Overview:

This Selvala, Explorer Returned deck combines stax elements, legendary tribal synergies, and a Heliod/Ballista combo to control the board while assembling win conditions. It leverages Selvala's parley ability for ramp and card advantage, using GW's legendary toolbox to lock opponents out of key strategies.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to deploy stax pieces (Gaddock Teeg, Linvala, Keeper of Silence) early while ramping into legendary bombs. Primary wincons are:

1. Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista infinite damage
2. Meld combo with Bruna, the Fading Light/Gisela, the Broken Blade
3. Overwhelming value via The Great Henge and Sylvan Library
4. Stax locks with Myrel, Shield of Argive + Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + 1-2 mana dorks (Arbor Elf, Birds of Paradise)
• Prioritize T2 Selvala or T3 Captain Sisay
• Reject hands without early ramp or card advantage engines

Key Tips:

• Use Thran Temporal Gateway to cheat in 7+ CMC legends like Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
• Concordant Crossroads enables surprise combo kills with Heliod/Ballista
• Captain Sisay tutors key stax pieces or combo components
• Teferi's Protection protects against board wipes during critical turns

Avoid Traps:

• Don't overextend with non-essential legends before establishing protection
• Avoid casting Urza's Ruinous Blast without Shalai, Voice of Plenty backup
• Prioritize combo assembly over incremental value in high-power pods

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No free countermagic to protect combos (relies on Reprieve/Boromir)
• Weak to graveyard hate disrupting Bruna recursion

Moderate:

• Limited redundancy for Heliod/Ballista combo (only 3 tutors)
• Slow recovery from MLD due to land-based ramp

Minor:

• Some high-CMC cards (7+ mana) can clog early hands

Most Important Cards:

• Heliod, Sun-Crowned
• Walking Ballista
• Captain Sisay
• Gaddock Teeg
• The Great Henge
• Sylvan Library
• Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
• Concordant Crossroads
• Yasharn, Implacable Earth
• Teferi's Protection

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Fastest goldfish win T4 with perfect Heliod/Ballista draw
• Average combo assembly by T6-7 through tutors

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple protection layers (Shalai, Plaza of Heroes)
• Good recursion via Saffi Eriksdotter and Bow of Nylea
• Vulnerable to commander-focused removal

Consistency: 7/10

• 8 tutors (Enlightened Tutor, Chord of Calling, etc.)
• Strong card draw from Selvala/Sylvan Library/Toski
• Legendary redundancy through Reki, the History of Kamigawa

Interaction: 5/10

• Moderate targeted removal (Path to Exile, Beast Within)
• Stax pieces act as proactive interaction
• Lacks free counterspells for combo protection

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Focused" (6.0) and "Optimized" (6.5) tiers. It has:

• Multiple wincons with tutor support (6.5 trait)
• T6-7 average win speed (6.0 benchmark)
• Stax elements comparable to T7 lock decks
• Lacks the free interaction and T3-4 consistency of 7+ power decks

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5