Overview:

This Malcolm/Kediss deck leverages Malcolm's treasure generation from Pirate combat damage and Kediss's damage amplification to fuel explosive combo finishes. The primary strategy involves deploying evasive Pirates to generate treasures rapidly, using Malcolm as both an engine and infinite mana outlet with untap auras like Freed from the Real or Pemmin's Aura. Key win conditions include Malcolm-based infinite mana combos, Glint-Horn Buccaneer damage loops, Timestream Navigator extra turns, and Mechanized Production alt-win. Malcolm is the linchpin—vulnerable to removal but efficiently costed and synergizing with the treasure-centric game plan. Kediss amplifies damage triggers and enables one-shot kills with commander damage.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Cast Malcolm ASAP. Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), protection (Siren Stormtamer), or evasive Pirates (Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer). Use cantrips (Preordain, Brainstorm) to find key pieces.
2. Treasure Engine Activation (Turns 3-5): Attack with Malcolm/Kediss to generate 3+ treasures per combat. Deploy secondary Pirates (Corsair Captain, Captain Storm) to amplify damage/treasures. Cast card advantage engines (Rhystic Study, Kindred Discovery).
3. Combo Assembly (Turns 4-6):
   • Malcolm + Untap Aura: Equip Freed from the Real/Pemmin's Aura to Malcolm. Tap for treasure, untap, repeat for infinite mana. Win via Lightning-Rig Crew, Glint-Horn Buccaneer, or Timestream Navigator.
   • Glint-Horn Loop: Attack with Glint-Horn Buccaneer, activate its draw/discard ability to ping all opponents infinitely.
   • Alt Wins: Flood board with treasures for Mechanized Production or use Port Razer for combat loops.
4. Protection & Disruption: Hold free counters (Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will) for combo protection or critical threats. Use bounce (Cyclonic Rift, Otawara, Soaring City) for stax pieces.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with Malcolm + 2-3 lands. Prioritize blue sources.
• Essential: Early ramp, evasion (Aqueous Form), or protection.
• Combo pieces (untap auras, Glint-Horn) are secondary keeps if protection exists.
• Avoid hands lacking blue mana or Malcolm enablers.

Key Tips:

• Kediss Synergy: Attack with Malcolm first—Kediss ensures all opponents take damage, maximizing treasures. A 1-power Malcolm with Kediss generates 3 treasures.
• Treasure Timing: Sac treasures for interaction mana (e.g., Deflecting Swat during combat).
• Recovery: Underworld Breach recurs key spells. Gamble + Breach enables graveyard combos.
• Evasion Is Critical: Prioritize unblockable enablers like Aqueous Form or Storm Fleet Sprinter to guarantee damage triggers.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Reliance: Malcolm removal cripples the deck. Lacks consistent non-Malcolm win conditions.
• Anti-Combat Stax: Propaganda, Ghostly Prison, or Crawlspace severely delay treasure generation.
• Ability Hate: Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence shuts down Malcolm's tap ability and combo lines.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Recovering multiple Pirates is slow; treasures help but delay combos.
• Graveyard Hate: Disrupts Underworld Breach and Timestream Navigator recursion.
• Artifact Mass Removal: Vandalblast/Bane of Progress destroys treasure stockpiles and key artifacts.

Minor

• Hand Disruption: Limited discard protection beyond counterspells.
• Life Total Pressure: Aggro decks can race before combos assemble.

Most Important Cards:

• Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator (Primary engine/combo piece)
• Freed from the Real (Infinite mana combo with Malcolm)
• Glint-Horn Buccaneer (Infinite damage combo)
• Force of Will (Free protection for combos)
• Fierce Guardianship (Free counter to safeguard wins)
• Underworld Breach (Recursion for combo pieces/interaction)
• Rhystic Study (Critical card advantage)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board reset to enable combat damage)
• Gamble (Tutor for combo enablers)
• Kindred Discovery (Massive draw with Pirate swarm)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 8/10

• Capable of T3-4 wins with perfect hands (Malcolm + untap aura + outlet), consistently threatens T5-6 victories via combat treasures into combos.

Resilience: 6/10

• Free counterspells and protection auras defend combos, but heavy reliance on Malcolm makes recovery from repeated removal challenging. Recursion options (Breach) are limited.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card draw (Rhystic, Kindred Discovery) and tutors (Gamble) find key pieces, but lacks redundancy for Malcolm himself. Pirate density ensures damage triggers.

Interaction: 9/10

• Exceptional stack interaction (10+ counterspells, including 4 free casts), targeted removal (Pongify, Rapid Hybridization), and board wipes (Cyclonic Rift). Protects combos and disrupts opponents efficiently.

Rating Justification:

This deck achieves T5-6 wins consistently through Malcolm's treasure acceleration into compact combos, supported by premium free interaction and tutors, aligning with the "Focused Competitive" tier. However, its vulnerability to Malcolm removal and combat disruption prevents higher resilience scores, placing it below cEDH viability.

Power level: 7.0 - 7.5