Overview:

This Sultai (BGU) deck helmed by Teval, the Balanced Scale focuses on self-mill, land recursion, and graveyard value to generate overwhelming board states. The strategy leverages Teval's attack trigger to fuel the graveyard while ramping via land recursion, then converts graveyard resources into Zombie tokens and reanimated threats. Key synergies include landfall payoffs like Field of the Dead, graveyard engines like Muldrotha, the Gravetide, and recursive threats like The Gitrog Monster. Teval acts as both a value engine and token generator, though the deck can function through alternative commanders like Muldrotha if removed.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3):
   Deploy mana dorks (Deathrite Shaman, Hermit Druid), self-mill enablers (Stitcher's Supplier, Hedron Crab), and land recursion (Ramunap Excavator). Use Crop Rotation to fetch utility lands like Field of the Dead or Bojuka Bog.

2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6):
   Attack with Teval to mill and recur lands. Activate engines like Tortured Existence and Phyrexian Reclamation to recycle creatures. Flood the board with Zombies via Teval's token generation and Field of the Dead. Reanimate key threats (Avenger of Zendikar, Colossal Grave-Reaver) using Reanimate or Dread Return.

3. Win Conditions (Turns 7+):

   • Combat Overload: Overwhelm with Zombie armies from Teval/Field and landfall tokens from Avenger of Zendikar.
   • Graveyard Combos: Loop Life from the Loam with cycling lands and Tireless Provisioner for infinite mana/landfall triggers. Use Altar of Dementia to mill opponents by sacrificing tokens.
   • Reanimation Chains: Recur The Scarab God or Muldrotha to establish unstoppable value engines.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including at least one green source.
• Prioritize early self-mill (Stitcher's Supplier, Hedron Crab) or land recursion (Ramunap Excavator).
• Look for enablers like Tortured Existence or Buried Alive to set up graveyard synergies.

Key Tips:

• Use Sylvan Safekeeper to protect Teval while triggering land recursion.
• Trade Routes turns excess lands into card draw while enabling landfall.
• Conduit of Worlds lets you replay key lands/creatures from the graveyard.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples recursion, token generation, and combo lines.
• Commander Reliance: Teval’s death triggers are essential for sustained value; repeated removal stalls the engine.

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Removal: Loses key pieces like Altar of Dementia or Tortured Existence.
• Fast Aggro: Slow setup makes early defense reliant on chump-blocking with 2/2 Zombies.

Minor

• Land Destruction: Armageddon-effects reset progress but are mitigated by recursion.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells beyond Counterspell and Glen Elendra Archmage.

Most Important Cards:

• The Gitrog Monster (Draw engine + land recursion)
• Muldrotha, the Gravetide (Recur multiple permanents)
• Field of the Dead (Token generation)
• Life from the Loam (Graveyard/land recursion engine)
• Altar of Dementia (Win condition via mill)
• Buried Alive (Tutor key creatures to graveyard)
• Hermit Druid (Mass self-mill enabler)
• Conduit of Worlds (Recur lands/creatures)
• Tortured Existence (Creature recursion)
• Avenger of Zendikar (Landfall payoff)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Can establish threatening boards by T6-7 through reanimation and token generation, but lacks T4-5 "oops I win" combos.

Resilience: 5/10
Multiple recursion engines (Phyrexian Reclamation, Muldrotha) mitigate removal, but graveyard dependency creates critical vulnerabilities.

Consistency: 7/10
Abundant self-mill, land tutors (Crop Rotation), and creature recursion ensure key pieces are accessible.

Interaction: 4/10
Limited to spot removal (Assassin's Trophy, Drag to the Roots) and a few counterspells—struggles against resolved combo pieces.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates efficiently in the mid-late game with strong graveyard synergies and land-based value, threatening wins via combat or incremental mill around T7-8. While resilient to conventional removal, its reliance on the graveyard and slower clock compared to top-tier combos place it in the Optimized Casual tier.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5