Overview:

This Orzhov aura-focused deck leverages Killian, Ink Duelist as a central cost-reduction engine and evasive threat. The strategy revolves around enchanting creatures—primarily Killian—with low-cost auras to generate value, control the board, and win through commander damage or buffed creatures. Killian's cost reduction enables efficient casting of targeted removal and auras, while his lifelink/menace provides sustain and evasion. The deck lacks combo finishers and relies heavily on incremental value and combat, making it vulnerable to disruption.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Deploy Killian Early (Turns 2-3): Prioritize casting Killian on curve using lands/rocks. Protect him with hexproof auras (Benevolent Blessing, Beaming Defiance) or regeneration (Dark Dabbling).
2. Aura Stacking & Value (Turns 3-6): Use cost-reducers (Transcendent Envoy, Starnheim Courser) to flood Killian or other creatures (e.g., Wingsteed Rider) with auras. Prioritize:
   • Draw Engines: Angelic Gift, Grisly Transformation, Casting of Bones.
   • Protection: Hyena Umbra, Floating Shield, Shelter.
   • Threat Amplification: All That Glitters, Ethereal Armor, Gift of Orzhova.
3. Control & Grind: Remove threats with discounted removal (Feed the Serpent, Bleed Dry). Use recursion (Auramancer, Monk Idealist) to rebuild after wipes.
4. Win Condition:
   • Commander Damage: Killian with evasion auras (flying, menace) and power boosts (Dub, Mammoth Umbra).
   • Go-Wide Buffs: All That Glitters/Ethereal Armor on enchanted creatures.
   • Life Drain: Grim Guardian pings with aura spam.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with Killian + 2-3 lands/ramp (Orzhov Signet, Mind Stone).
• Prioritize early protection (Hyena Umbra, Shelter) or aura-based card draw (Angelic Gift).
• Avoid hands lacking Killian enablers or with only high-CMC auras.

Key Tips:

• Protect Killian: His cost reduction is essential. Hold protection spells for removal responses.
• Leverage Heroic: Wingsteed Rider, Bloodcrazed Hoplite grow with targeted spells.
• Recursion Loops: Tethmos High Priest + cheap auras can recur key creatures.
• Aura Flexibility: Bestow creatures (Hopeful Eidolon) serve as creatures early or auras later.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Minimal recovery beyond single-target recursion (Auramancer). Lacks mass reanimation or indestructible effects.
• Enchantment Removal: Back to Nature effects cripple the deck's engine and win conditions.
• Commander Reliance: Killian removal sets the deck back multiple turns due to high recast costs.

Moderate

• Graveyard Hate: Shuts down recursion from Monk Idealist, Casting of Bones, etc.
• Evasive Threats: Struggles against flying/reach-heavy boards without sufficient removal.
• Card Draw Deficiency: Relies on situational aura triggers; risks running out of gas.

Minor

• Artifact/Enchantment Focus: Vulnerable to targeted hate (Bane of Progress), though some removal exists.
• Slow Ramp: Limited acceleration delays Killian/aura deployment against faster decks.

Most Important Cards:

• Killian, Ink Duelist (Cost reduction engine & primary win condition)
• All That Glitters (Scaling threat amplifier)
• Heliod's Pilgrim (Tutor for critical auras)
• Ethereal Armor (High-impact power boost)
• Transcendent Envoy (Aura cost reduction)
• Gift of Orzhova (Evasion, lifelink, and power boost)
• Feed the Serpent (Efficient removal with Killian discount)
• Auramancer (Graveyard recursion for auras)
• Grim Guardian (Passive life-drain win condition)
• Tethmos High Priest (Recursion engine for low-CMC creatures)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• Wins via combat typically around T10-12. No fast combos; relies on incremental aura stacking and commander damage.

Resilience: 3/10

• Fragile to removal targeting Killian or key enchantments. Limited protection/recursion beyond single-target spells.

Consistency: 5/10

• Tutors (Heliod's Pilgrim) and aura-based draw provide moderate consistency, but reliant on Killian sticking.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Feed the Serpent, Bleed Dry) and protection spells. Lacks board wipes or stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused aura-voltron strategy with moderate synergy but suffers from critical vulnerabilities to board wipes and commander removal. Its T10-12 win speed and low resilience align with Casual/Precon tiers, though its targeted interaction and aura synergies lift it slightly above jank.

Power level: 3.5 - 4.0