Overview:

This Kotose, the Silent Spider deck leverages UB control and theft mechanics to disrupt opponents while pilfering their resources. The primary strategy involves exiling and casting opponents' key cards using Kotose's ability, supported by clones (e.g., Undercover Operative), graveyard recursion (e.g., Living Death), and incremental mill (e.g., Fractured Sanity). Kotose acts as a value engine but isn’t essential to the deck’s core function, which can operate via standalone theft effects like Thief of Sanity and Gonti, Lord of Luxury. The deck aims to outvalue opponents with borrowed threats and attrition tools like Dead of Winter and Consuming Tide, but lacks a definitive fast win condition.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) and value creatures (Baleful Strix, Merfolk Windrobber). Use early interaction like Drown in the Loch to disrupt opponents.
2. Midgame Theft (Turns 4-7): Cast Kotose or theft engines (Thief of Sanity, Siphon Insight) to exile opponents’ threats. Clone key targets with Undercover Operative or Vizier of Many Faces. Recur stolen cards via Archaeomancer/Scholar of the Ages.
3. Late-Game Control (Turns 8+): Reset boards with Blood on the Snow or River's Rebuke, then close with stolen/cloned threats or mill via Maddening Cacophony.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, early interaction (Arcane Denial, Soul Shatter), and at least one theft/clone engine.
• Prioritize ramp if lacking. Avoid hands with only high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Use Emergence Zone to flash in Kotose or clones during opponents’ end steps.
• Bojuka Bog and Soul-Guide Lantern disrupt opponents’ graveyard synergies while fueling Kotose.
• Living Death can reset the board while reanimating stolen creatures.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Relies heavily on opponents’ decks for threats; struggles against low-synergy or creature-light pods.
• Minimal fast mana or tutors to assemble win conditions consistently.

Moderate

• Vulnerable to graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) shutting off recursion and Kotose targets.
• Slow clock allows combo decks to outpace it.

Minor

• Limited protection for key pieces (e.g., Kaito Shizuki, Kotose).
• High dependency on reactive plays; struggles under stax effects.

Most Important Cards:

• Thief of Sanity (Primary theft engine)
• Undercover Operative (Clone with built-in protection)
• Gonti, Lord of Luxury (Value theft on ETB)
• Living Death (Board reset + reanimation)
• Ashiok, Nightmare Muse (Token generation and disruption)
• Consuming Tide (Mass bounce + card advantage)
• Drown in the Loch (Flexible interaction)
• Fractured Sanity (Mill payoff + cycling)
• Blood on the Snow (Board wipe + recursion)
• Emergence Zone (Flash enabler for key plays)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 3/10

• Wins via incremental value or mill, typically after Turn 10+. No fast combos or explosive starts.

Resilience: 6/10

• Recursion (Victimize, Scholar of the Ages) and counterspells provide recovery, but theft targets are ephemeral.

Consistency: 5/10

• Theft effects are random; limited tutors outside The Cruelty of Gix.

Interaction: 7/10

• Strong suite of counterspells, removal, and board wipes (Mystic Confluence, Soul Shatter).

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Casual/Precon level (T10-12 wins) with reactive control and borrowed threats but lacks the speed or redundancy of higher-tier lists. Its reliance on opponents’ cards and slow clock cap its power despite solid interaction.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5