Overview:

This Grand Arbiter Augustin IV (GAAIV) deck is a stax/control build leveraging tax effects, mana denial, and disruption to stall opponents while assembling a combo or Approach of the Second Sun win. The commander accelerates its own game plan while taxing opponents, enabling early locks with cards like Winter Orb, Stasis, and overlapping tax enchantments. Key combos include Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista for infinite damage and Teferi's Puzzle Box + Narset, Parter of Veils to strip opponents’ hands.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
Deploy GAAIV early (T3–4 via artifact ramp) to discount spells and tax opponents. Lock the board with overlapping stax (e.g., Rule of Law-adjacent effects via Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, God-Pharaoh's Statue), then win via:

1. Heliod + Ballista: Tutorable with Recruiter of the Guard, Enlightened Tutor, or Idyllic Tutor.
2. Approach of the Second Sun: Accelerated via GAAIV’s discount and Mystical Tutor/Solve the Equation.
3. Stax Lock: Winter Orb + Armageddon or Stasis + Teferi, Hero of Dominaria to break parity.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2–3 lands and 1–2 ramp artifacts (e.g., Sol Ring, Azorius Signet).
• Prioritize early stax (e.g., Authority of the Consuls, Esper Sentinel) or protection (Fierce Guardianship).
• Avoid slow hands lacking interaction or stax pieces.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Taxes: Layer Aura of Silence before God-Pharaoh's Statue to amplify cost penalties.
• Break Parity: Use Teferi, Time Raveler to cast sorceries at instant speed under Rule of Law effects.
• Protect Locks: Tutor Dovin's Veto or Force of Will before assembling critical stax pieces.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Relies on easily removed combo pieces: Heliod/Ballista requires both to stay on board with minimal protection.
• Weak to artifact/enchantment hate: Stony Silence or Bane of Progress cripples mana and stax.

Moderate

• Slow recovery from land destruction: Limited land recursion beyond Crucible of Worlds.
• Vulnerable to fast aggro: Minimal early blockers; relies on tax effects to delay attacks.

Minor

• Life gain mitigates aggro: Authority of the Consuls, Blind Obedience provide incidental life buffer.

Most Important Cards:

• Walking Ballista
• Heliod, Sun-Crowned
• Winter Orb
• Stasis
• Rhystic Study
• Smothering Tithe
• Teferi's Puzzle Box
• Drannith Magistrate
• Narset, Parter of Veils
• Approach of the Second Sun

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Theoretical T5–6 wins with ideal draws (e.g., T3 GAAIV into T4 Heliod + Ballista), but typically T7–8 due to stax setup.

Resilience: 7/10
Free counterspells (Force of Will, Pact of Negation) and recursion (Hall of Heliod's Generosity) protect key pieces, but folds to repeated commander removal.

Consistency: 7/10
10+ tutors (e.g., Enlightened Tutor, Solve the Equation, Spellseeker) and draw engines (Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora) ensure combo/stax access.

Interaction: 9/10
S-tier counters (Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will) and targeted removal (Pongify, Swan Song), plus board wipes (Supreme Verdict, Farewell).

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at the high end of optimized stax/control with fast locks and efficient combos but lacks cEDH-level speed and redundancy.

Power level: 6.5–7.0