Overview:

This Reaper King deck leverages changelings and scarecrows to trigger the commander's Vindicate effect repeatedly, combining artifact synergy and five-color goodstuff elements. The deck uses fast mana, high-impact tutors, and efficient interaction to control the board while assembling value engines like The Great Henge or Rhystic Study. Reaper King acts as both a win condition (via permanent destruction) and a combo enabler with Painter's Servant and Molten Echoes. While the commander isn't strictly essential, its presence amplifies the deck's primary removal engine and synergizes with the 10+ changeling/scarecrow creatures.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Acceleration (Turns 1-3): Deploy fast mana (Mana Vault, Mox Diamond, Sol Ring) and fix colors with fetchlands/shocks. Cast low-CMC changelings (Changeling Outcast, Universal Automaton) to start triggering Reaper King.
2. Board Control (Turns 2-5): Use Reaper King's triggered ability to dismantle key threats. Amplify triggers with Molten Echoes (doubling ETBs) and Metallic Mimic (buffing creatures). Tutor for Painter's Servant to enable color-based synergies.
3. Combo/Value Turns (Turns 4+):
   • Infinite Destruction: Pair Ashnod's Altar/Phyrexian Altar with Changeling Titan/Changeling Hero and Molten Echoes to generate infinite ETB triggers.
   • Card Advantage: Exploit The One Ring, Sylvan Library, and Rush of Knowledge (scaling with Reaper King's MV 10) to out-resource opponents.
   • Alt Wincons: Use The World Tree to fetch gods or deploy Craterhoof Behemoth-like alpha strikes via The Great Henge buffs.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2+ mana sources (prioritize fast mana/fetches).
• Ensure access to at least 1 early changeling/scarecrow or tutor.
• Favor hands with interaction (Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting Swat) if facing unknown opponents.
• Avoid hands relying solely on Reaper King without protection.

Key Tips:

• Use Painter's Servant to name "Scarecrow" for guaranteed Reaper King triggers from all creatures.
• Mishra's Workshop powers out critical artifacts like The Great Henge or altars early.
• Wingrattle Scarecrow/Rattleblaze Scarecrow provide recursion with black/red creatures.
• Dispersal Shield becomes a hard counter with Reaper King (MV 10) on board.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander-dependent strategy: Repeated removal on Reaper King makes casting prohibitively expensive (MV 10 + tax).
• Lacks instant-speed answers to resolved Cursed Totem/Torpor Orb, which disable key synergies.

Moderate

• Weak to mass artifact hate (Vandalblast, Bane of Progress) disrupting mana base and engines.
• Limited graveyard recursion makes persistent removal effective against key creatures.

Minor

• High density of tapped lands (shocklands) can slow early plays without fast mana.
• Some "champion" creatures (Changeling Titan) risk tempo loss if disrupted.

Most Important Cards:

• Reaper King (Primary engine/wincon)
• Painter's Servant (Synergy amplifier, combo piece)
• Molten Echoes (ETB doubler for infinite triggers)
• Phyrexian Altar (Mana engine for loops)
• Mana Vault (Critical early acceleration)
• The Great Henge (Card draw, buffs, ramp)
• Fierce Guardianship (Free protection)
• Demonic Tutor (Universal consistency)
• The One Ring (Unanswered card advantage)
• Mishra's Workshop (Enables explosive artifact plays)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 8/10
Capable of T3 Reaper King with fast mana into T4-5 combo kills via altars/echoes. Tutors and MV 10 commander enable explosive Rush of Knowledge/Stinging Study refuels.

Resilience: 6/10
Free interaction (Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting Swat) protects key plays, but over-reliance on Reaper King and artifact mana creates fragility to stax/removal.

Consistency: 9/10
14 tutors (including Imperial Seal, Worldly Tutor) and 10+ draw engines ensure reliable access to combo pieces/interaction.

Interaction: 7/10
Premium counterspells and targeted removal, but lacks board wipes and struggles against resolved noncreature permanents without Reaper King.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at cEDH-adjacent speed with T3-5 win potential via optimized mana and tutors but lacks the compact combos and stack dominance of top-tier lists. Its reliance on the commander and vulnerability to artifact hate place it just below top competitive tiers.

Power level: 7.5 - 8.0