Overview:

This mono-blue deck leverages Sun Quan, Lord of Wu's horsemanship ability to enable unblockable combat damage while operating as a spell-based control/combo build. The primary strategy involves deploying evasive creatures to generate card advantage and value triggers (e.g., Lu Xun, Scholar General, Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel), while using high-density counterspells and bounce effects to stall until assembling game-winning extra turn sequences (Capture of Jingzhou, Expropriate) or combo locks (Hullbreaker Horror + mana rocks). Sun Quan serves as a critical enabler for the combat axis but isn't strictly essential, as the deck can pivot to combo/control victories through its robust instant/sorcery synergies and card draw engines.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Liquimetal Torque, Thran Dynamo) and card selection (Ponder, Brainstorm). Establish value engines like Rhystic Study or Mystic Remora. Hold up interaction (Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse) to disrupt opponents.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 5-7): Cast Sun Quan to enable unblockable attacks. Deploy card advantage engines (Consecrated Sphinx, The One Ring) and synergistic creatures (Displacer Kitten, Archmage Emeritus). Use bounce spells (Cyclonic Rift, Snap) to clear threats while advancing board state.
3. Win Condition Execution:
   • Combat: Attack with horsemanship creatures to draw cards and accrue value. Sword of Wealth and Power amplifies damage and provides spell copying.
   • Extra Turns: Chain Capture of Jingzhou into Expropriate for multiple turns, leveraging card advantage to overwhelm opponents.
   • Combo Locks: Pair Hullbreaker Horror with low-cost spells to bounce permanents/counter spells while generating mana via rocks. Omniscience enables free-casting of the deck's high-impact spells.
   • Copy Synergies: Use Displacer Kitten with noncreature spells to repeatedly blink value permanents or combo pieces.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including blue sources), at least one ramp artifact, and early interaction/value (e.g., Opt + Counterspell or Rhystic Study).
• Prioritize hands containing Sun Quan if combat damage is viable; otherwise, focus on card draw and combo enablers.
• Avoid hands lacking blue mana or with only high-cost spells.

Key Tips:

• Protect Critical Engines: Use free counterspells (Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will) to shield Omniscience, Hullbreaker Horror, or Sun Quan.
• Maximize Displacer Kitten: Blink mana rocks for extra mana, reset Consecrated Sphinx for draw triggers, or reuse Tishana's Tidebinder to lock abilities.
• Leverage Horsemanship: Attack freely with low-power creatures like Silent Hallcreeper to trigger damage effects. The Key to the Vault on an unblockable creature provides massive value.
• Sequence Extra Turns: Cast Time Stop defensively to disrupt opponents' wins, but prioritize offensive turns with Expropriate for maximum impact.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severe vulnerability to artifact/enchantment mass removal (e.g., Vandalblast, Farewell), which cripples ramp, combo pieces, and key engines like The One Ring.
• Folded by Defense Grid/Dosan the Falling Leaf effects that limit instant-speed interaction during critical turns.
• Hullbreaker Horror locks are fragile to instant-speed removal before the combo stabilizes.

Moderate

• Struggles against land destruction targeting Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx/Academy Ruins, reducing mana acceleration and recursion.
• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) disrupts Mystic Sanctuary/Academy Ruins recursion lines.
• Aggressive decks can pressure life total before combos assemble due to limited early blockers.

Minor

• Torpor Orb effects diminish value from ETB creatures but don't halt primary win conditions.
• Discard effects can disrupt hand-dependent combos, but ample draw mitigates this.

Most Important Cards:

• Hullbreaker Horror (Primary combo lock piece)
• Sun Quan, Lord of Wu (Combat enabler)
• Omniscience (Free-spell win enabler)
• Expropriate (Game-ending extra turn/steal effect)
• Consecrated Sphinx (Card advantage engine)
• Cyclonic Rift (Mass bounce for tempo/reset)
• Displacer Kitten (Value generator/combo facilitator)
• Rhystic Study (Early card advantage)
• Force of Will (Free interaction for protection)
• The One Ring (Card draw and protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can achieve wins via extra turns or Hullbreaker locks around turns 7-8, but high-cost win conditions (e.g., Expropriate at 9 mana) delay faster kills despite ramp.

Resilience: 7/10

• Strong protection suite (free counters, bounce) and card draw mitigate disruption, but over-reliance on artifacts/enchantments creates recovery issues if they're mass-removed.

Consistency: 6/10

• Abundant draw and selection ensure steady access to pieces, but limited tutors for combo components (e.g., no way to find Hullbreaker directly) creates variance.

Interaction: 9/10

• Exceptional density of counterspells, bounce, and targeted removal at low costs (e.g., Pongify, Stifle) allows precise disruption at all game stages.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Focused power level, leveraging efficient interaction and combo potential to threaten wins around turn 7-8 via extra turns or Hullbreaker locks. While its interaction suite is cEDH-caliber, reliance on high-CMC win conditions and vulnerability to artifact/enchantment removal prevent higher optimization.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5