Overview:

Teval, the Balanced Scale leads a Sultai graveyard synergy deck focused on self-mill, land recursion, and generating Zombie tokens. The strategy leverages Teval's attack triggers and graveyard-activated token production while using recursive creatures, landfall payoffs, and incremental value engines to overwhelm opponents.

Primer:

Core Strategy:

1. Early Setup: Use 1-2 mana self-mill enablers like Stitcher's Supplier and Hedron Crab to fill the graveyard while ramping with Sakura-Tribe Elder and Farseek.
2. Value Engine Activation: Cast Teval by T4-5 to begin attacking for mill triggers, recurring lands like Field of the Dead or Drownyard Temple for incremental advantage.
3. Graveyard Exploitation: Reanimate key threats like Avenger of Zendikar or Noxious Gearhulk via Animate Dead/Victimize, while generating Zombie tokens from Teval's leaves-graveyard triggers.
4. Win Conditions:
   • Overwhelm with Zombie armies from Field of the Dead, Welcome the Dead, and Teval
   • Blood Artist/Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose drain with recurring sac fodder
   • Living Death turns massive graveyards into instant boards

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands, early mill/ramp (e.g., Hermit Druid, Grapple with the Past), and at least one recursion tool.
• Avoid hands lacking graveyard fillers or land drops.

Key Tips:

• Time Living Death to maximize zombie triggers from pre-milled creatures
• Use Command Beacon to bypass commander tax when Teval is repeatedly removed
• Prioritize recurring Field of the Dead with Teval's attack trigger

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Reliance: Foldsto Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void with limited enchantment removal
• Slow Combo Assembly: Key pieces like Blood Artist lack redundancy

Moderate

• Commander Dependency: Teval removal slows token generation
• Land Destruction Vulnerability: Heavy reliance on land recursion engines

Minor

• Limited Flying Defense: Relies on Wonder in graveyard for evasion

Most Important Cards:

• The Gitrog Monster
• Field of the Dead
• Hermit Druid
• Demonic Tutor
• Living Death
• Gravecrawler
• Animate Dead
• Meren of Clan Nel Toth
• Conduit of Worlds
• Blood Artist

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Goldfish win around T8-10 through incremental value rather than fast combos.

Resilience: 4/10

• Multiple recursion engines but critically weak to graveyard hate.

Consistency: 6/10

• Strong self-mill and 7 tutors, but key drain effects lack redundancy.

Interaction: 5/10

• Spot removal (Putrefy, Tear Asunder) but minimal counterspells.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates as a synergistic graveyard engine with multiple value paths but lacks fast combo potential and folds to common hate cards, aligning with upgraded precon/casual power bands.

Power level: 4.0 - 5.0