Overview:

This mono-blue deck helmed by Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive focuses on evasive 1-power/toughness creatures and combat damage triggers. The strategy revolves around deploying unblockable threats to draw cards, generate value, and win through incremental damage or synergies like Psychosis Crawler/Chasm Skulker. Tetsuko is critical for enabling evasion, but the deck includes backup evasion sources like ninjutsu (Mistblade Shinobi, Moon-Circuit Hacker) and equipment. Secondary themes include artifact synergies, extra turns (Lighthouse Chronologist), and light control elements.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Evasion Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy Tetsuko or 1-power creatures (Flying Men, Looter il-Kor), then attach evasion-enablers like Brass Knuckles or Kefnet's Monument. Use Sapphire Medallion/Explorer's Scope to accelerate.
2. Value Engine Activation (Turns 3-5): Connect with unblockables to trigger Bident of Thassa, Coastal Piracy, and Curiosity effects. Use ninjutsu creatures to bounce/reuse attackers while generating tempo.
3. Win Condition Assembly (Turns 5-8):
   • Combat: Amplify damage with Fireshrieker/Bloodforged Battle-Axe and token armies from Notorious Throng/Chasm Skulker.
   • Synergy Kills: Drain opponents via Psychosis Crawler paired with mass draw or Throne of the God-Pharaoh.
   • Extra Turns: Leverage Lighthouse Chronologist or Notorious Throng for multiple combat phases.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with Tetsuko + 1-2 evasive creatures or ninjutsu enablers.
• Prioritize early card draw (Mystic Remora, Mask of Memory) or ramp (Sol Ring, Walking Atlas).
• Avoid hands without evasion sources or card advantage engines.

Key Tips:

• Use Teferi's Veil to protect attackers from sorcery-speed removal.
• Containment Construct turns discard effects from cards like Wharf Infiltrator into card advantage.
• Academy Ruins can recur critical artifacts like Throne of the God-Pharaoh.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Losing Tetsuko cripples evasion for most creatures, forcing reliance on less efficient backup plans.
• Board Wipes: Minimal recovery tools for mass removal (only Aether Gale/River's Rebuke as answers).

Moderate

• Artifact Hate: Key equipment (Fireshrieker, Brass Knuckles) and engines (Throne of the God-Pharaoh) are vulnerable.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells (Counterspell, An Offer You Can't Refuse) for protecting combos.

Minor

• High-Toughness Blockers: Creatures like Charix, the Raging Isle can wall the deck if Tetsuko is removed.
• Graveyard Reliance: Academy Ruins/Mystic Sanctuary synergies are disruptable.

Most Important Cards:

• Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive (Core evasion enabler)
• Bident of Thassa (Primary card draw engine)
• Psychosis Crawler (Life drain win condition)
• Lighthouse Chronologist (Extra turn generator)
• Notorious Throng (Token swarm + extra turn)
• Throne of the God-Pharaoh (Passive damage amplifier)
• Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel (Free spell enabler)
• Coastal Piracy (Secondary draw engine)
• Teferi's Veil (Attack phase protection)
• Mystic Remora (Early game card advantage)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10
Can pressure life totals by turn 4-5 but lacks fast mana or instant-win combos. Relies on incremental damage.

Resilience: 4/10
Limited protection for Tetsuko and key pieces. Some recursion (Academy Ruins) but struggles against repeated removal.

Consistency: 6/10
Numerous card draw engines mitigate variance, but lacks tutors for critical combo pieces like Psychosis Crawler.

Interaction: 5/10
Situational bounce/counterspells (Wash Away, Abjure) but minimal permanent removal.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates as a focused casual build with T6-8 win potential through combat or synergy drains, but its commander dependency and moderate interaction place it below optimized tiers. Its consistency in drawing cards balances some vulnerabilities.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0