Overview:

This Sultai (B/G/U) deck leverages The Wise Mothman as a synergistic engine, combining mill, +1/+1 counters, and proliferation strategies. The commander accelerates rad counter distribution and converts opponent milling into creature growth. Primary threats are deployed via casting synergistic creatures and reanimating milled targets (e.g., The Master, Transcendent). Win conditions include milling combos (Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension), overwhelming combat with unblockable creatures (Herald of Secret Streams), and life-drain loops (Exquisite Blood + Wound Reflection/Syr Konrad, the Grim). The Mothman is essential for rad counter generation and scaling threats but is vulnerable to removal, slowing the engine.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Birds of Paradise, Elvish Mystic), land accelerants (Exploration, Burgeoning), or mill enablers (Ruin Crab, Mesmeric Orb). Prioritize ramping to cast The Wise Mothman by turn 3-4.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Cast commanders or key pieces like Zellix, Sanity Flayer, Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus, or Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider. Trigger rad counters via attacks/ETBs, then mill opponents to grow creatures. Use proliferate effects (Inexorable Tide, Evolution Sage) to amplify rad/+1/+1 counters.
3. Win Condition Assembly (Turns 6-8):
   • Mill Combo: Assemble Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension (with 3+ counters) for infinite mill/damage. Bruvac the Grandiloquent doubles mill output.
   • Combat: Deploy Herald of Secret Streams to make +1/+1 counter creatures unblockable. Swing with massive threats like Strong, the Brutish Thespian or Agent Frank Horrigan.
   • Life Drain: Pair Exquisite Blood with Wound Reflection or Syr Konrad, the Grim for lethal life loss.
   • Reanimation: Use The Master, Transcendent or Rise of the Dark Realms to cheat milled threats.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color-fixing like Command Tower).
• Prioritize early ramp (dorks, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) or mill engines (Ruin Crab, Mesmeric Orb).
• Include at least one payoff: proliferate enabler (Tekuthal, Evolution Sage), counter doubler (Branching Evolution, Vorinclex), or combo piece.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or proactive plays.

Key Tips:

• Protect Engines: Use Mutational Advantage for indestructible/hexproof on key permanents. Fierce Guardianship counters critical removal.
• Maximize Proliferate: Time proliferate triggers (e.g., after milling) to spread rad/+1/+1 counters. Nesting Grounds redistributes counters strategically.
• Graveyard Management: Leverage Raul, Trouble Shooter to cast milled spells. Mortuary Mire/Shifting Woodland recur key creatures.
• Combo Sequencing: Cast Bloodchief Ascension early to accumulate quest counters. Deploy Mindcrank only when Ascension is active.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) cripples mill synergies, reanimation, and Raul/The Master.
• Anti-counter tech (The One Ring, Solemnity) halts +1/+1 counter growth and proliferate.
• Board wipes devastate creature-based engines with slow recovery outside Rise of the Dark Realms.

Moderate

• Torpor Orb/Hushbringer nullizes ETB triggers (Mothman rad counters, Screeching Scorchbeast tokens, Alpha Deathclaw removal).
• Artifact/enchantment removal disrupts combo pieces (Mindcrank, Exquisite Blood) and value engines (The Great Henge).
• Fast aggro decks pressure life total before combos assemble.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction makes resolving key spells risky against heavy counterspell decks.
• Mana base includes many tapped lands, potentially slowing early turns.

Most Important Cards:

• The Wise Mothman (Engine: rad counters, mill-to-counters)
• Mindcrank (Primary combo piece, mill amplifier)
• Bloodchief Ascension (Combo finisher, life drain)
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Counter doubling, opponent disruption)
• Herald of Secret Streams (Combat win enabler)
• Bruvac the Grandiloquent (Mill doubler)
• The Great Henge (Card draw, ramp, +1/+1 counters)
• Exquisite Blood (Life-drain combo piece)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Graveyard-based damage)
• Mesmeric Orb (Passive mill engine)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Capable of T6-7 wins with ideal combo draws (Mindcrank/Ascension) or explosive proliferate turns, but reliant on setup and lacks fast mana.

Resilience: 5/10

• Limited protection/recursion outside Mutational Advantage; heavily disrupted by GY hate or counter removal. Recovers slowly from wipes.

Consistency: 6/10

• Multiple mill engines and proliferate effects provide redundancy, but tutors are sparse (only Worldly Tutor), relying on card draw (Guardian Project, The Great Henge).

Interaction: 7/10

• Efficient removal (Putrefy, Atomize), counterspells (Fierce Guardianship, Counterspell), and stax (Oubliette) handle key threats, though lacks board wipes.

Rating Justification:

The deck demonstrates focused synergy with T6-7 win potential via mill combos or combat, aligning with the "Focused" tier (6.0). However, its vulnerability to grave hate and reliance on commander-centric engines reduce resilience, preventing higher optimization.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5