Overview:

This Esper (WUB) Alela, Artful Provocateur deck focuses on artifact/enchantment synergy to generate flying Faerie tokens and amplify them with anthem effects. Alela serves as both a token generator and a flying tribal lord, enabling wide-board combat wins while providing inherent deathtouch/lifelink utility. The deck employs stax-like pillow-fort elements (Propaganda, Blind Obedience) and potent interaction to control the game while building an overwhelming aerial force. Secondary win conditions include commander damage via voltron buffs (All That Glitters, Ethereal Armor) and value-driven attrition.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone) and low-CMC enchantments (Seal of Cleansing, Land Tax) to trigger Alela.
   • Establish card advantage engines like Rhystic Study or Idol of Oblivion.
   • Cast key anthems (Favorable Winds, Rally the Ranks on Faeries) to grow tokens.

2. Midgame Dominance (Turns 5-7):

   • Exploit Alela's triggered ability by casting high-impact enchantments/artifacts like Mondrak, Glory Dominus (doubling tokens) or Kindred Discovery (massive draw).
   • Protect the board with Teferi's Protection or Flawless Maneuver.
   • Deploy Zur the Enchanter as a hidden commander to tutor critical auras like Imprisoned in the Moon.

3. Win Condition Activation:

   • Combat Overkill: Swing with 10+ flying tokens buffed by Inspiring Leader, Intangible Virtue, and Flowering of the White Tree.
   • Voltron Backup: Equip Alela with Mithril Coat and enhance with All That Glitters for lethal commander damage.
   • Value Lock: Use Cyclonic Rift overloaded to clear blockers, followed by a lethal alpha strike.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color-fixing like Command Tower).
• Prioritize early ramp (artifact/enchantment) and at least one card advantage engine.
• Ensure access to at least one interaction piece (Swords to Plowshares, Counterspell).
• Avoid hands without Alela enablers or excessive high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Use Roaming Throne (naming Warlock) to double Alela's token triggers.
• Estrid's Invocation can clone Mondrak, Glory Dominus for quadruple tokens.
• Brilliant Restoration serves as a late-game reset after board wipes.
• Dress Down can neutralize threats while preserving your anthems.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment/Artifact Hate: Farewell or Austere Command cripples the deck's engine and win conditions.
• Torpor Orb Effects: Nullifies Alela's token generation and key ETB triggers.
• Fast Aggro Decks: Struggles against decks that bypass pillow-fort tax effects with evasive or trampling threats.

Moderate

• Graveyard Reliance: Brilliant Restoration and Seal of Cleansing recursion are vulnerable to Rest in Peace.
• Mana Constraints: High density of taplands and limited fast mana slow early setups.

Minor

• Single-Target Removal: Alela’s low toughness makes her vulnerable, but indestructible equipment (Mithril Coat) mitigates this.

Most Important Cards:

• Alela, Artful Provocateur (Token generation + anthem)
• Mondrak, Glory Dominus (Token doubling)
• Rhystic Study (Card advantage engine)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board reset + win enabler)
• Kindred Discovery (Massive draw with tokens)
• Teferi's Protection (Board protection)
• Inspiring Leader (Combat buff)
• Zur the Enchanter (Tutor for key auras)
• All That Glitters (Voltron finisher)
• Blind Obedience (Stax + lifegain)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combat or commander damage by T7-8, but lacks fast infinite combos.

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate protection (indestructible effects, counterspells) but heavily reliant on fragile permanent types.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card draw and Alela's inherent token generation provide reliable engine access, though limited tutors for combo lines.

Interaction: 7/10

• Robust suite of counterspells (Mana Drain, Dovin's Veto), targeted removal, and stax effects.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused synergy with consistent token generation and strong interaction, capable of T7-8 wins through combat or value attrition. However, its reliance on vulnerable permanent types and lack of cEDH-speed combos place it in the optimized casual tier.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0