Overview:

This Bant (GWU) deck leverages Jenara, Asura of War as a flexible commander but primarily operates as a high-efficiency midrange/value engine with multiple paths to victory. The strategy combines creature-based value engines, tutor chains, and stax elements to control the board while assembling either overwhelming creature superiority or infinite mana combos to fuel Thrasios-driven deck cycling. Key strengths include exceptional mana acceleration, top-tier interaction, and redundancy in critical effects.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
This deck aims to dominate through layered value engines and tutor chains, pivoting between three main paths:

1. Combat Overload: Use Craterhoof Behemoth/Elesh Norn with token generators like Adeline to overwhelm opponents.
2. Infinite Mana: Thrasios + Gaea's Cradle/Selvala supported by Urza's Saga-fetched Sword of Feast and Famine enables deck cycling.
3. Stax Control: Glen Elendra Archmage recursion and Ixidron disrupt opponents while building incremental advantage.

Key Phases:

• Early Game (T1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch) and value engines (Rhystic Study, Sylvan Library).
• Mid Game (T4-6): Tutor for key pieces (Birthing Pod → Consecrated Sphinx) or establish stax locks (Aura Shards + token generators).
• Endgame (T7+): Close with Craterhoof, The One Ring-fueled card advantage, or Thrasios infinite mana loops.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2+ mana sources (including fetches) and at least 1 accelerant.
• Prioritize opening plays that deploy Esper Sentinel or Guardian Project.
• Avoid hands without early interaction in removal-heavy metas.

Key Tips:

• Use Sword of Feast and Famine land untaps to chain multiple spells post-combat.
• Urza's Saga fetches Shadowspear for trample/lifelink or The Reality Chip for topdeck manipulation.
• Thrasios activates at instant speed – hold mana for responses before tapping out.

Avoid Traps:

• Don’t overcommit creatures before Aura Shards is online.
• Gilded Drake steals commanders but risks giving opponents value engines.

Weaknesses:

Critical: None (Adequate answers to most threats)
Moderate:

• Relies on creature-based engines vulnerable to board wipes
• Infinite mana combos require 3+ pieces with limited redundancy
  Minor:
• Mana base slightly vulnerable to Blood Moon-like effects

Most Important Cards:

• Gaea's Cradle
• Thrasios, Triton Hero
• Craterhoof Behemoth
• Birthing Pod
• Sylvan Library
• Rhystic Study
• Force of Will
• Urza's Saga
• The One Ring
• Consecrated Sphinx

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Can threaten T6 Craterhoof wins or T5 infinite mana with optimal draws. Early stax (T3 Aura Shards) slows opponents.

Resilience: 8/10

• 12 free/cheap protection spells (Force of Will, Pact of Negation), 7 recursion effects (Eternal Witness), and multiple win paths.

Consistency: 9/10

• 8 tutors (Enlightened Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith), 10+ card draw engines, and redundant combo pieces.

Interaction: 9/10

• S-Tier counters/removal (Swords to Plowshares, Force of Will), A-Tier board control (Hallowed Burial), and stax elements.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at the high end of Optimized (6.5-7.5) with cEDH-tier interaction but lacks the T2-3 deterministic combos of true cEDH. It outpaces most Focused decks through tutor density and protection but doesn’t reliably win before T5 against disruption. Key benchmarks:

• T6 combat kill / T5 infinite mana aligns with 7.0 "Focused Competitive"
• Lacks T3 stax locks (8.0) but exceeds 6.5 "Optimized" in resilience

Power level: 7.0 - 7.5