Overview:

This Bant (GWU) deck leverages Kellan, the Kid's ability to cheat out permanents or ramp lands when casting spells from exile/other zones. The strategy focuses on Plot, Foretell, and topdeck manipulation to trigger Kellan's ability, supported by +1/+1 counters, cascade, and value engines. While lacking infinite combos, it aims to overwhelm via midrange value and large threats.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
Deploy Kellan early to exploit spells cast from exile (Plot/Foretell), cascade triggers, and topdeck plays. Use cost reducers like Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius and topdeck enablers like Case of the Locked Hothouse to chain free permanents via Kellan. Win through board dominance with scaled creatures (Quilled Greatwurm, Byrke, Long Ear of the Law) or value engines like One with the Multiverse.

Key Lines:

• T1-3: Ramp with dorks (Elvish Mystic), set up Plot/Foretell (Make Your Own Luck), or protect Kellan with Snakeskin Veil.
• T4-6: Cast Kellan, then trigger his ability via Plot/Foretell (Plan the Heist) or cascade (Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty). Cheat out threats like Battle Mammoth or Railway Brawler.
• Late Game: Leverage Elven Chorus and Augur of Autumn to cast from the top, supported by counter synergies (Innkeeper's Talent, Death's Presence).

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands, early ramp, and at least 1 enabler (Plot/Foretell card or topdeck manipulator).
• Avoid hands reliant solely on Kellan without protection.

Critical Interactions:

• Fblthp, Lost on the Range enables Plotting from the library, feeding Kellan triggers.
• Vega, the Watcher draws cards when casting from exile, maintaining hand advantage.
• Doc Aurlock reduces Plot costs and enables recursive casting from graveyard/exile.

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Heavy reliance on Kellan; 3+ removals cripple the engine.
• Limited tutors for key pieces (e.g., no Worldly Tutor for Quilled Greatwurm).

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes despite Inspiring Call.
• Vulnerable to graveyard hate disrupting Quilled Greatwurm/Virtue of Strength.

Minor:

• Mana base has limited basics, weak to Blood Moon-like effects.

Most Important Cards:

• Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius
• Fblthp, Lost on the Range
• Case of the Locked Hothouse
• Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty
• One with the Multiverse
• Byrke, Long Ear of the Law
• Quilled Greatwurm
• Vega, the Watcher
• Make Your Own Luck
• Elven Chorus

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Wins via combat/value around T9-11. No fast mana or T3-5 combos, but Plot/Foretell accelerates midgame threats.

Resilience: 6/10

• Moderate protection (Hindering Light, Swiftfoot Boots) and recursion (Virtue of Strength). Struggles if Kellan is repeatedly removed.

Consistency: 6/10

• Multiple topdeck engines (Augur of Autumn, Elven Chorus) but limited tutors. Plot/Foretell provides redundancy for non-hand casting.

Interaction: 7/10

• Efficient removal (Swords to Plowshares, Stroke of Midnight) and counterspells (Counterspell, Saw It Coming). Lacks free interaction for high-power metas.

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between Optimized Casual (5.0) and Focused Casual (4.5). It has a coherent strategy with synergies but lacks the speed (T8-10 wins) and redundancy of higher-tier decks. Its resilience and interaction suite are above precon levels, but Kellan dependency and midrange pacing align it with T9-11 benchmarks.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0