing early tempo

Most Important Cards:

• Puresteel Paladin (Equipment cost reduction & card draw)
• Hellkite Tyrant (Alternate wincon & artifact theft)
• Colossus Hammer (Massive power boost for Cloud)
• Unfinished Business (Graveyard recursion engine)
• Professional Face-Breaker (Treasure generation & card advantage)
• Tifa, Martial Artist (Extra combat enabler)
• Lightning Greaves (Critical protection for Cloud)
• Skullclamp (Card draw from token soldiers)
• Cloud's Limit Break (Flexible removal spell)
• Inspiring Statuary (Mana cheat for nonartifact spells)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10
Can threaten lethal commander damage by T6-7 with ideal Equipment setup, but requires multiple combat steps to close without combo finishers.

Resilience: 4/10
Limited protection beyond equipment-centric indestructible effects and Clever Concealment. Heavy reliance on artifacts makes it fragile to widespread hate.

Consistency: 6/10
Strong card draw from Cloud and Equipment synergies, but lacks high-density tutors for key pieces like Puresteel Paladin.

Interaction: 5/10
Contains targeted removal (Decimate, Chaos Warp) and board wipes, but minimal stack interaction beyond combat tricks.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a tuned Casual build with focused Equipment synergies but lacks the speed (T10-12 wins) and redundancy of optimized lists. While capable of explosive turns with its commander, vulnerability to common artifact removal and moderate consistency anchor it in the Casual tier.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5